Back in 2020, RSA was the last conference I attended—and the last tech industry event to occur—before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down nearly all large public gatherings. Now that many events have resumed, RSA 2022 in San Francisco is the first conference that I’ve attended in more than two years. (And not having left the Eastern US time zone in the interim, I apparently forgot that jet lag was a thing.) This year’s RSA included more than 26,000 attendees, compared to 36,000 in 2020, and 42,000 in 2019. Although the aisles were notably less crowded than pre-pandemic, even with less exhibit space occupied, there was still plenty of activity.
Back for in-person attendance at RSA
Historically, the RSA Conference primarily has been the domain of cybersecurity for enterprise computing. Although in recent years, IoT security has had a growing presence—I recall, for example, the introduction of industrial OT security firm Claroty as a startup in 2017—this year’s show included more dedicated IoT content, including an IoT Sandbox, an Aerospace Sandbox, and more speakers from outside traditional IT security.
The US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) brought a tabletop simulation of an electric utility system to the IoT Sandbox to demonstrate security vulnerabilities
Stephen Scarbrough, Chief Technologist at security services firm IntelliGenesis, elaborates on cybersecurity risks to airports and the entire aerospace ecosystem.
Despite the bleakness of the outlook for the semiconductor shortage, there is light at the end of the tunnel. By the end of 2021, many embedded processor suppliers and other relevant industry players had increased budgeting towards CAPEX—a real indication of a willingness to invest and meet surging demand for embedded semiconductors. Nonetheless, we believe the chip shortage will persist into 2023 primarily due to the time constraints on increasing semiconductor capacity against a background of economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
VDC’s upcoming report, IoT, Embedded & Mobile Processors, will provide semiconductor technology providers and others in the ecosystem with the insight needed to navigate this market and maximize their opportunities in a time of dramatic and rapid change.
