WELLINGTON, NZ – Award-winning, global security manufacturer, Gallagher Security, made the case for introducing federated identity in New Zealand at the Gallagher Security Showcase in Wellington on 23 November, which saw hundreds of people across the industry gather for a day of sharing and networking. 

“This was our first Wellington event in several years and we wanted to make it memorable,” says Wayne Scott, Operations Manager for New Zealand Sales. “Because we were in our capital city, we thought it would be appropriate to spotlight the enormous potential federated identity has to transform the way our government treats access control, and I think we achieved that goal of making the event special.” 

Chief Technology Officer, Steve Bell, walked audience members through the federated identity solutions currently employed by countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, explaining how, through one Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card, government employees can be ensured secure access to sites and computer networks without compromising authentication, revocation, or support for both physical and logical access. Taking it one step further, Dan Richardson, Executive Director – Strategy and Risk at CyberCX, demonstrated federated identity’s cybersecurity benefits, highlighting recent examples of cyber attacks and the growing risk such breaches pose to critical sites across New Zealand.  

“The cyber threat landscape is changing, and it’s forcing the rest of the world to change along with it,” says Steve, reflecting on the theme of the day. “If we want to be prepared to defend ourselves against those evolving threats, federated identity is a highly-effective approach for protecting our critical sites and setting a higher standard.” 

In addition to the high security focus, several of Gallagher’s Technology Partners were on site showcasing their solutions and contributing significantly to the value of the event, including ASSA ABLOY, Avigilon, Axis, Catalyst Cloud, Channel Ten, Florence Digital, Milestone Systems, SALTO, and Traka.  

Overall, Wayne sees the Security Showcase as a massive success: “This is the second Showcase event we’ve hosted this year, and both times there was a palpable energy that could be felt throughout the day. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that people were buzzing with excitement, which only goes to show that when we gather to share knowledge, we make each other stronger, and I think everyone who attended shares that sentiment.” 

A special thanks to all those who took time out of their day to join Gallagher at the Wellington Security Showcase, including the End Users, Channel Partners, and Technology Partners who made the event a hit.