End Users to Guide the Open Security Exchange Through New Convergence Council

End user participation demonstrates commitment to creating customer-focused standards and solutions for the convergence of physical and IT security

PISCATAWAY, NJ - January 10, 2005 - The Open Security Exchange (OSE), a cross-industry forum dedicated to delivering vendor-neutral interoperability specifications and best practices guidelines for security management, today announced the formation of its Convergence Council. In collaboration with OSE Advisory Members, the Convergence Council will define strategic direction for the Exchange by acting as advocates for the end user community. The Council’s most important contribution will be to ensure that OSE initiatives reflect the needs of corporate security officers, and that its deliverables are directly usable by physical and IT security professionals.

An extension of the Management Board, the Convergence Council will join OSE Advisory Members Steve Hunt of Forrester Research and Sandra Jones of Sandra Jones and Company to help define OSE initiatives in the convergence of physical and IT security systems. Initially comprised of four members, the Convergence Council size will be extended to up to 10 members to represent the needs of security practitioners from a full range of industries. The four initial members are Michael Butler of the Defense Manpower Data Center, Adam Stanislaus of First Data Corporation, James Connor of PeopleSoft and Jon Hodgdon of Procter & Gamble.

“I support the Open Security Exchange’s goal of increased interoperability between security solutions,” said Hodgdon, “As a member of the OSE Convergence Council, I look forward to assisting OSE members shape their work and priorities in this area. Most organizations have yet to fully leverage the natural synergies between physical and IT security systems.”

“The role of the Convergence Council is critical for the success of the Open Security Exchange,” said Hunt. “The Exchange must stay in close touch with the requirements of security officers in order to deliver applicable technical solutions for an otherwise complex convergence problem.”

The Convergence Council will hold its first formal meeting Feb. 8-9, 2005 in San Diego. “We want the Convergence Council to include member organizations that are at various stages of adopting converged solutions,” said Laurie Aaron, Vice-Chair of the Open Security Exchange and board supervisor for the Convergence Council. “Security professionals of all backgrounds are invited to apply to become Convergence Council members if they are interested in shaping the future of the security industry.”

For more information about the Convergence Council or to apply to join, corporate security professionals are invited to send inquiries to info@opensecurityexchange.org.

About Open Security Exchange (OSE)

The Open Security Exchange, a program of IEEE-ISTO, was created to address today’s most significant security challenge - the lack of integration among various components of the security infrastructure. The Open Security Exchange is a cross-industry forum dedicated to delivering vendor-neutral interoperability specifications and best practices guidelines in security management. This enables organizations to more efficiently mitigate risk, optimize their security postures and enforce privacy policies.

The Open Security Exchange addresses the disparate technologies that form today’s security infrastructures, allowing for optimal security and operational efficiencies while respecting organization-specific operational requirements. Effective security management will result in: deterrence and accurate detection of threats and attacks; consistent definition and enforcement of security policies; and enhanced organizational collaboration.

Management Board members include:

• Computer Associates
• CoreStreet
• Fargo Electronics
• Gemplus
• GE Infrastructure, Security
• HID
• Sony Electronics
• Tyco Software House

General Members additionally include Deister Electronics, Siemens Building Technologies and VistaScape Security Systems.

For more information visit http://www.opensecurityexchange.org.