INTRODUCTION   

ISSA2008 is the annual conference for the information security community that continues on the successful recipe established in 2000. The upcoming conference is held under the auspices of the University of Johannesburg Business IT Department, the University of Pretoria School of Information Technology and the University of South Africa (Unisa) School of Computing.

The ISSA2008 Conference will run from Monday, 7 to Wednesday, 9 July at the University of Johannesburg's School of Tourism and Hospitality facility, in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

The conference has grown each year in various ways. Not only have delegate and presenter numbers been on the rise, but interest from industry has also grown and been displayed through sponsorship of the conference or aspects thereof. We believe that the quality and relevance of the information presented by industry practitioners and academics has also evolved over the years, as have the opportunities for senior research students to present their research to a critical and representative audience.

Conferences have become a major focus area - and often a money spinner - in many industries, so at any time you will see a number of conferences being advertised in fields such as information security. What sets the ISSA conference apart is that it is not intended to generate a profit for an organisation, and it does not encourage marketing of products and services through presentations. Instead, the proceeds from registration fees are reinvested to ensure that the conference grows each year. In exchange for their investment in the conference, sponsors are afforded an opportunity to present company-specific information that has a bearing on the conference themes, and presentations submitted by potential speakers are sent through a vigorous review process, managed by a team of respected international experts in information security.

We trust that the annual ISSA conference will continue to be recognised as an platform for professionals from industry as well as researchers to share their knowledge, experience and research results in the field of information security.

To ensure ongoing improvement, we again encourage input from all those interested in the field of Information Security, particularly those who are actively seeking to progress the field, to take part and share their knowledge and experience.  

We look forward to seeing old friends and new participants at ISSA2008.

Les Labuschagne
Conference Co-organiser