Information Security Executives Convene in Atlanta for Two Day Summit and Awards

ATLANTA, GA, Mar 30 (MARKET WIRE) --
Executive Alliance, creator and provider of premium leadership
recognition forums and events worldwide, announced the finalists and
winners of the 2009 Information Security Executive (ISE) of the Year
Awards held on Thursday, March 26, 2009 at the Westin Buckhead Hotel in
Atlanta, Georgia. The Awards recognize information security executives
and project teams for outstanding achievement in risk management, data
asset protection, compliance, privacy and network security. Eligible
nominees represented the Southeast region including Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Fernando Martinez, Chief Technology and Security Officer of Broward
Health, was announced as the Southeast's Information Security Executive
of the Year in front of his peers during the gala ceremony on Thursday
evening. The judges were impressed with his vision for the future,
ability to drive change and deliver results, and his information security
mentoring in the community.

Finalists for the Information Security Executive of the Year Southeast
Awards were also recognized for their achievements in the industry and
were showcased during the awards program. In addition to Fernando
Martinez, the finalists include:

-- Samuele (Sam) Ghelfi, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer,
Raymond James Financial
-- Major Michael D. Kleffman, Deputy Chief and Chief Technology Officer,
U.S. Air Force - Application Software Assurance Center of Excellence
-- Max M. Morris, Vice President, Corporate Information Security Threat
Intelligence Services, Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company
-- Mark Reardon, Chief Information Security Officer and IT Strategy
Officer, State of Georgia - Georgia Technology Authority

As part of the evening's recognition, Lynden "Tony" Samms, Director of
Information Security with Norfolk Southern Corporation, was announced as
the ISE Southeast's People's Choice Award Winner. The award represents the
nominee who best exemplifies information security leadership as voted on
by the registered attendees.

"The two day program was a resounding success in terms of attendance,
content, and celebration of leadership as the two winners received
standing ovations," said Mary Lou Heastings, President of Executive
Alliance. "The winners and the finalists exemplify what the information
security industry is about in terms of vision, execution, and results."

The Information Security Executive of the Year Southeast Awards were part
of a two day Leadership Summit which brought in top executives and their
teams from across the southeast to discuss industry key topics, best
practices, trends in the marketplace, and to celebrate the achievements of
the twenty-two nominees.

"It was great to be able to connect with the leaders in the industry over
the two day Summit and hear first-hand what is top of mind with them,"
said Marci McCarthy, CEO of Executive Alliance. "Congratulations to this
year's finalists and winners for achieving success during these tough
times."

About the Sponsors

The Executive Alliance Leadership Summit Featuring the ISE Southeast
Awards 2009 is the property of Executive Alliance, Inc., and is brought
to the business community by the following: Megabyte Sponsors - Fortify,
nuBridges and Qualys; Kilobyte Sponsors - FoxT, Guardium, HP, Lumension,
Marshal8e6, McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro; Display Sponsor -
GuardianEdge; Media Sponsors - InformationWeek and Infosecurity
Magazines; Association Sponsor; The Metro Atlanta Information Systems
Security Association (ISSA).

About Executive Alliance

Executive Alliance is recognized worldwide as the premier organization for
creating leadership recognition forums that honor and celebrate
outstanding achievements of executives in different industries. These
forums facilitate deep relationships and provide visibility for
executives and their companies while offering access and insight to the
key people leading these industries.

Recognized by Morgan Keegan as the largest most widely recognized awards
program for IT security executives, the Executive Alliance ISE Award
Program Series includes these regions and cities, Southeast/Atlanta;
Central/Dallas; Mid-Atlantic/Washington, DC; West/ San Francisco;
Northeast/New York City; and North America/Washington, D.C. Included in
the Executive Alliance series is the Data Center Executive of the Year
Awards (DaCEY). For more information, visit www.execalliance.com,
www.infosecaward.com or www.datacenterawards.com.

Media Contact:
Ginger Thomas
Executive Alliance, Inc.
404-982-8562
Email Contact

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-