Last updated at Fri, 21 Jul 2017 20:12:41 GMT

Well, RSA Conference 2014 has come and gone. Now that the somewhat motivating keynotes, informative sessions, and William Shatner's hideous singing are over, we'll see the true test of what people learned at the show and just how important it is to them.

I won't (re)write what happened at the show but I will point you to the following posts I wrote for SearchSecurity.com that you might be interested in:

RSA keynotes highlight information security mistakes

The ridiculousness called 'cybersecurity' (and we wonder why nobody gets what we do!)

Security topics that have come of age that you need to keep on your radar

RSA 2014 recap: On NSA surveillance, truth remains elusive

The vendor expo was what you'd expect to see but this was especially interesting.

As the hype from the show settles down and you move into the reality of 2014, be mindful of two things:

1. Talk is cheap.

Be wary of what the presenters sold you on the stage and the promises that were made on the expo floor. There were some great ideas and products introduced, no doubt. But you know as well as I do, it's certainly not all that rosy. There is no magical “fix” for our security challenges. Every business has its own unique crosses to bear and is responsible for making things happen. As Robert Kyosaki has said: It's all theory unless you actually get out there and put it into practice. You won't know what will or what won't work unless you do.

2. Keep up your motivation and inspiration.

You've been to shows where you learn so much, everything seems so grand, and you're all charged up from all the camaraderie and great ideas. Then about a week later, the excitement dries up. Life and day-to-day business get in the way and your notes and to-do lists get buried in some pile on your desk. Whether you went to the RSA show or not, don't let this happen to you! As Jim Rohn said: Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value. Resolve to not let things fall to the wayside. Listen to the RSA Conference 2014 keynotes and podcasts and download the presentation slides (while you can, I read somewhere that they're taking them down). Take what you learn and do something with it. Make this the year to (finally) get things done.

Nothing is really new in information security. Sure, there are new IT challenges. However, if you simply follow the security principles you're already familiar with, you can get your stuff together and not let history repeat itself.

Here's to a great rest of the year!