Howard Schmidt, a monolith in the cybersecurity field and great friend to SecureWorld, has died Thursday after a battle with cancer.
Howard was the Cybersecurity Coordinator for the Obama administration, and advised George W. Bush during his presidency as well.
He was in charge of security at Microsoft beginning in 1997, served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, and served on the boards of numerous cybersecurity organizations including ISSA.
To SecureWorld, Howard was more than a partner and trusted authority. He was the first keynote speaker at SecureWorld's first conference in Seattle, and was invaluable in establishing credibility and driving attendance.
"Integrity and honesty were of the utmost importance to Howard," said Michael O'Gara, Founder and President of SecureWorld. "He was such a stand-up guy. He always took the time, always took the calls. He invited us into his home... he couldn't have been nicer. SecureWorld wouldn't be SecureWorld today without Howard."
After Howard left the White House for the first time during the Bush administration, he took on the role as the International President for ISSA. SecureWorld worked with him on a weekly basis to get the association up and running.
"He put more time into the industry than anyone else," said O'Gara. In one year alone, he was on the road almost 330 days while still maintaining reserve status in the U.S. Army.
"Like all women and men who work in the protection field—computer security people, health department inspectors, fire marshals—Howard spent a lifetime toiling tirelessly and invisibly, saving people from dangers they never knew existed," wrote Bob Sullivan in a memorial on his site. "Countless crushing hacker attacks didn’t happen because of Howard’s work. He was America’s digital guardian angel for many decades. In fact, his work lives on, and you will continue to enjoy the protections from policies that Howard created and pushed for years, if not decades."
Howard will be missed as a colleague, as a defender of technology, and as a friend. His legacy will be remembered and seen in the cybersecurity industry for years to come.
Image Source: White House