Speaking at PASS Summit 2015!

I'm extremely honored to once again be part of the speaker lineup for PASS Summit. This will be my 4th year in attendance and my 3rd year speaking, and the joy of being there never gets old. It's an incredible gathering of people from all over the world who are passionate about data, and returning each year feels like a family reunion.

This time around I will be presenting about security, a topic near and dear to the hearts of many, especially with the number of newsworthy security breaches that have occurred the past few years. I've always wanted to present a beginner-level topic, and this year I got my wish. I'll be talking about the basics of security in SQL Server: how to make sure everyone requiring access to data gets exactly what they need and nothing more, and that people with no business seeing certain data have no ability to. Here's the abstract:

SQL Server Security Basics
The past few years seem to have had more than their fair share of high-profile data breaches, not all of which were caused by sophisticated hacking attempts. This session explains basic methods for securing your SQL Server by making sure you're not leaving the proverbial front door unlocked (or in some cases, wide open). We will discuss the different levels and methods that can be used for granting and restricting rights, as well as the pros and cons of each. You learn steps you can take to design databases with securability in mind from the beginning, so that you can better protect your data later. We also demonstrate scripts that can help audit user rights and make sure logins don't have any more permissions than they need. Security doesn't need to be scary! Attend this session and gain a solid foundation on which to build your DBA career.

If you haven't signed up for PASS Summit yet, register today! There's still time to negotiate with your employer and see if they can help cover some or all of the cost. It's an incredible investment in your career. If you want to learn from some of the best in the world, this is where you go to do it. I really hope to see you there!