LONDON, August 20 /PRNewswire/ --

- Award-Winning Speaker Carol Woodbury to Offer Advice on Security Compliance Through Series of Workshops and Her Key Note Speech to Delegates at Australasia's Largest IBM User Groups Event

Renowned US security compliance expert, author and award-winning speaker, Carol Woodbury is to deliver the key note speech at Interaction's September 2008 annual conference in Australia's Surfer's Paradise. This significant event is the largest gathering of IBM solutions providers across Australia and New Zealand and is organised by IBM user group, Interaction. This annual conference will showcase the latest server technologies and provide the opportunity for IT professionals to discuss the hottest market topics including: hardware streams, solutions, programming and development, systems management, operating systems and networking, and IT future trends.

Woodbury is president of US company, Skyview Partners Inc, a company specialising in security remediation services and automated security compliance solutions. Halcyon Software, the multi-platform systems management provider, is an authorised distributor for the Skyview solutions. Based in UK with an Australian subsidiary located in Melbourne, Halcyon is a platinum sponsor of Interaction. Advocating the importance of basing any security policy on sound analysis, Woodbury says, "Security compliance is a topic having a profound effect on our market as a whole. It all starts with a thorough analysis of the system security configuration." She adds, "Armed with these results, we believe in developing a security policy that makes sense for each individual business. The cost of compliance can be substantial and with more laws, regulations and standards emerging, companies need to figure out how to automate and drive down the cost of compliance."

In addition to her key note speech, Woodbury will be offering specific security compliance advice and conducting workshops throughout the duration of Interaction. A renowned industry authority and inspiration, Woodbury will focus her workshops on every-day issues faced by those IT professionals responsible for ensuring their organisation protects data and complies with relevant security compliance legislation. These workshops will offer grass-roots, practical advice regarding Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, the Payment Card Industry (PCI), Data Security Standards and best practice for IT security. Each attending delegate will receive a complimentary copy of Woodbury's new security compliance handbook, Compliance Without the Complexities - a guide for IT professionals.

About Interaction:

Interaction is a non-profit membership-based organisation serving the constantly evolving and changing business needs of users of IBM products and services. It was formed by amalgamating three separate user groups - Australasian SHARE/GUIDE, COMMON Australasia and Team RS/6000 - into a single entity. Interaction now offers an even more effective, focused forum and continues to be a valuable resource for its members.

Interaction's mission is to: - Independently present its members comments, concerns and suggestions to IBM - Assist its members to maximise the benefits obtained from the use of IBM products and services - Provide insight into IBM trends and directions, via meetings, conferences and other communications technology as determined most suitable for Interaction members

About Carol Woodbury:

Carol Woodbury is President and co-founder of SkyView Partners Inc.; a company specialising in security remediation services and automated security compliance solution. Carol is an acknowledged security expert and spent more than 16 years at IBM Rochester, 10 of those working for IBM's Enterprise Server Group as the AS/400 Security Architect and Chief Engineering Manager of Security Technology.

About Halcyon Software:

Halcyon Software Australia Pty ltd is the authorised distributor in Australasia for Skyview's automated compliance solutions.

Halcyon Software limited is an international software company with over 19 years experience in systems management. Halcyon writes software for IBM midrange servers as well as Windows, Linux, UNIX, AIX and Netware platforms. Large multi-national companies, corporate data centres, as well as small to medium-sized businesses use Halcyon Software products to proactively manage and automate their IT operations.

Halcyon's Head Office is based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and its software is used throughout the world with distributors in Europe, Middle East, Asia-PAC and the USA and a subsidiary company based in Melbourne, Australia. Customers include Cap Gemini, Avon Cosmetics, Raleigh, Quiksilver, Patties Foods, Tyco Electronics and Budget Insurance.

Carol Woodbury is available for press interviews around Interaction 2008 and also at the event itself. Please contact Sally Morgan in the UK +44(0)1932-578800, sallym@itpr.co.uk or Traci St Lawrence in Australia on +61-2-9252-2266, tsl@recognition.com.au to arrange.

For further information please contact: Traci St Lawrence at Recognition tsl@recognition.com.au +62-2-9252-2266 Lorraine Cousins/ Carole Chandler Sally Morgan Halcyon Software The itpr Partnership Tel: +44(0)1733-234995 Tel: +44(0)1932-578800 Fax: +44(0)1733-234994 Fax: +44(0)1932-578801 Email: carole.chandler@halcyonsoftware.com Email: sallym@itpr.co.uk Web: http://www.halcyonsoftware.com Web: http://www.itpr.co.uk

For further information please contact: Traci St Lawrence at Recognition, tsl@recognition.com.au, +62-2-9252-2266; Lorraine Cousins/ Carole Chandler, Halcyon Software, Tel: +44(0)1733-234995, Fax: +44(0)1733-234994, Email: carole.chandler@halcyonsoftware.com; Sally Morgan, The itpr Partnership, Tel: +44(0)1932-578800, Fax: +44(0)1932-578801, Email: sallym@itpr.co.uk