Back from the Microsoft Blue Hat conference

The conference is over. Indeed it was an interesting experience which left us a bunch of good feelings.
How is this possible? Even the press was amazed, when got informed about our participation to the 8th Blue Hat conference, which was held in Seattle, in the Microsoft campus between September 27th and 28th, 2007.

Honestly, we were a bit amazed ourselves. But then, thinking carefully, we understood this was probably the right occasion to discuss our initiative directly with the people from which we could expect the most solid critics or maybe, the most solid handshakes. It was a challenge we had to take.

Guess what? We indeed received both solid critics and solid handshakes.

We were very much impressed by a lot of things, last but not least the incredible natural environment in which the Microsoft Camp has been built. Thirty thousands people working in a breathtaking environment, no wonder Bill decided to keep Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, rather than moving them to a more IT-fancy location like Frisco, for example.

Roberto Preatoni, our strategists holding the speech at the Blue HatGiacomo Paoni, our CTO in the speaker's lounge

Once at the conference, we have been requested to hold three different speech sessions. Two for the executives and one for the Microsoft employees, developers, long-time friends (what a big crowd of young, open minded people!).

We had the occasion to explain in detail our initiative, and to answer to challenging questions, especially those questions coming from some of the Microsoft executives. One of them suggested us to be more transparent by publishing our own vulnerability acceptance policy. Suggestion taken Sir, we'll do it.

During the conference days, beside the speeches we had the possibility to hang out and to exchange point of views with the Microsoft folks. Some of them wanted to discuss variations of vulnerability market models, some other wanted to exchange their views on legal issues. Many of them came just for an handshake.

The conference was very useful for us also because it gave us the possibility to exchange views and contacts with the speakers, a bunch of young, brilliant minds from which we got good advices. Among those minds, the Tipping Point guys (and girl, hi Terry!) with whom we had a lot of insightful comments in a cooperative environment. Cheers.


One thing is sure: if we brought 30,000 WabiSabiLabi corporate t-shirts to the conference, we would have had 30,000 thousands Microsoft employees wearing it next day at work. Quite an achievement, isn't it?

Don't worry folks, to all of you who requested us a WabiSabiLabi t-shirt, a loooong list, you will get it. Just give us the time to go back to the land of the chocolate and cheese and we will print them.


At the end, we were prepared to face the worst, but we actually faced nothing but the best.
And it came naturally. To push the things for the best, we didn't even have to get the Miracle Prosperity Handkerchief that one of the very many Reverends wanted to give us through our hotel room's television. And it was coming for free...