A Society Of Security Editors

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Oct 13, 2010

You’ve probably never heard of the Dark Restaurant Society. It is the brainchild of Frank DeFina of Samsung, and is a collection of security industry editors, who do one of two things they like the most -- we eat together.

Of course we like the written and online word, but DeFina had a deeper vision when this all began several years ago. It was his idea to bring the security editorial roster together for a great meal, but mostly an act of friendship.

What has developed over the years amongst competitors is a civility that we can all work together, advancing the cause of security. We enjoy our work, and we greatly appreciate Frank’s passion for good food, but we all enjoy talking about security and what we’ve seen on any given day of a tradeshow.

The Dark Restaurant Society got its name from a second dinner together when we met for dinner in a dimly lit venue. That’s where it all began. Conversations include the most congenial to the most bizarre, but among friends, who cares?

Our goal is to eat, talk security and get ready for the next day of the tradeshow.

I’m honored to be one of the charter members of this distinctive society of editors, who care personally for what is important to you and the security industry.

I’ll talk more in later installments about new products and technologies that are presented at ASIS, and then in subsequent writings on the Security Products magazine website. There will be plenty to talk about.

For my opening day at ASIS 2010, I wanted to pause and thank Frank DeFina for making our jobs a little easier and for bringing together a great group of friends. Looking forward to Day Two of ASIS 2010 in Dallas.