Effectively responding to modern disasters and humanitarian emergencies requires a substantial amount of connectivity. Whether for cloud, social media, GIS, or other critical access, emergency managers increasingly rely upon Internet access as a key service alongside traditional emergency and humanitarian support, such as search and rescue and medical support. "Hastily Formed Networks" are the networks that are created in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. While they perform vital services, most HFN deployments are significantly lacking in security management and oversight. This talk will discuss HFNs, and the evolution of security on these networks using examples from Hurricane Katrina to the ongoing Ebola Virus crisis in West Africa.

Rakesh Bharania is the West Coast lead for Cisco Tactical Operations, Cisco's primary technology response team for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. He is responsible for the design and implementation of emergency networks to support first responders, NGOs, government, and critical infrastructure restoration. He has over twenty years of field experience responding to disasters throughout the world including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and most recently the Ebola virus crisis in West Africa. He is a Cisco representative to several industry and international forums on disaster relief and resiliency including the United Nations and FEMA / DHS.

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