Conference Theme

Every year, RSA® Conference Europe is built around a different theme which highlights a significant historical example of information security. In 2008, we celebrated the influence of Alan Mathison Turing. 

Alan Mathison Turing (1912-1954) was a British cryptographer, mathematician, logician, philosopher and biologist. Experts and historians agree that Alan Turing had a deeper understanding of the vast potential of computer science than anyone in his era, and is often considered the father of modern computer science.

During World War II, Turing, who was part of a team of scientists working at Britain’s Bletchley Park Government and Cipher School, built a complex electromechanical machine called the Bombe to help decipher secret codes and transmissions. The Bombe was a significant achievement, and the starting point for Turing to develop more advanced computer prototypes throughout his career.

Turing went on to explore the relationship between machines and living organisms, opening the door to Artificial Intelligence (AI). As a mathematician, he also vigorously applied the concept of the algorithm to digital computers. This lead to his most recognised invention, the Universal Machine (or Turing Machine), a mechanism that is still studied within the theory of computation. The Universal Machine was a flashpoint in the evolution of computers because it read a series of “ones and zeroes” from a paper tape, then triggered the steps required to perform automated tasks.

Turing has been the subject of several important biographies, and inspired the ACM A.M. Turing Award, which is widely considered to be the computing world's equivalent to the Nobel Prize. Given annually, the Turing Award honors individuals whose technical contributions have elevated the computing community.