Don't stick to travel patterns. Train employees to look for suspicious behavior. And don't be the ugly American abroad.

That was some of the advice that local business leaders got from government and corporate security experts at a conference in Cary on Thursday. In an age of bioterrorism, corporate espionage and cyber threats, security is top of mind for more corporations -- especially those with operations and workers abroad.

More than a dozen security, law enforcement and intelligence officials addressed about 200 people who paid as much as $125 each to attend.

"Everyone here is looking at a proactive approach to what is a very serious issue," said Noah Garrett, a spokesman with the N.C. Technology Association, which sponsored the conference.

One of the draws was a rare public appearance by Erik Prince, CEO and founder of Blackwater USA, a secretive security firm based in Moyock, in the far northeastern corner of the state. Blackwater has been in the spotlight because of the company's controversial role in providing security services in Iraq.

During a panel discussion, Prince recommended that corporate executives pay for security courses for employees going abroad. "Hire an outsider to test your assumptions and try to penetrate your systems," he said.

Prince pointed to the Virginia Tech and Columbine massacres as cases where security response teams were poorly trained and uncoordinated. At Virginia Tech, "they had never trained or planned for an active shooter," he said.

Blackwater draws much of its revenue by training military and law enforcement officers.

Prince, a multimillionaire and former Navy SEAL, is known for keeping a very low profile. He tries to avoid being photographed. Critics say his company profits excessively from training and other service contracts related to the U.S. government's war in Iraq.

Blackwater is being sued by the families of four security contractors killed in Iraq in 2004, who claim that the company did not do enough to keep employees safe.

During the opening panel discussion, Prince was mostly quiet and did not discuss any specifics related to Blackwater.

Prince did have general suggestions for addressing the challenges security contractors face in keeping their own staffs safe.

"You have to fight complacency," he said. Unexpected security sweeps and irregular schedules can help organizations in chaotic environments to throw off potential attackers, he said. "Make their calculation as tough as possible."

He also discussed the importance of protecting intellectual property in countries such as China. "Everything is going to be replicated, just understand that," Prince said.

Prince is widely regarded as a global security expert.

Giovanni Masucci, president of Capitol City Consulting, a digital forensic and investigation firm in Raleigh, said that one of the reasons he attended the conference was to hear what Prince had to say. "I was very impressed that he was here," Masucci said. "He's world-renowned. Everybody knows Blackwater."

Greg Garcia, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, also spoke at the event. He emphasized cyber security during a panel discussion that also included electronic security strategists from SAS, Red Hat and IBM. He talked about the need to protect critical corporate and government data from infiltration and internal espionage, "a matter of embracing globalization, but understanding that it comes with very serious risks."

Stuart MacDonald, a Cary-based consultant who helps tech startups attract venture capital, said he attended to meet with Prince and network with other technology and security experts.

MacDonald said a client company has developed a security technology that can jam radio transmissions without disturbing the channel of the user. He said two military contractors are now testing the technology, which he thinks could eventually have commercial applications.

"We're looking for feedback on this technology," he said.