I remember years ago (many I suppose), the Information Security conference calendar was quite empty. You’d struggle to get anything at times and options were to wait a long time or head off overseas on a junket.
How things have changed. It seems there’s some sort of conference or seminar held daily or at least weekly. Most aren’t worth the time and effort. They’re either a vendor driven marketing day, (hey, if you’re into that vendor and a free lunch, go for it), or a conference created by non-industry people to make a buck (riding on the coat tails of hot topics of the day). The latter really gets my goat most times. They’re nothing more than random topics within the larger “hot” topic, random speakers (whether of any note or not), in and out, and pay your 3K. You know the ones – the marketing looks great, they look like they are doing the industry a service, but you walk out of there deflated and thinking you’ve been stung.
On the flip side, we are blessed with some great events and people should really get behind these and support them. They’re the ones usually run by industry people for the industry.
I’d be keen to hear about some conferences you’ve been to, and your thoughts on them. I am sure others would appreciate the tips also.
Only a few locally. The usual Ruxcon, Kiwicon. Not much else I’d go to unless someone else paid.
I like, very much, the Oz Cert on the Australia Gold Coast.
I like very much, beautiful gypsy maidens who wear the sexy clothes in booths at the Oz Cert. I ask booth gypsy maiden to be wife. I ask her if she same street gypsy from booths in Amsterdam, she get very angry, slap my face and call security.
Salesman at the Aus Cert conference, I like, not so much.
One man, have long ponytail like donkey and smell like Khazak goat herder. He say he has hacker friends in Russian underground. In night time, I cut off man’s ponytail, he lose all his power.
I think it really depends on what you are after.
I have been attending some risk management conferences in recent times that have been very worthwhile. They provided me with a different slant on security and delved into fraud and financial integrity issues.
I would like to see more on delivering enterprise security programs and enterprise security strategy conferences in the future.
But again… horses for courses.
Really depends on what you are after… thought the last AusCert was worthwhile, even though looking back and laughing about my experience… as I came down with the flu and completely lost my voice. Not to useful when trying to chat / network with fellow security experts or talk to vendors!
Stopped going to the Gartner IT Security expo a couple of years ago… seemed to be repeating some of the key messages / topics.
No conference is perfect. Like a book, sometimes you have to sift through crap to find the good stuff.