Beyond the Big Stages: Why Grassroots Cybersecurity Events Matter
Let's go to Canada they said…
In February, because you know that's an ideal time to see Canadians in their natural cold, snowy climate. Heck, if we're lucky, we might spot a polar bear or an igloo.
Ok, now that we've done stereotyping Canada, let's examine why WWT found itself in the middle of Toronto this past February, talking at a conference (during the day) and then co-hosting the evening's event until well past the witching hour.
Attending conferences, especially cybersecurity conferences, is one of the best ways to learn about current issues, research, technologies, solutions and who's doing what within the digital (and physical) cybersecurity space. They provide a wealth of information, awareness, networking opportunities and peer discussion around the current (and future) state of the industry.
Conferences allow you to expand your perspective on current challenges and help transform security into more of a business function that enables the organization to flourish and grow, with risks better understood and mitigated.
Talking or presenting at conferences adds another dimension: leadership, innovation and awareness. By standing on stage and discussing how we approach collaboration, communication and cooperation, we lead by example and can foster more effective partnerships with those in and around the industry.
There are any number of conferences within the IT/InfoSec arena. We choose carefully and are often invited to speak, keynote and participate in panels at a variety of global events. Choosing which conferences to attend and collaborate with—and which will bring value to WWT and the team—is something done with internal stakeholders (IT, InfoSec, people, marketing) as well as peer groups we already have relationships with (global CISO forums, Tinkerers, ISACA, ISSA, partners, etc.).
Additional benefits to WWT include recruiting and demonstrating leadership across the many fields we operate in: technology, safety, security and critical thinking. These are all things prospective candidates evaluate. A presence at conferences allows for in-person interaction, builds comfort with the human side of the organization and reinforces that the company knows what it's doing beyond the formal process. In other words, candidates do their own intelligence gathering—so the more positive presence we have, the better we can compete for the talent we want.
To this point, WWT has not lost productivity or had to heavily fund many local, regional or community-focused conferences. Rarely is there a negative impact from attending. (The after-parties, however, are a different conversation—and one where many folks could learn a bit about constraint in public.) There are several standing conferences many of us attend annually, as well as a steady stream of new invitations that are evaluated against a few key criteria.
Going forward, there are several conferences and associations where we should maintain a more consistent presence. Some will require funding and some would benefit from at least partial T&E support. In many cases, baseline travel is already covered, and conference time is often blended with normal work, with minimal impact to productivity.
This is why we do what we do. It's also why WWT would benefit from attending more than just the standard, large-scale events that many in our industry feel obligated to attend.
That's why Canada, and that's why SiberX, GrrCon, CISO-XC and many more regional conferences that offer so much.
'all for now
Chris