September 10, 2024

HOU.SEC.CON.

44 minutes

Summary

HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference in Texas that aims

to provide opportunities for students and professionals in the industry. The

conference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnum and Sam Van Ryder, who wanted

to create a community for cybersecurity professionals in Houston. They

initially ran the conference under the auspices of the National Information

Security Group, but eventually split off and ran it independently. The

conference has grown over the years, attracting attendees and speakers from all

over the United States and even internationally. They have had to move to

larger venues to accommodate the increasing number of participants. HOU.SEC.CON

has steadily grown from 120 attendees in its first year to almost 1400

attendees last year. The organizers initially planned to cap the conference at

300 or 500 attendees, but the demand kept increasing. The conference aims to

grow the cybersecurity community in Houston and provide a more affordable and

accessible option compared to larger conferences like RSA and Black Hat. HOU.SEC.CON

has added two additional conferences, OT.SEC.CON and EXEC.SEC.CON, to cater to

specific cybersecurity subfields. The organizers also host monthly user group

meetings and provide networking opportunities for the community.

Takeaways

HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference in Texas that

provides opportunities for students and professionals in the industry.

The conference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnum and Sam

Van Ryder to create a community for cybersecurity professionals in Houston.

They initially ran the conference under the auspices of the

National Information Security Group before splitting off and running it

independently.

HOU.SEC.CON has grown over the years, attracting attendees

and speakers from all over the United States and internationally. HOU.SEC.CON

has experienced significant growth, from 120 attendees in its first year to

almost 1400 attendees last year.

The conference aims to provide an affordable and accessible

option for the cybersecurity community in Houston.

HOU.SEC.CON has added two additional conferences, OT.SEC.CON

and EXEC.SEC.CON, to cater to specific cybersecurity subfields.

The organizers also host monthly user group meetings and

provide networking opportunities for the community.

Sound Bites

"HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference in

Texas"

"The conference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnum

and Sam Van Ryder"

"They initially ran the conference under the auspices

of the National Information Security Group"

"We were close to 1400 last year."

"Let's top out at 300. Let's top out at 500. Let's do

whatever."

"We would have to take up multiple floors if we were

going to stay at the hotel."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to HOU.SEC.CON and its mission

06:15 The origins of HOU.SEC.CON and its role in the Houston

cybersecurity community

18:33 Differentiating HOU.SEC.CON from other conferences:

Valuable content and community focus

24:15 The growth and recognition of HOU.SEC.CON

26:35 Expanding HOU.SEC.CON

30:51 A More Accessible Alternative

35:46 Building a Strong Cybersecurity Community

Resources

http://houstonseccon.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/houseccon/

https://x.com/HouSecCon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mfarnum/

https://x.com/m1a1vet

https://www.linkedin.com/in/svanryder/

https://x.com/SamVR

...more

View all episodes

By Phillip Wylie

1616 ratings