Summary

HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference in Texas that aimsto provide opportunities for students and professionals in the industry. Theconference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnum and Sam Van Ryder, who wantedto create a community for cybersecurity professionals in Houston. Theyinitially ran the conference under the auspices of the National InformationSecurity Group, but eventually split off and ran it independently. Theconference has grown over the years, attracting attendees and speakers from allover the United States and even internationally. They have had to move tolarger venues to accommodate the increasing number of participants. HOU.SEC.CONhas steadily grown from 120 attendees in its first year to almost 1400attendees last year. The organizers initially planned to cap the conference at300 or 500 attendees, but the demand kept increasing. The conference aims togrow the cybersecurity community in Houston and provide a more affordable andaccessible option compared to larger conferences like RSA and Black Hat. HOU.SEC.CONhas added two additional conferences, OT.SEC.CON and EXEC.SEC.CON, to cater tospecific cybersecurity subfields. The organizers also host monthly user groupmeetings and provide networking opportunities for the community.

Takeaways

HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference in Texas thatprovides opportunities for students and professionals in the industry.

The conference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnum and SamVan Ryder to create a community for cybersecurity professionals in Houston.

They initially ran the conference under the auspices of theNational Information Security Group before splitting off and running itindependently.

HOU.SEC.CON has grown over the years, attracting attendeesand speakers from all over the United States and internationally. HOU.SEC.CONhas experienced significant growth, from 120 attendees in its first year toalmost 1400 attendees last year.

The conference aims to provide an affordable and accessibleoption for the cybersecurity community in Houston.

HOU.SEC.CON has added two additional conferences, OT.SEC.CONand EXEC.SEC.CON, to cater to specific cybersecurity subfields.

The organizers also host monthly user group meetings andprovide networking opportunities for the community.

Sound Bites

"HOU.SEC.CON is a cybersecurity conference inTexas"

"The conference was started in 2010 by Michael Farnumand Sam Van Ryder"

"They initially ran the conference under the auspicesof 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 dowhatever."

"We would have to take up multiple floors if we weregoing 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 Houstoncybersecurity 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