Cybersecurity conferences provide a significant opportunity for professionals to expand their network, learn from their peers about new developments, gain new insights, and exchange ideas with industry experts.
Staying up-to-date with the rapid advancements in tackling security is relentless but crucial. And with an abundance of conferences taking place globally each year, it can become overwhelming when discerning which event is best suited to your needs.
So, here is a list of the most important conferences in 2020.
Sans Security West 2020
San Diego, California May 6th – 13th, 2020
Information security professionals who want a more hands-on approach to security training can take advantage of more than 30 courses that Sans Security West offers. Participants will receive top-notch training from professionals in the field of security. Sans Security West offers both onsite and remote access to immersive classes such as:
- Core
- Cyber Defense
- ICS
- DFIR
- OSINT gathering and analysis
- Security management
Infosecurity Europe
Olympia, London, U.K. June 2nd – 4th, 2020
As Europe’s most prestigious information security event, Infosecurity Europe offers over 400 exhibitors, world-class education, and conference events that rival any event on the planet.
Attendees can learn about best practices, dive into case studies, and learn how to create a sustainable business model in cybersecurity. Participants need to reserve their spot early, as the event hosts over 20,000 people worldwide. Classes include:
- Information security exchange
- Tech talks
- Technology showcases
- Strategy talks
- Cyber innovation showcases
- Security workshops
- Talking tactics
- Insight stages
Sansfire 2020
Washington, D.C. – July 13th – 20th, 2020
Sansfire is a career-driven conference that allows attendees to participate in hands-on, immersion-style training, increasing their knowledge and improving their skills along the way. Real-world professionals and practitioners will offer over 40 courses that spread across several disciplines. The goal of Sansfire is to equip both beginning and seasoned professionals to handle today’s cybersecurity challenges.
Courses will cover areas such as:
- Open-source intelligence (OSINT)
- Defense security
- Forensics
- Security business & management
- Vulnerability assessment
- Monitoring & security operations
Def Con
Las Vegas, NV – August 6th- 9th, 2020
DEF CON launched in 1993 and has grown into one of the powerful conferences for security professionals, hackers, cryptographers, law firms, and law enforcement entities. It is an intense four days of gaining insight and training from those who are at the core of international cybercrime. Participants get an inside look at how criminals think and operate, as well as the legal aspects of cybercrime and protection.
What will attendees learn?
- Hacker fundamentals & tactics
- Decryption
- Security frameworks
- Cybersecurity and the law
- Smart city security hacking
- FBI and CIA forensics and tactics
44 Con London
London, United Kingdom – September 9th – 11th, 2020
For business and technical information security professionals, 44 Con London is one of the premier conferences and well worth the investment. Located in London, 44 Con London offers a more intimate setting where professionals can spend more time with industry leaders to learn about their work, their business, and the industry at large. Since attendees come from all over the world, it is also a great opportunity for business leaders to network and creates solid partnerships.
Training includes:
- Cloud security and DevSecOps
- Enterprise hacks
- Mastering web attacks
- Network Data Exfiltration Techniques Training
- Advanced Windows security training
- Mobile and web application security
Sector Canada
Toronto, Canada – October 19th – 22nd, 2020
Held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, Sector Canada features keynotes and classes from the IT industry’s most revered IT experts. There is a wide range of learning opportunities for professionals who want to stay on top of trends in the IT sector. What distinguishes Sector Canada from other conferences is that the focus is on training and education and not marketing.
Attendees may not have opportunities to promote their business. However, the payoff is the level of training that Sector Canada offers. Therefore, they do not allow what they call ‘marketing fluff.’ Learning opportunities include:
- Current technology research
- Internet of Things (IoT) hands-on labs
- Global perspectives from IT professionals around the world
- Privacy, policy, and compliance issues
- Unconventional approaches and techniques developed for applications
ISSA CISO Executive Forum Series
Multiple Dates – Multiple Locations
Touted as a peer-to-peer event, the ISSA CISO Executive Forum offers a platform for members to share information, concerns, successes, and feedback. It connects professionals within a large network who have the opportunity to learn from one another, gain valuable insight, and contribute to the information security industry.
Upcoming 2019 Dates include Boston, Massachusetts (June), Las Vegas, Nevada (August), and Dallas, Texas (October) among other dates scattered throughout the year. Check the forum website for more details. Topics and forums include:
- Intersection of privacy & security
- Third-party vulnerabilities & risks
- Discovering synergies between CISO & CIPO
- More topics TBD (Check the individual event sites to find out more)
IANS Information Security Forums
Multiple Dates – Multiple Locations
IANS offers forums that connect IT companies and high-level executive/administrative clients, as well as experts to other industry leaders. Through the IANS Information Security Forums, attendees can gain vast information to help guide their business and create a sustainable model for success.
The forums provide multiple learning platforms such as roundtables, forums, symposiums, and webinars. Each of these platforms is highly interactive and intuitive, allowing participants to gain valuable knowledge into some of the most critical issues facing cybersecurity today.
What can event-goers learn?
- Senior-level information security
- Cyber conflict, war, and sabotage
- Secure cloud migration
- DevSecOps Business study cases
- Phishing and social engineering solutions
- Current information, data, and trends in ransomware
- Comprehensive information on Google
Troopers
Heidelberg, Germany – March 16th – 20th, 2020
This conference runs over two days with a focus on training and less attention on business marketing. Here is where IT and security experts gather from around the world to share thoughts and confront the challenging questions being asked in the security industry.
Attendees will already be knowledgeable on many subject areas, from hardware devices and their associated security issues, Wi-Fi vulnerabilities, and even the pros and cons of various VPN protocols and how they play a role in the basic IT infrastructure. But the Troopers conference dives deeper into the most current issues to ensure professionals leave with a wealth of knowledge and enhances confidence in their business activities.
Topics that are high on the agenda are:
- Current state of IPv6 and security issues.
- Mobile telecommunication security.
- IoT security
- Responding to security incidents
BlackHat Asia
Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore – March 31st – April 3rd, 2020
BlackHat will again expand into the Asian market by holding their conference in Singapore. Here, experts in the field of cybersecurity will take centre stage by giving informative talks and providing training.
BlackHat Asia has yet to disclose the topical agenda. However, past conferences have consisted of presentations about trends in cybersecurity and discussions about crucial problems and potential solutions. It’s a conference that encourages unbiased discussions with less emphasis on vendors promoting their products.
There are more than 50 high-level conferences held throughout the world each year, and each provides opportunities for growing cybersecurity business. IT specialists should make it a priority to attend a conference like the ones listed in this article, and upgrade their knowledge in order to serve their customers better. Each of these conferences has something of value to offer to the IT professional that wants to continue to learn and grow.
About the Author: Naomi Hodges
Naomi Hodges is a cybersecurity advisor and a contributing writer at Surfshark. She specialises in network security, virtual private networks, and privacy-related issues. At work, she’s busy fighting for a safer internet and pushing privacy agenda forward, as well as helping a broad range of clients shape and refine their security efforts. Naomi is an engineering professional holding a Bachelor’s degree with a focus on information security from the University of Reading. When she isn’t working on making the internet a better place for everyone, she enjoys running and long hikes with her beloved dog Pluto.
