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