What is Security BSides?

Security BSides is the first grass roots, DIY, open security conference in the world!  Security BSides is a great combination of two event styles: structured anchor events and grass-roots geocentric events.

“It is no failure to fall short of realizing all that we might dream.

The failure is to fall short of dreaming all that we might realize”

-- Dee Hock, Chairman Emeritus, Visa International

To see what BSides means to the community, check out What BSides Means to Me

Core Events

There are four core events that are both geographically and chronologically separated.  These events are corporate sponsored and centrally managed (though locally organized).  Typically about 100+ people attend the regional events, with these larger events attracting upwards of 500-1600. BSides events are traditionally FREE to all attendees, although a token fee may be charged by some events to cover fees or help guarantee head counts.

• BSides Austin (Coinciding with SxSW / Spring)
• BSidesSF (Coinciding with RSAC / Spring)
• BSidesLV (Coinciding with Black Hat USA / Summer)
• BSidesDC (Autumn) 

Many of these events do coincide with other major conferences, but the goal is not to draw people away from such events - in fact, how could we?  The fact of the matter is that many people attend Black Hat USA, RSAC and SxSW,  to meet with their friends even if they never attend the conventions.  BSides offers them another venue to spend their time during the day by either attending or presenting on "next best thing" material.

Unconference Events

Beyond the four core events, Security BSides takes it to the streets by offering others the opportunity to create their own local event and have lots of fun doing so.  Security BSides offers you unconference-in-a-box by providing the framework of tools necessary to deliver a structured event.  Who is best to host such an event?

• Hacker spaces
• Professional associations
• Group of organized individuals with a will and a way

What BSides is not!

1. BSides does not compete with any other event.  The goal has and always will be to expand the spectrum of conversation and enable a greater variety of events.  Certainly one can take the business perspective and say that any and every security conference competes with each other, but this would ignore the fact that these events are traditionally FREE and simply offer people another alternative to everything else.
2. BSides is not the All-Conference-Rejects. Certainly the idea may have sparked after the organizer and others got rejected from a conference submission, but the goal in creating Security BSides is always to enable a greater variety of conversation.  We do not want speakers who are talking about the current big thing, we want to find new talent who are discussing the NEXT BIG THING! 

What should I Bring?

• Open mind
• Lots of questions
• Computerness