(ISC)2 Security Congress 2018 a Top Cybersecurity Destination

A tugboat towing a string of barges on the section of the Mississippi River that snakes through New Orleans, La., experienced a failure of its steering control last week on Monday (May 7), causing the barges to collide with a section of Mardi Gras World, a popular riverfront tourist attraction where Mardi Gras parade floats are constructed and stored.

That's probably not the lead-in you'd expect for a story about the annual (ISC)² Security Congress event, beyond the fact that Mardi Gras World is in New Orleans, and Security Congress 2018 will be held in that same city roughly six months from now.

The slightly deeper connection is that Mardi Gras World will host the primary networking fiesta for Security Congress. Mardi Gras world, which sprawls over more than 400,000 square feet of riverfront real estate, was receiving tourists again by Friday (May 11), so (ISC)² almost certainly won't need to track down a new venue for Networking Night.

The New Orleans Marriott hotel, at any rate, will be the nerve center and ground zero for most of Security Congress 2018, to be held Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 8-10. It's anticipated that more than 2,000 cybersecurity workers and experts from around the globe, and especially from the United States, will attend to engage in "three days of education, best practice sharing, and networking."

The theme of this year's gathering is "Enrich Enable Excel," and Security Congress has taken its three Es to heart, with various offerings that can provide training, expand knowledge, promote interaction with others, and even contribute to collective cybersecurity initiatives.

Among the incentives for attendees are the more than 100 educational sessions to be held, including a two-day, pre-conference training boot camp (Oct. 6 and 7) for two of the most popular (ISC)² certifications, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP).

Key security and technology organizations from around the world will participate in Security Congress. There will be also be a full-day Cloud Security Alliance Summit (on Oct. 7; Cloud Security Alliance is a key partner on the CCSP credential), as well as hands-on participation in the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

More than 100 speakers will address the conference, providing numerous oppotunities for (ISC)²-certified individuals to amass continuing professional education credits, or CPEs. A hands-on career center will provider further tips and training to individuals hoping to launch a new cybersecurity career or build their existing bona fides.

And, naturally enough, there will be numerous and ongoing opportunites to meet and interact with like-minded cybersecurity professionals, not least among them the aforementioned Networking Night at Mardi Gras World.

There's still a lot of time to think through your travel plans: Early bird registration is open through July 31, with separate discounts available to (ISC)² members, non-members, and students. You can also register from Aug. 1 straight on through the event itself — you just won't get a discount.

There's an all-access registration tier that lets you participate in everything, including access to free wi-fi and the latest cybersecurity products and solutions. You can also register to attend on a day-by-day basis, or register to attend the vendor expo portion of the event, either free of charge for early birds, or by paying a modest fee for latecomers.

(ISC)² has even gone the extra mile to help you attend by providing fill-in-the-blanks "justification letters" to help you pitch attending the conference to a dubious manager or boss who might be willing to kick in some company money. Hey, with level of handholding available, you've only yourself to blame if you pay for everything out of your own pocket.

Additional information about Security Congress 2018 is available online.