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FAQ Answers |
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What is CIScon?
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CIScon is an annual conference
hosted by Computer Institute of the Rockies (CIR), which specializes
in security awareness and training. The conference began
because CIR director Brad Smith wanted to provide affordable
technology and security training for small organizations who don't
have a lot of money to spend on their IT. Over the years and
at the request of attendees, the event has grown from a one-day
conference to a four-day conference that includes a day of break-out
sessions, a one-day conference pass option, and optional in-depth
post sessions. Originally called the Montana Technology and
Security Symposium, we changed the name to reflect the growing
attendance by people from surrounding states and let them know that
we recognize this as a regional event. |
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Why is CIScon different from other
technology training?
(back) CIScon
focuses on bringing you presentations from experts in their fields
who will give you useful demonstrations and practical information
that you can actually go home and apply.
CIScon doesn't allow:
* vendors to pitch their products and call them training sessions, or
* talking heads with no real world IT experience who throw out theory and
don't help you solve your problems. |
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Will I learn anything
from CIScon?
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Most organizations, no matter what
type, have the same basic security requirements. We offer
sessions on a variety of topics in an attempt to provide useful
information that will apply to many job position-types, skill
levels, and business industries. Thus, we try and keep topics
somewhat general and not specific to any one industry. If
you're looking for industry-specific training or have a very narrow
job function, CIScon may not be right for you.
Past attendees have come from
various backgrounds and industries, such as financial, healthcare,
government, education, private consulting, utility, and non profit,
and based on yearly evaluation results, anywhere from 90% to 100% of
them felt attending the conference was worth their time. |
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Do I need a laptop computer to attend CIScon?
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Not necessarily. In the past, one post conference
session required that you bring a laptop, and its course description
noted that. However, having a laptop can be useful in other
sessions, and you will need one if you want to participate in the
digital combat exercise. In the past, about one third of
attendees have brought laptops with them. |
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Why does CIScon cost so little?
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CIR director Brad Smith knows how
tightly stretched most IT budgets are, and he believes all IT
professionals deserve to have training opportunities, no matter what
size organization they work for. He recognizes that most of
the cost to attend training often lies in the travel costs, and
instead of charging an arm and a leg that only a few can afford,
Brad's chosen to keep conference prices low so the training can help
as many people as possible. To keep costs, and thus conference
prices, as low as possible, you won't see fancy snacks or meals
hosted at the hotel. And proof that training doesn't need to
cost big money to be good lies in the evaluation results of our 2007
attendees: 96% responded that attending the conference was worth
their time. |
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What is the difference between the full group sessions and the
break-out sessions?
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During full group sessions, everyone
hears the same presentation. During break-out sessions, three
topics are presented simultaneously, and each attendee chooses which
presentation to attend. Break-out sessions provide an increase
in topic variety and allow people to choose the presentations which
interest them most. All speaker presentation handouts are
available to all general conference attendees, so someone who
attends one session will still receive session materials from the
other concurrent sessions. |
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What is a one-day
conference pass?
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A one-day pass is an option that
allows someone with limited time or limited training funds to still
attend the general conference for the day of break-out sessions.
Topics for the break-out sessions can be found with the rest
of the agenda. |
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Why are the post conference sessions optional instead of included as part of the general conference?
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Not everyone has the time or
training funds available to attend both post conference and general
conference sessions, plus many people may not be interested in the
more specialized in-depth subjects offered during post sessions.
Likewise, some people will be interested in attending just post
conference sessions, but not the general conference, whose topics
may not be in-depth enough for their needs. Separating the
post conference sessions from the general conference allows everyone
to attend the parts they want most. |
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Is there a way to register more than one person without typing all
the contact information each time?
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An Excel spreadsheet form that can be
downloaded, filled out, and emailed or mailed is available via the
Registration page. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or
email. |
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What is a
DCE?
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DCE stands for Digital Combat
Exercise. Held as part of CIScon, it's an optional hands-on
security training event where participants attack a closed network and
spectators watch and hear live commentary on what's happening. For
more details, please visit the
DCE page. |
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Why is CIScon being held in Helena,
Montana?
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We held the 2007 conference in
Bozeman, which we really enjoyed. This year we've moved CIScon
back to Helena. We'd love to be able to move CIScon all over,
as some of our attendees have suggested, but we need to hold it in a
city that draws enough attendees to cover conference costs while
keeping registration prices down. We'll consider other cities
for future conferences when we estimate that enough registrations
would come from those areas to offset registration losses from folks
who can't travel to attend. |
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How does CIScon find speakers?
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We send out a call for speakers to
everyone on our email list and provide a signup form on our website.
We also receive speakers via word-of-mouth. Most of our
national speakers come through contacts CIR's director Brad Smith has made
when he lectures at national
conferences. We feel fortunate that they're willing to speak
for less than their regular stipend just so they can come
visit Montana to enjoy our beautiful scenery and relaxed atmosphere.
If you would like to be notified when the next call for speakers
opens up, please
email to be added to the list. |
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Why doesn't CIScon have a vendor
show?
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Based on past experiences attending
other conferences with vendor shows, we have discovered that the
products of most vendors who come to shows are geared toward very
large clients, so either their products don't fit the needs of the
usually smaller organizations who attend CIScon or the product
pricing is too expensive for them to afford. While adding a
vendor show is something we may consider in the future, right now
our small staff would rather focus their limited time on putting on
a smooth-running training event. Instead of a vendor show, we
offer CIScon sponsors exclusive marketing opportunities based on their sponsorship
levels. |
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How to I find out more information on becoming a CIScon sponsor?
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Sponsors are an important part of
CIScon because they allow us to provide the conference for a lower
price than we otherwise could. Sponsors receive enhanced
marketing benefits
dependent on their sponsorship level. A complete list of
available sponsorship levels and benefits is available in a
downloadable form, or please
email. |
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Why did you change the name from
Montana Technology Security Symposium?
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We changed the name to reflect the
growing attendance by people from surrounding states and let them
know that we recognize this as a regional event. Everything
else about the conference, including the low-cost, high-quality
training by real-world experts the conference has become known for,
has stayed the same. |
