Getting the most out of SPC (and other conferences)

[Brad Judy <brad.judy () CU EDU>]

With SPC coming up soon, it seems like a good time to discuss thoughts on getting the most out of such events.  Here 
are my tips:

What do you want to change?  Think about what things about your program, process, policy, etc. you want to change and 
focus on those sessions.  While there is nothing wrong with attending a session that you simply find interesting, the 
greatest value comes from learning about things we actively want to change.

What is a topic you’ve been wanting to learn about, but haven’t had the time?  One of the traps attendees fall into is 
attending a session on a topic they already know well.  In 60 minutes, a speaker probably isn’t going to reach enough 
depth to add to existing expertise.  However, it can be a great way to jumpstart your investigation in a new topic.  
Don’t walk about of a session saying “the speaker didn’t say anything I didn’t already know.”

Ask questions.  Engage the speakers during the session and/or afterwards.

Did you see a very useful reply on the list sometime recently?  Ask the author if they will be at SPC and meet up to 
talk more or to just say thanks in person.

Don’t skip the meals.  I’ve been attending SPC for years and each year I meet new people at breakfast and lunch.

Have fun.  Don’t forget to check out game night (Tues night), the fun run or the photo walk (both Wed morning).

I’ll see you there – I’ll be doing a security program planning workshop in the BoF’s on Monday night, a session on MFA 
on Tuesday and leading the photo walk on Wed.

Brad Judy

Director of Information Security
University Information Systems
University of Colorado
1800 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO  80203
Office: (303) 860-4293
Fax: (303) 860-4302
www.cu.edu<http://www.cu.edu>

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