Full Report
The ITWeb security summit is coming up next week from the 11th to 13th of May. This is a conference we’re quite excited about, and have been involved in for the last few years, but most recently, we’ve been able to further our involvement beyond just speaking. For years I jealously watched as SensePost’ers would trundle all over the world shaking hands and drinking beer with the leet haxors of the world. Then a few years ago, the ITWeb Security Summit brought over Kevin Mitnick. I remember sitting in the audience awe’d not so much by what was said (sorry Kevin, I’m sure it was interesting) but at the fact a real celebrity hacker was meters from me. I still keep his lock-pick business card as a memento. Since then, the summit has gotten bigger and better. ITWeb previously brought out people like Bruce Schneier (who I think thought I was a stalker), David Litchfield, Johnny Long (he’s African now), Johny Cache, Richard Stiennon, Roberto Preatoni and Phil Zimmerman (he video conf’ed in from his hospital bed after emergency heart surgery).
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Evolution of the ITWeb Security Summit Focus and Content
## Summary
The upcoming ITWeb Security Summit (May 11-13, 2010) reflects a significant shift in focus, moving towards higher-quality technical content driven by community involvement, reducing vendor dominance, and enhancing the overall speaker lineup. The ongoing involvement of SensePost in shaping the technical committee suggests a concerted effort to balance business and deep technical tracks, integrating community building alongside major industry figures.
## Key Details
- Date: May 11th to 13th, 2010 (Announcement contextually prior to this date)
- Companies Involved: ITWeb, SensePost, international cybersecurity speakers (e.g., Kevin Mitnick, Bruce Schneier, Jeremiah Grossman)
- Category: Conference Strategy/Content Evolution
## The Story
The article details the evolution of the ITWeb Security Summit, highlighting its trajectory from merely hosting celebrity hackers (like Kevin Mitnick) to actively restructuring its content delivery. Notably, SensePost's involvement in the technical committee has been pivotal in enhancing content quality by vetting sessions and curating international "hacker rock stars." This intervention addressed previous concerns about the conference being too "vendor dominated." The 2010 event is expanding to three tracks: technical, business, and a new dedicated security products track, signaling an effort to satisfy a broader yet discerning audience. Furthermore, community integration is evident through the associated ZaCon-organized afterparty aimed at fundraising for Hackers for Charity and providing access to speakers for those unable to attend the main event.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **ITWeb:** By improving content quality through external technical guidance (SensePost), ITWeb solidifies the summit's reputation, likely leading to increased ticket sales, sponsorship appeal, and long-term market relevance as a premier regional security event.
- **SensePost:** Deepening involvement allows SensePost to increase its brand visibility and influence within the South African security ecosystem, positioning them as thought leaders and key players in technical discourse.
### For Competitors
- Competing regional or local security conferences must now raise their standard of content curation to match the perceived technical depth being introduced at ITWeb, or risk being labeled as purely vendor-driven platforms.
### For Customers
- Attendees can expect a more balanced and technically rigorous program compared to previous years, offering higher educational ROI, particularly in deep-dive security topics alongside business strategy.
### For the Market
- This shift indicates a maturing regional market where attendees demand more than just high-level vendor pitches; there is appetite for genuine technical expertise and community engagement, influencing how other local industry events structure themselves.
## Technical Implications
The establishment of a strong technical track, vetted by practitioners, ensures that the conference agenda is driven by relevant, cutting-edge security challenges rather than solely commercial interests. The explicit mention of "hacker rock stars" points to a focus on adversarial thinking and deep technical skills showcase.
## Strategic Analysis
- Market Positioning: ITWeb is strategically positioning the summit as a **high-value, practitioner-focused event** that blends essential business insight with serious technical content, moving beyond a general IT trade show profile.
- Competitive Advantage: SensePost's involvement acts as a strong quality stamp, differentiating the summit in a potentially crowded event space by ensuring authenticity in technical sessions.
- Challenges: The teething issues noted from the prior year—specifically the difficulty in fully reviewing all materials and overcrowding tracks—suggest ongoing operational challenges in scaling quality control alongside event growth.
## Industry Reactions
- **Expert Commentary:** The author’s perspective, rooted in community participation, suggests internal validation of the strategic direction, aiming for superior technical output over pure commercial visibility.
- **Market Response:** The introduction of a third product track, while potentially diluting focus, is a pragmatic response to vendor demands for visibility, balancing technical purity with necessary commercial reality.
## Future Outlook
- Expect regional security conferences to increasingly adopt third-party technical oversight or peer-review processes to validate content quality and combat perceived "vendor dominance." The success of the community-integrated afterparty suggests future events might incorporate more structured, affordable networking opportunities targeting subsets of the community.
## For Security Professionals
This summit represents a prime opportunity, especially for South African practitioners, to engage directly with world-class security researchers, gain exposure to advanced techniques, and network within a curated technical environment. The fringe events offer accessible community interaction.