Campus tech/security conference draws record numbers

It's a sellout! A record crowd will attend next month's UCCSC2009-Focus on Security, a conference at UC Davis with news, information and insights about computing and security. As a result, the event has reached its maximum enrollment and ended registration early. Signups at the door will not be accepted.

There are 360 registrants to this year's conference, a one-time-only hybrid of the every-other-year UC Davis IT Security Symposium and the annual University of California Computing Services Conference. The UC conferences have drawn at least 300 people several times since they began in 1982, but never more than 350. People from all 10 UC campuses are coming to the June 16-17 event.

Several factors boosted interest this year, said Bob Ono, campus IT security coordinator. Registration costs half of what it did last year, and registrants from distant campuses received a special housing subsidy. The UC-wide Information Technology Leadership Council encouraged participation. A few of the nationally known speakers typically share their expertise at national conferences, so seeing them at a smaller venue is attractive.

And, the conference planners and UCCSC ambassadors, who represent the different campuses, "worked together to enhance the value of UCCSC instructional content," Ono said. "I believe the computing lab sessions are a first for UCCSC."

The conference will feature lectures, the hands-on labs, and presentations by university and industry experts. The main focus is security, but the topics range from IT staff development and cluster computing to network monitoring, and more. The event brings together IT workers from throughout the University of California, and offers plenty of opportunities for networking.

Organizers will post audio recordings and other material from many of the sessions after the conference ends. Please send any questions to uccsc2009@ucdavis.edu.