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Huntsville, Alabama
The Huntsville, Alabama, area is a fast growing, high tech area. A microcosm within Alabama, industries in Huntsville include automotive manufacturing, defense, aerospace, genetic research, health care, engineering and more. Redstone Arsenal is home to several Army commands, NASA and the FBI. Huntsville has been named as the site for a new automobile manufacturing plant by both Toyota and Mazda. Each of these business sectors requires a skilled technology workforce and the ability to protect their data and customers from cyber-attacks.NAC-ISSA (North Alabama Chapter of Information Systems Security Association) is one of the larger ISSA chapters in the US and is focused on growing the cyber community in Huntsville through education, technical presentations and networking. Huntsville, Alabama, is ground zero in cyber security and we have a very skilled and active chapter. Our members run the gamut from student to network engineers to security professionals. Titles go up to CIO and business owner. Our website is https://nac-issa.org.
Companies looking to expand their mindshare and visibility in North Alabama will have a hard time finding better value than sponsoring a NAC-ISSA lunch or event.
Monthly Lunches typically happen on the 3rd Tuesday of the month except June (National Cyber Summit) and December (Christmas party). We ask sponsors for a $750 donation to the chapter and to cover lunch costs. The lunch averages around $1000 and is a buffet style meal, not just sandwiches. The chapter secures the venue, arranges the caterer and drives attendance so the sponsor can focus on their presentation. Attendance averages close to 70. We have found door prizes increase attendance and the chapter will provide one. Attendees include decision makers and CIOs. We encourage sponsors to do a more technical presentation rather than a straight sales pitch. That seems to pique the interest of our members and drive a larger audience.
Tech Power Hour – For chapter members or technology specialists that want to present a technical topic, we have the Tech Power Hour. Usually held at 11:00 but not including lunch, these events average 30 in attendance depending on the presentation. We try to keep these technical and not vendor based where possible. We view this as an opportunity for professionals with great ideas to put them before peers.
Social Events – We are just getting started with these but having a tournament at Pints and Pixels or another venue (local microbreweries are popular) with logo prizes for the winner would be an excellent sponsorship opportunity. The chapter will help with the venue and will drive attendance.
Conferences – NAC-ISSA sponsors three cyber security events throughout the year to provide networking opportunities, share information and promote the cyber security workforce.
B-Sides - B-Sides events are held throughout the county and Huntsville is no exception. NAC-ISSA assumed sponsorship for the Huntsville B-Sides in 2018 after it was already well extablished. Held in February, we have sponsorship, speaking and exhibiting opportunities available.
National Cyber Summit – NAC-ISSA and Cyber Huntsville host the National Cyber Summit in June with 2018 having been our 10th anniversary event. That event had over 2200 attendees from 47 states. Held in the Von Braun Center, the Summit has become a Huntsville tradition to promote Huntsville as a center for cyber security professionals and jobs. Keynote speakers are thought leaders from academia, government and commercial organizations. Visit our website at https://nationalcybersummit.com.
Rocket Secure – Started as a celebration of National Cyber Security Awareness month in October 2017, Rocket Secure was so popular we are making it an annual event. All members of the community… from soccer chauffers to mad geniuses… are invited and there are presentations to address all levels of expertise. The chapter uses this as a non-threatening way to be introduce novices to cyber security up to deep dives on cyber topics and vendor test drives. Our events are open to all attendees but we offer CEUs to our members that attend. For more information on the chapter and to more of our community based initiatives, visit https://www.nac-issa.org.
For questions or to sponsor an event, contact Phillip Lee. plee@unicotechnology.com or 256.945.7515