Software Engineering Institute

Note: The deadline for abstract submission has been extended to August 29.

July 19, 2022—FloCon, the SEI’s annual conference on data analysis for enterprise network security, is calling for participation in its 2023 event. Operational and data analysts, tool developers, researchers, security professionals, and others interested in data-driven security are invited to submit abstracts for presentations, posters, and demonstrations to FloCon’s submission website by August 15. FloCon will be held in person in Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 9-12, 2023.

At the first FloCon in 2004, a small group exchanged information on network monitoring for security. More recent instances of the event have brought together more than two hundred participants from government agencies, national labs, universities, and commercial industry. They gathered to discuss a range of system and network data used to improve the security posture of networks.

The theme of FloCon 2023 is “Situational Awareness: Beyond the Network.” Presentations will address the application of scalable analytics to large-scale data, observed from all vantage points on enterprise networks, to protect systems from internal and external cyber threats.

Conference organizers are seeking submissions about novel uses of big data to address thorny security problems. Submissions must describe the theory, creation, implementation, or operational use of data analysis to support the analytic processes and procedures of public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. The strongest submissions will give participants practical insights, code from a successful project, or analytics to investigate and implement. The event’s call-for-participation web page lists topic suggestions, including modeling for network defense, breaking down and optimizing analyst workflow, case studies in threat detection and mitigation, and more.

After two years of holding FloCon virtually, the 2023 event returns in person. Attendees will learn about the field’s latest tools, methods, and processes. Practical, practitioner-oriented sessions will feature training, presentations, and keynote speakers from the security and data analysis community. Interactive panels, breakout sessions, vendor demonstrations, and networking events round out the conference.

“FloCon is a collaborative venue where speakers and attendees share expertise and build community throughout the entire conference,” said FloCon chair and SEI network defense analyst Joshua Fallon. “Meals, networking events, and presentations alike build up each attendee.”

To submit an abstract for FloCon 2023, visit https://sei.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6J1Vdjgi8tw2QkK. For questions about submitting abstracts, email flocontact@cert.org. For more information about FloCon, visit https://resources.sei.cmu.edu/news-events/events/flocon/index.cfm.