The Best Government Cybersecurity and IT Conferences

Government employees are on the front lines of critical cybersecurity, infosec and IT initiatives. Start planning for how you’ll stay on top of new developments and technological innovations with GovLoop’s list of the best government cybersecurity and IT conferences.

In this list, you’ll find trainings, symposia, summits, forums, seminars, workshops, conventions and conferences worth attending if you work in cybersecurity or information technology at a federal, state or local government agency.

This list of the best cyber and IT conferences will help you plan ahead and advocate for those precious professional development dollars. If you’re looking for even more events, check out our other roundups of the best government conferences.

As a bonus for the social media savvy, the listings include event hashtags, when available, for those who can’t attend but want to participate in the virtual conversations.

January

National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) National Conference and Global Forum
January 7 – 10, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #NCSE2019
The NSCE conference explores the opportunities and challenges for sustainability at the convergence of built, natural, social and cyber infrastructure. The cyber dimension includes research environments that support advanced data acquisition, storage, management, integration, mining, visualization and other computing and information processing services. More than 1,000 leaders in science, technology, government, business, civil society and education gather to consider cutting-edge issues, explore new technology and best practices, identify research priorities, and recommend solutions for policy and practice.

RSA Federal Summit by Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC)
January 24, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
This educational, one-day symposium, which is free to government and academia, will discuss the latest cybersecurity developments within the federal government, featuring thought leaders and subject matter experts from numerous agencies. The event also includes the MITRE-ATARC Cybersecurity Collaboration Symposium, where government, academic and industry brainstorm and whiteboard a variety of security topics, and the Cybersecurity Technology Showcase, where leading security vendors demonstrate cutting-edge cybersecurity products and solutions.

Network Modernization Summit
January 28 – 30, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
The Network Modernization Summit provides a dialogue to help the military bring its technology up to date and into the future. It brings together individuals from government; military, technology and information officers; stakeholders in the IT networks community; academics; and industry representatives to discuss the challenges of updating military networks and streamlining the acquisition process. Organized by Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA).

February

Federal Networks Conference
February 25 – 26, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
This conference brings together senior decisionmakers from defense and civil agencies to share their latest plans for how they will design, purchase, and operate their networks, as well as the IT services that these networks enable and deliver. Speakers provide an in-depth look at how enterprise-level initiatives including the JIE, IC ITE and NS2020 will shape the government’s next generation infrastructure and service upgrade requirements.

Public Sector CIO Academy: California
February date TBA, 2019 | Sacramento, CA | #govtechlive
If you can score a spot at this invitation-only event, you’ll meet C-level professionals addressing the most important policy, management and leadership issues surrounding the future of digital government and the role of the public sector CIO in the State of California. Developed for government by Government Technology, which also hosts other events around the country.

March

International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE)
March 4 – 8, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV | #IWCE2019
IWCE is a venue for communications technology professionals in the working world. It features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest products and trends in the industry. Attendees are a diverse group of industry professionals including government and military, public safety (law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical and 911), utility, transportation and business enterprise.

RSA Conference
March 4 – 8, 2019 | San Francisco, CA | #RSAC
RSA Conference is a cybersecurity event that brings together professionals from all sides of the field —from CISOs to security engineers — to give attendees the perspectives and insights needed to conquer looming risks and leave hackers in the dust. Over five days, attendees have access to comprehensive educational sessions as well as the chance to network and meet with other professionals in the field.

Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Conference
March 29 – 30, 2019 | Pittsburgh, PA | #WiCyS2019
The Women in Cybersecurity Conference brings together industry, students, educators, government and research for knowledge sharing, networking, mentoring and recruiting. WiCyS is a nonprofit organization and community of engagement, encouragement and support for women in cybersecurity.

Federal Information Systems Security Educators Association (FISSEA) Conference
March date TBA, 2019 | Gaithersburg, MD | #FISSEA2019
FISSEA is a volunteer organization run by and for federal information systems security professionals with an interest in awareness, training, education and certification. The FISSEA Conference assists federal agencies in strengthening their employee security training and awareness programs.

April

Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo
April 1 – 4, 2019 | Denver, CO | #smartcitiesconnect
The Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo, co-located with the US Ignite Application Summit, convenes 400+ global city leaders, representing 250+ cities and communities to advance citizen engagement, improve citizen life and to enhance partnership opportunities between innovative technology and solution providers.

SINET ITSEF
April 11, 2019 | Mountain View, CA | #SINETITSEF19
SINET ITSEF provides a venue where entrepreneurs and industry professionals can meet and interact directly with leaders of government, business and the investment community in an open, collaborative environment focused on identifying solutions to cybersecurity challenges. SINET hosts other cybersecurity events in D.C. and New York City.

GITEC Emerging Technology Conference
April 28 – 30, 2019 | Annapolis, MD
Formerly the GITEC Summit, the refreshed and refocused GITEC Emerging Technology Conference examines the cutting-edge technology enabling the federal government to modernize its IT infrastructure. This new conference hosted by ATARC-GITEC will provide government, academic and private industry attendees with an opportunity to learn, collaborate and network with IT subject matter experts in the federal space.

Wonder Women Tech Global Summit
April date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #WWT2019
The Wonder Women Tech (WWT) Global Summit highlights, educates and celebrates women and underrepresented innovators in STEAM industries (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math). This event features CEOs, C-Suites, CDO’s, innovators and government leaders. Programming is geared towards empowering women, girls, people of color, LGBTQ, the underrepresented and diverse communities. WWT hosts other conferences throughout the year, including a national conference in Long Beach.

May

National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Midyear Conference
May 5 – 8, 2019 | National Harbor, MD | #NASCIO19
NASCIO conferences are the go-to events for state IT leaders. It hosts both a mid-year event each spring and a larger annual conference each fall, which give state CIOs and members of their staff the opportunity to come together with many private-sector solution providers for education and networking.

Security Solutions
May 20 – 22, 2019 | Norfolk, VA
Cyber and information security experts from across the military, intelligence community and federal civilian agencies come together to share ideas and insights while learning from the best and brightest among their peers. Security Solutions participants will have opportunities to share lessons learned, practical tips and fresh perspectives to help them assure mission success. The conference is hosted by Telos.

Code for America Summit
May 29 – 31, 2019 | Oakland, CA | #CfASummit
The Code for America Summit is a roll-up-your-sleeves conference that brings together government innovators, civic-minded technologists and entrepreneurs to tackle big problems to deliver government that works in a digital age.

Adobe Digital Government Symposium
May date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #AdobeGovSymp
With IT modernization at the forefront of government transformation, agencies have a unique opportunity to drive efficiency and establish greater citizen and employee trust through mobile-friendly, personalized and secure digital experiences. At the Adobe Digital Government Symposium, government leaders and industry experts share best practices for accelerating citizen-centric service delivery while increasing efficiency. Adobe also hosts the Digital Government Technology Conference.

AGA and AFFIRM’s CFO/CIO Summit
May date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) and the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) host this educational event on the intersection of policies and management issues that impact CFOs and CIOs and how they are working together to improve efficiency and transparency, reduce risk and strengthen their workforce. Free for individuals who work for government.

June

Amazon Web Services (AWS) World Public Sector Summit
June 11 – 12, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #AWSPSSummit
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector Summit is a free event ideal for developers and technical leaders who are looking for an introduction to the AWS Cloud or for advanced guidance on architecture and engineering. Learn by attending technical breakout sessions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops, labs and team challenges.

M-Enabling Summit
June 17 – 19, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #mEnabling19
The M-Enabling Summit is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for senior citizens and users of all abilities. It connects leaders in government, private sector and industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations to advance discussion and decisionmaking at the intersection of mobile technology, aging disability and policy in the United States and abroad.

National Homeland Security Conference
June 17 – 20, 2019 | Phoenix, AZ | #NHSC2019
The National Homeland Security Conference brings together over a thousand participants of homeland security, law enforcement, fire and emergency management professionals, federal agencies, nonprofit agencies, business owners, universities and decision makers to learn about emerging trends in homeland security and see the new equipment and technology available to support their mission.

August

DEF CON Hacking Conference
August 8 – 11, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV | #DEFCON
DEF CON is one of the world’s longest running and largest hacker conventions. Government security researchers, cyber staff, developers, IT employees and law enforcement join black and white hat hackers at this conference to better understand the significant vulnerabilities facing public and private sector technology, systems and products.

GMIS MEETS Conference
August 25 – 28, 2019 | Orlando, FL | #GMISMEETS
GMIS International is a community of public sector IT professionals. Each year, over 200 government IT leaders, vendors and speakers gather at GMIS MEETS Conference for four days of collaboration, networking and educational opportunities.

930gov
August date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #930gov
930gov is a free, one-day, multi-track conference and trade show where government technical communities gather to connect, exchange and gather ideas in one location from thought-leaders from each community. It is held in conjunction with other events, including the Cyber & IT Security Conference and the IT Modernization Conference. Organized by Digital Government Institute, which hosts other conferences for public sector IT professionals.

September

Global Security Exchange (GSX)
September 8 – 12, 2019 | Chicago, IL | #GSX19
Global Security Exchange offers insights and best practices to security professionals at every stage in their career. GSX is huge — more than 22,000 professionals from 100+ countries register for the event each year and come from the private and public sectors, allied organizations and partners, and solution providers.

National Association of Government Web (NAGW) Professionals Annual Conference
September 18 – 20, 2019 | Salt Lake City, UT | #NAGW2019
Designed for local government web professionals, the NAGW conference focuses on professional development opportunities for programmers, designers, developers, managers, PIOs, CIOs and government technology professionals at all levels of experience.

Accelerate Gov
September date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
Accelerate Gov explores the possibilities of emerging technologies and helps deploy the latest technologies quicker. Government and industry experts will discuss strategies for piloting and implementation, insights on how to harness the advantages of emerging technologies and how to apply them to mission goals to provide agencies with more efficient and effective mission delivery. Organized by FCW, which hosts other events, including ones on cybersecurity, cloud adoption, citizen engagement, federal IT acquisition and IT modernization.

Billington CyberSecurity Summit
September date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #BillingtonSummit
The Billington CyberSecurity Summit is a deep dive into the current state of cybersecurity and perspective on the next challenges and opportunities during this unprecedented time of cyber upheaval. With keynotes from the military, civilian agencies and industry, the event attracts senior-level decision makers to tackle the tough issues of cybersecurity and will examine where the government is heading. GovLoop has been a media sponsor of this event.

COVITS
September date TBA, 2019 | Richmond, VA | #govtechlive
COVITS gathers public and private sector leaders to spread best practices and spur innovation in government technology. Topics include cyberthreat landscape, cloud and devops, blockchain use cases, strategies for smart communities, the citizen experience, easing the pain of FOIA and e-discovery, election security, emergency response trends and technologies, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics.

Global ID Summit
September date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #GlobalIDSummit
The Global ID Summit delivers a comprehensive view of the challenges at the forefront of national and global security operations, policy and procurements. Discussions will cover how governments are adopting biometric technologies for access authorization, identification and verification, e-passport management and more. The more than 200 attendees include secretaries, directors of security agencies, heads of acquisition, biometric program managers, academia and industry experts. Organized by Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) and INTERPOL.

Grace Hopper Celebration
September date TBA, 2019 | Houston, TX | #GHC19
The Grace Hopper Celebration is the world’s largest gathering of women technologists. Produced by the Anita Borg Institute and presented in partnership with the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the three-day celebration brings together women in computing for discussions of research and career interests, networking and mentoring, an open source day and more. Conference presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industry, academia and government.

Infor’s Government Forum
September date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #Inforum2019
From delivering citizen services to protecting our nation, government agencies have big roles to fill. But outdated technology systems and modernization challenges can hamper program success. Join hundreds of IT professionals at Infor’s Government Forum to learn about moving operational systems to the cloud; protecting your data no matter where it resides; leveraging IoT, AI, and business intelligence for smarter decisions; and harnessing innovation in finance, HR and real-time asset management to power service delivery and performance.

International Open Data Conference (IODC)
September date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #IODC19
The IODC attracts senior government officials, policy experts, academics and open data advocates to meet, make connections and work together to enable the open data revolution. The IODC helps to chart open data’s future and, in turn, strengthens democracy, generates jobs and builds prosperity.

Predictive Analytics World for Government (PAWGOV)
September date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #PAWGOV
PAWGOV is a practically-focused conference that highlights case studies of how government agencies are currently using data analytics to solve real world problems. PAWGOV is for government executives, program managers, financial and HR managers, CIOs and CTOs, law enforcement, and analytics professionals, covering today’s deployment of predictive analytics and data mining across government agencies and across software vendors.

Professional Services Council (PSC) Tech Trends Conference
September date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
The PSC Tech Trends Conference is an opportunity to hear from senior government officials and engage on the top IT issues facing the federal government. At this half-day conference, you’ll be the first to hear the results of PSC’s survey of federal IT and cybersecurity leaders and gain insights on how to help the government deliver more effective mission results through technology adoption and innovation.

October

National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference
October 13 – 16, 2019 | Nashville, TN | #NASCIO19
NASCIO conferences are the go-to events for state IT leaders. It hosts both a mid-year event each spring and a larger annual conference each fall, which give state CIOs and members of their staff the opportunity to come together with many private-sector solution providers for education and networking.

Mobile World Congress Americas
October 22 – 24, 2019 | Location TBA | #MWCA19
Mobile World Congress Americas explores the intersection of mobile with content, media and entertainment and features mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners, including from government agencies. MWC Americas follows four core themes, including “Everything Policy,” which focuses on how government and the mobile industry can work collaboratively to expand digital inclusion for all. The event is presented by GSMA in partnership with CTIA, two industry trade associations.

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference
October date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #AISESNC19
The AISES National Conference is a three-day event focused on educational, professional and workforce development for Indigenous peoples in STEM. The more than 2,000 attendees include American Indian students, educators, professionals, tribal nations and tribal enterprises, universities, corporations and government agencies.

Blacks in Technology
October date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #BITCON2019
The Blacks in Technology Conference is a 3-day interactive platform for professionals, entrepreneurs, influencers, subject matter experts, students, and thought leaders who share a common goal: increasing the visibility and representation of black men and women in tech careers.

GovLoop’s State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit
October date TBA, 2019 | virtual | #GLtrain
From new citizen engagement strategies and mobile apps to doing more with less, state and local governments are continuously finding innovative solutions to really tough issues. GovLoop’s State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit features online trainings designed to educate and inspire innovative thinking and action in your community. All of our trainings, resources and interactive booths are geared toward what matters most to you — improving the lives of the constituents in your community and preparing you for what’s next.

Homeland Security Week
October date TBA, 2019 | Hyattsville, MD | #HSW2019
Homeland Security Week brings together more than 250 individuals, from DHS officials, industry executives, elected officials and academia to discuss the challenges at the forefront of homeland security operations, policy and procurements. Key themes include border management and surveillance; cybersecurity; critical infrastructure; processing, exploiting and disseminating intelligence and ISR platforms; and counter-terrorism and safe cities. Organized by Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA).

Infosecurity North America
October date TBA, 2019 | New York, NY | #InfosecNA19
Infosecurity North America is a conference and expo curated by Infosecurity Magazine that attracts IT security professionals from a wide range of industries, including government. The conference portion includes panel discussions, presentations, demonstrations and workshops aimed at providing attendees with the information and skills needed to strengthen an organization’s cyber defenses against the threats of tomorrow. Topics include incident response, compliance, data protection, managed services and risk management.

Latino Tech Summit (LTS)
October date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #LTS19
The Latino Tech Summit is designed to increase, retain and elevate Latinos in the tech sector. During the summit’s plenaries, industry experts will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion, share best practices for creating a more equitable tech workforce and foster the next generation of tech executives.

PSC’s Vision Federal Market Forecast Conference
October date TBA, 2019 | Falls Church, VA | #PSCvision19
The Vision Federal Market Forecast addresses the defense, civilian and federal IT markets. It is where industry and government convene to present and discuss the results of the Vision Federal Market Forecast, which delivers insights from hundreds of government executives, think tank experts, congressional staff and Wall Street analysts who take part in non-attribution interviews, providing a concise, quantifiable assessment of the budgets, programs, priorities and issues in a rapidly changing environment.

SecurityWeek’s Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cyber Security Conference
October date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #ICSCCS19
SecurityWeek’s ICS Cyber Security Conference addresses the myriad cyber threats facing operators of ICS around the world, including protection for SCADA systems, plant control systems, engineering workstations, substation equipment, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and other field control system devices. The conference gathers stakeholders across various industries, operations and control engineers, IT, government employees, vendors and academics.

Women of Color STEM Conference
October date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA | #WOC19
The Women of Color STEM Conference helps women improve their education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The more than 20-year-old conference opens up opportunities to achieve your STEM goals and move you forward in your STEM career path.

Symantec Government Symposium
Fall date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #symgovsym
Evolving threats, aging legacy systems, budget constraints, workforce gaps, mandate upon mandate — agencies have been battling these challenges, day after day, for years. But maybe the day’s about to change. Join the best and brightest in government cyber and IT at the Symantec Government Symposium to learn how to stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats.

November

Salesforce’s Dreamforce
November 19 – 22, 2019 | San Francisco, CA | #DF19
A massive conference for users of Salesforce’s CRM platform and tools, with over 150,000 in-person attendees. In addition to the general sessions relevant to any Salesforce user, the conference also has several sessions designed specifically for government and public sector organizations.

Adobe Digital Government Technology Conference
November date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #AdobeGovCon
Adobe Digital Government Technology Conference is an opportunity for federal, state and local government agencies to reimagine citizen and employee experiences through Adobe solutions. Join public sector digital technologists, government leaders, and Adobe solution experts for an event filled with solution-focused breakout sessions, government initiative-focused keynote presentations, expert panels and an interactive networking hall. Adobe also hosts the Digital Government Symposium.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent Conference
November date TBA, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV | #reInvent
Each year, Amazon Web Services brings its customers together at the re:Invent Conference to network, engage and learn more about AWS at this gathering of the cloud computing community. It is a week of valuable technical content, hands-on learning opportunities, access to AWS experts, keynote announcements, a Partner Expo and fun after-hours events.

Blockchain Expo North America
November date TBA, 2019 | Santa Clara, CA | #BlockchainExpo
Blockchain Expo brings together thousands of delegates across key industries for two days of content from leading brands embracing and developing cutting edge blockchain technologies.

IoT Tech Expo North America
November date TBA, 2019 | Santa Clara, CA | #IoTTechExpo
IoT Tech Expo brings together key industries from across the globe to explore the latest innovations within the Internet of Things and covering the impact IoT has on many industries including transport, logistics, government, energy and more. The event is co-located with three events covering cybersecurity and cloud, blockchain and AI, and big data, with 13,000 attendees expected to attend.

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Conference and Expo
November date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA
The NICE Conference and Expo features thought leaders from academia, industry, government and nonprofits who are addressing the cybersecurity education, training and workforce needs of the nation. The NICE Conference includes face-to-face convening of public-private partners, an opportunity to signal NICE strategic directions and priorities and a forum to showcase best practices. This event is supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Public Technology Institute (PTI) Local Government CIO & Leadership Summit
November date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
The PTI Local Government CIO & Leadership Summit brings together technology executives from cities and counties to learn about technology issues impacting local governments and to provide a forum to share leading practices and lessons learned with each other.

NIST Cybersecurity Risk Management Conference
November date TBA, 2019 | Baltimore, MD | #Cyberframework
The NIST Cybersecurity Risk Management Conference explores best practices and discusses stakeholder input on key cybersecurity and privacy risk management topics. The conference is organized around three main tracks: executive risk governance and administration, risk management programs, and operations.

December

Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC)
December date TBA, 2019 | Location TBA
The Annual Computer Security Applications Conference brings together researchers with a broad cross-section of security professionals drawn from academia, industry and government, gathered to present and discuss the latest security results and topics. With peer-reviewed technical papers, invited talks, panels, national interest discussions, workshops and professional development and training courses, ACSAC investigates practical solutions for computer and network security technology. Organized by Applied Compter Security Associates (ACSA).

Public Sector Innovation Summit
December date TBA, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | #VMwareGovSummit
The Public Sector Innovation Summit explores how technology-driven innovation is advancing government. Top technology innovators and influencers across the public and private sectors will converge to discuss what’s shaping the future of digital government. Join hosts FedScoop and VMware to explore how government can overcome the challenges of migrating away from legacy systems and innovating in a risk-averse culture to bring to agencies IT modernization that spans data center optimization, cloud, virtualization, mobility and more.

Other government cyber and IT events?

You’re out in the world discovering fantastic cyber and IT events all the time. What other events and conferences should be included on this list? Add your suggestions in a comment.

Lauren Girardin is a marketing and communications consultant, freelance writer, and trainer based in San Francisco. She helps organizations engage their communities and tell their stories. Her website is laurengirardin.com and you can connect with her on Twitter at @girardinl.