When Cybersecurity Becomes Pay to Play
Awards you have to pay to win, events you have to pay to attend and conferences that expect speakers to work for free. When did recognition and expertise in cybersecurity become something you have to buy?
Welcome to Razorwire, the podcast where we share our take on the world of cybersecurity with direct, practical advice for professionals and business owners alike. I'm Jim and in this episode I'm joined by security consultant and regular community speaker James Bore and Gary Hibberd, co-founder of Consultants Like Us and the Real Cyber Awards and Conference.
Pay to play takes many forms in cybersecurity, from awards that come with entry fees and expensive tickets to events charging vendors thousands for access to decision makers. At the same time, large commercial conferences can expect experienced speakers to give up days of preparation, travel at their own expense and appear on stage in return for little more than exposure.
Jim, James and Gary look at where legitimate commercial arrangements end and questionable practices begin. They discuss what gives an award credibility, when paying for access to an event can be worthwhile and why the way cybersecurity treats its speakers could ultimately affect the quality of the events themselves.
Three key talking points:
- When recognition comes with a price tag
- Should cybersecurity speakers be paid?
- Good speaking takes work
If you're deciding which awards and events deserve your time, or building a reputation as a cybersecurity speaker, this conversation is for you.
On what makes an award mean something:
"It's lovely to win an award, but you win it based on merit. You don't win it because you paid for it."
James Rees
Listen to this episode on your favourite podcasting platform:
https://razorwire.captivate.fm/listen
In this episode, we covered the following topics:
- The Pay to Play Awards Industry
- What Makes an Award Credible?
- Paying for Access to Decision Makers
- The Real Cost of Speaking for Free
- Community Events vs Commercial Conferences
- The Problem With 'Exposure'
- Why Conference Content Suffers
- Learning to Become a Better Speaker
- Knowing When to Say No
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If you need consultation, visit (https://www.razorthorn.com). We give our clients a personalised, integrated approach to information security, driven by our belief in quality and discretion.
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