S4x27 Women In ICS Security Program

Women represent 51% of the US population and 58% of those attending college in the US today. And yet only ~12% of the ICS security community are women (16% of S4x26 attendees were women). It’s often difficult for women to enter and thrive in the male dominated, and often intentionally and unintentionally discriminatory, ICS security field. At S4 we want to help try to change this for reasons of basic fairness, for the sake of our daughters, sisters and female friends, and for the very pragmatic reason that women, by sheer numbers, represent the best chance to deal with the shortage of ICS security professionals needed to create and secure the future.

S4 has had a Women In ICS Security (WICSS) program since S4x22. This year the program will focus on two events, each with a goal.

1. To provide access to the S4 community for some women who show great promise through the S4x27 WICSS Scholarship Program.

2. To build a WICSS community through an early in S4x27 social event to make introductions and allow those relationships to grow over the 3 days of S4x27.

S4x27 WICSS Scholarship Program

The scholarship includes:

• A free ticket for S4x27.
• A free room at one of the S4 hotels for up to 4 nights.
• A $700 stipend to help with airfare and incidental expenses.
• A dedicated S4 Ambassador to help you find your way around S4x27 and introduce you to the people that will help your career.

The applications for the scholarship will be accepted from October 1 – 15th. S4 is an event for the advanced OT security professional, and therefore these scholarships are for women who have started their career in ICS security and are looking to take it to the next level. It is not for those new to ICS Security as there are other, better conferences that cover the basics.

S4 Events will provide five of these scholarships, and we are encouraging sponsors and other vendors to take part in this program by funding and playing ambassador for one or more additional scholarships.

We have set the bar high for this scholarship. We want each of the scholarship winners to be able to look back at their time at S4x27 as one of the most important events in their career.

S4 WICSS Tuesday Breakfast

We have found that strengthening the relationships in the WICSS community is greatly enhanced when people have a chance to meet each other at the beginning of the event. To that end, the WICSS social event will be a women-only breakfast event, 7:30 – 9:00, prior to the opening keynotes on Tuesday. More details will be provided when the agenda is released.