A US cybersecurity conference focused on protecting power and utilities is tripling the number of events it will stage next year.

The decision to hold three events instead of the usual one was announced today by CyberCon Power & Utilities CISO Summit and Cybersecurity Conference. 

Prompting the major expansion plans is an increase in the number of cyber-threats faced by the US power grid, coupled with what the event’s organizers are calling “an urgent need to develop the cybersecurity workforce.”

“We are in a race to protect the grid and train a cybersecurity workforce to stay ahead of hackers and keep our power on,” said Barry Haest, founder of CyberCon and CEO of AlignExpo Conferences and Expositions. 

“CyberCon is a must-attend event series for the utility sector to share solutions on how to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage and protect the US power grid from increasing cyberattacks.”

The 2020 CyberCon conference series will start in March and end in October. Three separate events will take place across America, in Anaheim, California, from March 30 to April 1; in Boston, Massachusetts, from June 23 to 25; and finally in Austin, Texas, from October 20 to 22. 

Next year’s event in Anaheim will involve more than 40 experts from organizations including NERC, Cisco, the CIA, the FBI, Siemens, Southern Company, Sempra Energy, and U.S. Cyber Command. 

In addition to an expo featuring over 100 cybersecurity technology providers showcasing proven and emerging solutions, attendees will be treated to a series of talks exploring topics ranging from cybersecurity as national security to the creation of cyber-policy. 

There will also be a keynote from former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency John McLaughlin, who is a distinguished practitioner-in-residence at John Hopkins’ Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies.

A separately ticketed Workforce Development Forum scheduled for March 30, 2020 will provide strategies on how to recruit, train, and retain top cybersecurity talent. 

Such an event has long been needed, as according to CyberSeek, the United States faced a shortfall of almost 314,000 cybersecurity professionals as of January 2019. 

The recently published Cybersecurity Workforce Study from (ISC)2 pegs the current global cybersecurity skills gap at 4.07 million, indicating a necessary workforce increase of 145% around the world.