• From March 23-26, the global cybersecurity community will meet for RSAC 2026.
• With all of these great minds in one place for four glorious days, what could possibly go wrong?
• From never-ending lines, to foods perched at the tippy top of the pyramid, here’s what you can expect from RSAC (and why you should definitely go). 

‘Tis the season of RSAC™ Conference, when more than 40,000 cybersecurity professionals will descend on the Moscone Center like a swarm of hypervigilant, swag-loving locusts. This year’s RSAC theme is The Power of Community. I believe community thrives on authenticity, so here comes some real talk about RSAC Conference 2026. Because, as anyone who’s been there knows, RSAC can be a lot to process. 

Let’s be clear: RSAC attendance is a must for any cybersecurity professional with a growth mindset. We’re an ever-evolving field and, while legends never die, they do adapt. Continuously. That said, I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge just a smidgen of dread as my calendar counts down to RSAC 2026. Why? Let me count the ways.

Attending RSAC Conference is a full-contact sport

If you’ve ever been to RSAC, you know it’s the perfect place to wear your fitness tracker. You’ll be able to rack up step counts like an Olympian on a banned substance. We’re talking 5 figures—with my daily tally usually tipping 30,000, which for me equates to about 12 miles and for taller attendees could exceed 15. Hydrate, pack comfortable shoes, and maybe throw in a couple of blister pads, because RSAC can turn into an endurance event. 

If you’re not walking, you’ll probably be waiting for…everything. An $8 coffee just hits different when you’ve endured a 45-minute line to get it in your hot little hands. Uber at rush hour? Aww. That’s adorable. Unless you get a masochistic charge from last-minute ride cancellation by a driver who dumped you for a more lucrative run to the airport, it’s best to plan in advance and beat the crowds. You can thank me later—perhaps with one of those $8 coffees. (It’s not mandatory, but seeing as you’re already in line…)

When you’re not pounding caffeinated beverages to remain upright and conscious while attending panel after panel, you will be eating. Conference dining is less an art form than it is a form of survival. Envisioning some elevated Californian cuisine—say, organic greens and seasonal fruits paired with a chilled glass of Napa’s finest? Forget it. It’s far more realistic to expect pairings like Sun Chips and a chilled can of Diet Coke. On the plus side, logging those 30,000 daily steps may be the only reason you don’t come home 3 pounds heavier. So, win-win?

Panels, panels everywhere and, wait, is that a goat?

RSAC is a strange beast. When you’re in between fully packed panels, the expo can be a zoo. Literally. Based on what we saw at last year’s RSAC Conference, you might find yourself wandering past a pen of baby goats or even a puppy cuddling station. (If so, then just get in there! Because when you’re able to hug a warm and squirmy puppy within the buzzing, cavernous expanse of Moscone Center, that piece of your humanity you were certain had died while in line at TSA PreCheck will come springing back to life.). 

But the show is far from over, and before long you’ll find you might have to yell over club music bumping from a nearby booth, or reroute to avoid the gawkers who surround the pen of robot dogs (which are cool but not nearly as heartwarming as the real thing. Make sure to stretch every morning, because making the most of the vendor-networking experience requires flexibility.  

Leaving with a plus-one?

Sure, you came to RSAC all by your lonesome, maybe even looking forward to some quality time back in your hotel room, digesting new insights and a $16 minibar Toblerone over some Love is Blind and yet another Diet Coke. Well, you can’t convene this many people in one spot without some uninvited guests. Covid, flu, and all the other bugaboos might have you flying home with a new viral friend. It doesn’t help that RSAC is so popular it draws a (well-deserved) crowd: In the space of 100 feet, you might pass by 2,500 people. So use that hand sanitizer and eat an orange (or 20) if you get the chance.

At RSAC, there’s hope amidst the hype

None of these hassles is exclusive to RSAC Conference, of course. But this annual confab does stand out in other ways: RSAC excels at bringing together security’s best and brightest for an optimistic exchange of ideas that light the path forward for cybersecurity. This is the best, most important aspect of RSAC Conference every year, and I’m here for it. And it brings to mind my second-favorite four-letter word: hope.

If hope is my favorite four-letter word, my least favorite is hype. Like most of us, I’m weary of hearing breathless claims of “game-changers,” “revolutions,” and “the ultimate (insert overblown promise here).” By the end of the week, all of those hype words can feel like yet another empty calorie trade show meal that’s more filler than functional. AI fatigue hits me hardest when it’s presented as some kind of universal deus ex machina for all of our workloads and cyber woes.

Despite this, I’m feeling hopeful, not hypeful. (I’m a dyslexic with a linguistics degree. So, yes, I make up words. Picture me saying “Sorry, not sorry” in my Canadian accent.) But I see legitimate reasons to get excited about AI, especially when it comes to Broadcom’s purposeful approaches to leveraging AI in ways that are valuable to security practitioners. Cybersecurity is in the midst of a major evolution. When deployed strategically, AI enables a simplified but comprehensive security strategy that’s capable of staying one step ahead. And I’m certain RSAC 2026 is going to be buzzing with inventive tactics for applying AI in the way we apply AI: to make life easier for humans at the helm. (We know this probably better than most, since Symantec was founded in 1983 to focus on AI and natural language processing.) Meanwhile, programs like Catalyst Partners deserve attention for their local, market-ready approach to global security, and I look forward to meeting with our partners and customers all week long. As for the sales pitches: Vendor innovation should be rewarded, and RSAC is a great place to find top-notch products that save time and money, like our very own Incident Prediction and Threat Tracer capabilities. 

Be sure to make time on your schedule to attend Attack Surface Everywhere—All Defenders Need Multi-Layer Signals to Keep Up. At 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, Jason Rolleston, general manager of Broadcom’s Enterprise Security Group, and Eric Chien, a fellow with our Symantec and Carbon Black Threat Hunters, will explore the full range of attack vectors—from endpoints to sensitive data stores—and how to detect them using real TTPs to show how behaviors surface across layers. This sesh is particularly valuable for security teams fighting enterprise-grade threats, but who lack enterprise-grade budgets and resources. It’s a tough rock-and-a-hard-place situation that the vast majority of organizations face today, and in this session Jason and Eric will lay out a way forward. 

Finally, there’s the genuine thrill of meeting the people who are helping keep our digital world safe and secure. So much of our lives depend on the technology RSAC Conference attendees and vendors work hard every day to protect. They keep the world running. The work they do is important, even noble. I’m delighted and honored to be a part of it.

See me there. Make me laugh.

So, yes, I’ll be at RSAC 2026 with bells on, and with comfortable shoes. I’ll be sipping my over-priced coffee, waiting for my ride that may or may not come, and dousing myself in hand sanitizer after shaking a lot of hands and possibly petting a few goats. But I’ll be doing it all in good company—and that includes you. If you see me in line (and will very likely see me in line), come on over and make me laugh (also likely). 

Or better yet, book a 1:1 with me for even more face time. Because in the midst of all the intel gathering, vendor education, and strategizing, RSAC Conference 2026 should be connected and fun. Let’s all commit to making that a goal. 

Look for me and the rest of the legendary Symantec and Carbon Black crew at Booth N-5345. We’ve got new swag and some iconic new album cover options for our one-of-a-kind, AI photo booth. We can’t wait to show you some solutions that bring new meaning to “enterprise-grade security for all.” 

I can’t wait to see you there!