The idea behind local chapters and meetings is to foster the exchange of knowledge and information. These local chapters are free and open to participate and a great place to network and to improve one's skills. They are also a great resource when tackling difficult problems. Our projects are based on the real world practical needs of security professionals.

Currently we have established 38 Chapters in 21 countries spread around the globe. By forming chapters globally OISSG plans to realize its vision of spreading information security awareness by hosting an environment where security enthusiasts can share and build knowledge with their peers. The local chapters contribute to the vision by:

Organizing Conferences/Seminars and Workshops

Conferences like FIST (First Improvised Security Testing) are promoted by OISSG to enable security experts to present their research work to the people attending the chapters. The FIST conferences which have been held in several cities around the world have been very successful at imparting knowledge to the participants of the conference in various aspect of information security, ranging form penetration testing to formulating organization security policies. Apart from educating the audience they also result in a lot of feedback to the presenter that adds to his experience. You can check up for your Local chapter details at chapters <at> oissg <dot> org

Organizing Periodic Informal Meetings

The OISSG members often communicate on the e-mail list, posting the latest happenings in the security industry; it's a good place to get your security updates. The members actively discuss various topics in informal group meetings that also help introduce members to experts in the information security industry. Most of the projects that OISSG is working on have been conceived at such meetings and they have been very successful.

Involvement in Projects

Members could also enroll themselves in one or more projects that OISSG is working on. OISSG has experts from all the security domains; be it windows/*nix security, WLAN security or security process, training and awareness. Based on the industry's requirement some research projects are l started by OISSG. Members could get involved in the projects in their areas of expertise & contribute to these projects by way of writing some chapters or sharing their knowledge with the team working on that project.