Overt Channel at Right of Boom 2025.
Overt Channel was present at the Right of Boom conference for the third year in a row. The conference returned to the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV the week of February 17th. With another great showing, approximately 800 attendees from the MSP and MSSP space were there (still waiting on the final numbers; 800 was the count in ’24). This year’s keynote speaker was Brent Adamson, author of “The Challenger Sale.”
New Format
New for this year were two tracts for conference attendees: technical and business. This allowed attendees to focus on content relevant to their job function. Business-level discussions revolved around strategies, risk management, and compliance, while technical tracks delved into advanced security methodologies, incident response tactics, and proactive defense strategies. Overall, the new format was viewed as positive – although some business leaders felt they missed out on some great technical information. Perhaps the best approach to attending future conferences with this format is for organizations to send two people so that the team can attend both tracks!
Also new this year was a “fireside chat” that included the keynote speaker. This particular session received rave reviews by those in attendance. See for yourself in the video below:
What else for 2025?
Workshops
The conference placed a strong emphasis on practical learning through interactive workshops led by renowned industry experts from organizations such as Antisyphon and Black Hills Information Security. These sessions covered a wide range of cybersecurity topics, including M365 and Cloud Security, Security Operations Center (SOC) skills, incident response, threat detection, threat hunting, and endpoint analysis. Designed to provide real-world experience, the workshops equipped attendees with actionable techniques and methodologies that they could immediately apply in their organizations. By offering hands-on training, RoB25 ensured that participants not only absorbed theoretical knowledge but also developed the skills necessary to combat evolving cyber threats.
Capture the Flag
The Capture the Flag (CTF) competition expanded this year and was hosted in collaboration with MetaCTF and Huntress. The jeopardy-style challenge was structured to accommodate participants of all skill levels, from beginners looking to refine their cybersecurity acumen to seasoned professionals aiming to test their expertise. Contestants faced a series of challenges designed to simulate real-world cybersecurity incidents, including vulnerability exploitation, cryptography, reverse engineering, and threat analysis. The competition provided an opportunity for participants to sharpen their problem-solving abilities, collaborate with peers, and earn recognition through prizes, reinforcing the importance of continuous learning in the cybersecurity landscape.
Networking
Beyond its educational components, RoB25 served as a networking hub for cyber pros, facilitating connections between MSPs, MSSPs, vendors, and industry thought leaders. Attendees had the chance to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange best practices, and explore potential business partnerships. This aspect of the event underscored the importance of community engagement in strengthening the cyber industry. A key component to this is the Thursday-night vendor dinner, where attendees are assigned to groups of 10-20 professionals and treated to an evening out in Vegas.
Vendor dinner with Guardz at BrewDog Las Vegas
Right of Boom, the organization
The folks behind the Right of Boom organization and related conference all come from managed service provider (MSP) backgrounds. They claim that Right of Boom is the largest vendor-agnostic security conference of its kind. The focus of the conference is to educate and empower security practitioners within MSP and MSSPs:
For more information, check out Right of Boom at https://www.rightofboom.com/.