Business Case for Def Con / Blackhat

[ralphwiggum]

Anyone have a template or actual business case that they wouldn't mind sharing with me and a coworker? We really want to and should attend this years conferences, but we have to write a business case to get the higher ups on board.

Thanks in advance...

RW

[TheCotMan]

Anyone have a template or actual business case that they wouldn't mind sharing with me and a coworker? We really want to and should attend this years conferences, but we have to write a business case to get the higher ups on board.

Pull up the past conference presentations from the main page "DefCon's of the past" and demonstrate a history of presentations that could help you be more productive by being proactive in your function at work.

Demonstrate how doing something right the first time saves more work than your own through a multiplier effect when everthing through packaging and delivery dates are impacted. (Or however your work product impacts others when changes or fixes are required.)

Managers manage resources*. Their job is to get more efficient work from their machines and people. Sell to this.

[Added content]
*resources:
Travel budget
HR Hours
argue to hire new staff as there is need
New machines/computers
New software
New projects
etc.

[renderman]

There is also something to be said about buying the people percieved as the threat, a beer or 4 to stay on thier good side.

I'm not saying it will work, but it would be nice if the company would spring for it

[ralphwiggum]

Haha, thanks guys. I will def checkout the old resources. I think the recruitment idea may go over better than the keep your enemies close.

Thanks again.

RW

[TheCotMan]

...buying the people percieved as the threat, a beer or 4 to stay on thier good side.

...better than the keep your enemies close.

Argue the cost of beer as a tool to make a layer 8/9 human interface more "passive" as you try to "network" after presentations.

Ok. Maybe the beer idea may not help you argue your case, but if your boss likes a joke after saying yes... ]:>

I'm not saying it will work, but it would be nice if the company would spring for it

Defcon's biggest costs are transportation sleeping and food.
If your boss says, "no," but is willing to deal, consider these:
Have them pay for transportation and room, while you pay for con and food?
If you must fly in and use a rental car, then have them just pay for travel, and you pay for con, hotel and food.

You can save money if hotel comes out of your pocket by hooking up with people at local dc-group meetings and/or in the travel section to get room floor space for cheap.

Company pays for a rental car? Maybe you can offer someone who has a room but no car, an opportunity for daily trips to the store, locksmith shops, shooting range, bars, off-site official and unofficial DC event,etc?

As for BH, the con and transportation are most expensive, and more people are business-types who are less interested in sharing rooms. Room sharing still happens, but is not as popular as it is during DC.

Apply your skills at social engineering. Sell the idea. Work different angles. If you must, then make concessions and try to deal.

[added content]
This is also a difficult thing to search for. There are many ways to combine words to mean similar things which are false positives for other common phrases. Here are some results from google on other threads:

Getting my Company to foot the bill
I really want to know... (related)

I remember more but haven't been able to find them.