About Rootconf 2019

Rootconf 2019 is placed in an era of data leaks and vulnerabilities, managing and running large infrastructure systems, architecting for the cloud and simultaneously optimizing costs. The 2019 edition will tie in these threads, and facilitate conversations and interactions between:

1. Systems engineers
2. Infrastructure security professionals and experts
3. Cloud service providers
4. Companies with heavy cloud usage
5. Providers of the pieces on which an organization’s IT infrastructure runs – monitoring, log management, alerting, etc
6. Organizations dealing with large network systems where data must be protected
7. DevOps programmers
8. VPs of engineering
9. Engineering managers looking to optimize infrastructure and teams

Format of the 2019 edition

Rootconf is a two-track event, with:

1. Security talks in track 1 on day 1 (21 June)
2. DevOps and architecture talks in track 1 on day 2 (22 June)
3. Talks and discussions on distributed systems in track 2 on days 1 and 2 (21 and 22 June)

BOF sessions will take place around core topics including DevSecOps, optimizing infrastructure, network security and related topics.

Topics to propose talks:

We are seeking talks on the following topics:

1. Case studies of shift from batch processing to stream processing
2. Real-life examples of service discovery
3. Case studies on move from monolith to service-oriented architecture
4. Micro-services
5. Network security
6. Monitoring, logging and alerting – running small-scale and large-scale systems
7. Cloud architecture – implementations and lessons learned
8. Optimizing infrastructure
9. Aligning people and teams with infrastructure at scale

We do not accept:

1. How-to and introductory-level talks. We are interested in discussing the “whys” and “approaches” rather than “how-to”.
2. Talks that have been covered in previous editions of Rootconf. Refer to https://hasgeek.tv/rootconf/ for all talks covered between Rootconf 2012 and 2017
3. Proposals where code used for implementation is not demonstrated. Ideas are great, but it is the implementation that matters. Don’t talks to us about fantastic ideas. Tell us real stories of implementations – patterns and anti-patterns.

Dates and venue:

Date: 21 and 22 June, 2019
Venue: NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bangalore

Note the following guidelines for sponsored talks and open submissions:

The first filter for a proposal is whether the technology or solution you are referring to is open source or not. Talks which advertise proprietary/paid solutions will be considered under sponsored talks’ category.

1. If the technology or solution is proprietary, and you want to speak about your proprietary solution to make a pitch to the audience, you must pick up a sponsored session. This involves paying for the speaking slot and following editorial guidelines of review and pre-event rehearsals. Write to rootconf.editorial@hasgeek.com for clearing doubts on whether your talk falls under the sponsored category.
2. If the technology or solution is in the process of being open sourced, we will consider the talk only if the solution is open sourced at least three months before the conference.
3. If your solution is closed source, you should consider proposing a talk explaining why you built it in the first place; what options did you consider (business-wise and technology-wise) before making the decision to develop the solution; or, what is your specific use case that left you without existing options and necessitated creating the in-house solution.

Selection criteria:

The criteria for confirming talks, in the order of importance, are:

1. Key insight or takeaway: what can you share with participants that will help them in their work and in thinking about the problem be it network security, cloud architecture or microservices?
2. Structure of the talk and flow of content: a detailed outline – either as mind-map or draft slides or textual description – will help us understand the focus of the talk, and the clarity of your thought process.
3. Ability to communicate succinctly, and how you engage with the audience. You must submit link to a two-minute preview video explaining what your talk is about, and what is the key takeaway for the audience.

No one submits the perfect proposal in the first instance. We therefore encourage you to:

1. Submit your proposal early so that we have more time to iterate if the proposal has potential.
2. Write to rootconf.editorial@hasgeek.com if you have questions about how to submit a talk.

Our editorial team helps potential speakers in honing their speaking skills, fine tuning and rehearsing content at least twice - before the main conference - and sharpening the focus of talks.

We only accept one speaker per talk. This is non-negotiable. Workshops can have more than one instructor.

How to submit a proposal (and increase your chances of getting selected):

The following pointers will help you in submitting a proposal:

1. Focus on why, not how. Explain to participants why you made a business or engineering decision, or why you chose a particular approach to solving your problem.
2. The journey is more important than the solution you may want to explain. We are interested in the journey, not the outcome alone. Share as much detail as possible about how you solved the problem. Glossing over details does not help participants grasp real insights.
3. We do not accept how-to talks unless they demonstrate latest technology. If you are demonstrating new tech, show enough to motivate participants to explore the technology later.
4. Similarly, we don’t accept talks on topics that have already been covered in the previous editions. If you are unsure about whether your proposal falls in this category, drop an email to: rootconf.editorial@hasgeek.com
5. Content that can be read off the internet does not interest us. Our participants are keen to listen to use cases and experience stories that will help them in their practice.

To summarize, we do not accept talks that gloss over details or try to deliver high-level knowledge without covering depth. Talks have to be backed with real insights and experiences for the content to be useful to participants.

Passes and honorarium for speakers:

We pay an honorarium of Rs. 3,000 to each speaker and workshop instructor at the end of their talk/workshop. Confirmed speakers and instructors also get a pass to the conference and a discount code which they can share with their colleagues, communities they are part of, and on social media channels. We do not provide free passes for speakers’ colleagues and spouses. Please do not ask us for this.

Travel grants for outstation speakers:

Travel grants are available for international and domestic speakers. We evaluate each case on its merits, giving preference to women, people of non-binary gender, and Africans.
If you require a grant, request it when you submit your proposal in the field where you add your location. Rootconf is funded through ticket purchases and sponsorships; travel grant budgets vary.

Last date for submitting proposals is 28 February 2019:

You must submit the following details along with your proposal, or within 10 days of submission:

1. Draft slides, mind map or a textual description detailing the structure and content of your talk.
2. Link to a self-recorded, two-minute preview video, where you explain what your talk is about, and the key takeaways for participants. This preview video helps conference editors understand the lucidity of your thoughts and how invested you are in presenting insights beyond the solution you have built, or your use case. Please note that the preview video should be submitted irrespective of whether you have spoken at past editions of Rootconf.
3. If you submit a workshop proposal, you must specify the target audience for your workshop; duration; number of participants you can accommodate; pre-requisites for the workshop; link to GitHub repositories and a document showing the full workshop plan.

Event website and contact details:

URL: https://rootconf.in/2019

For more information about the conference, sponsorships, tickets or any other information contact info@hasgeek.com or call 7676332020.