Houston

Security Community

Houston's security community is built around critical infrastructure — oil and gas, pipelines, LNG terminals, and the Port of Houston make this one of the highest-stakes OT/ICS security environments in the world. The Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex on earth, adds a second major CISO cluster around healthcare and HIPAA compliance. Add aerospace contractors and a growing fintech corridor, and you have a city where security isn't theoretical — it's keeping the lights on and the refineries running.

Industries

◆ Energy & Petrochemical

◆ Healthcare / Medical Center

◆ Port & Logistics

◆ Aerospace & Manufacturing

Card House Culture

Texas card houses operate legally as social clubs and are woven into Houston's culture. The format is familiar territory for a lot of security professionals who already play here on weekends. Community games at Houston card houses typically run 9–14 players — compact enough to keep the conversation going between hands, big enough to make it worth organizing.

Why Houston

Houston’s CISO community is less visible at national conferences than the coasts — and that’s part of the point. The people running security for energy supermajors, hospital systems, and port authorities don’t spend a lot of time at RSA. They’re heads-down. A card house is one of the few places you actually get them in a room together.

The energy sector alone accounts for a disproportionate share of OT/ICS security leadership globally. Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, LyondellBasell, and dozens of midstream operators all have significant security programs headquartered here. When the stakes involve pipelines and offshore platforms, the people making decisions tend to be serious operators — not career conference circuit.

Community games in Houston bring this crowd together in a setting they’re already comfortable with. No pitch, no agenda, just the table.

Dallas

Austin

San Antonio

Corpus Christi

El Paso