Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA)

What Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA) does

UMSA (Upper Midwest Security Alliance) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 2007 and headquartered in St Paul, Minnesota. It serves business, government, and education security and risk professionals across the upper Midwest region, collaborating with professional associations, educators, and industry-leading companies to provide professional development opportunities that strengthen the security foundation for member organizations.

The organization's core offering is the annual Secure360 conference, a two-day cybersecurity event held at the Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, MN. The conference reached its 21st edition on May 13-14, 2026, with the next edition scheduled for May 12-13, 2027. Adjacent offerings include the Secure360 Twin Cities education program focused on security leadership and professional development, the UMSA Foundation scholarship program for cybersecurity students (supported by a $10,000 fundraising campaign tied to the annual conference), and a blog publishing security industry content and event recaps.

UMSA operates with a small team of approximately 6 employees and is governed as an independent nonprofit without disclosed parent company or institutional investor ownership. Revenue mechanics center on conference registration, donations channeled through the UMSA Foundation, and professional membership activity, though specific pricing and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization distributes content across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, email newsletter, and its blog, with the Secure360 conference serving as the flagship demand and community engagement vehicle.

Name

Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA)

Legal name

Upper Midwest Security Alliance

Website

https://umsa-security.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UMSA is a Minnesota-based nonprofit professional association, founded in 2007, that runs the annual Secure360 cybersecurity conference and scholarship program for business, government, and education security professionals across the upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UMSA is a nonprofit professional association that organizes the annual Secure360 cybersecurity conference and related education, networking, and scholarship programs for security and risk professionals across business, government, and education sectors in the upper Midwest region. The organization collaborates with professional associations, educators, and industry-leading companies to deliver professional development opportunities and administers scholarship funding for students studying cybersecurity.

Product overview

UMSA (Upper Midwest Security Alliance) is a nonprofit alliance of security and risk-related organizations founded in 2007, serving the upper Midwest region. The organization operates as a unified offering centered around professional development and education in cybersecurity. The primary product is the Secure360 Conference, an annual cybersecurity conference held in May. Related offerings include the Secure360 Twin Cities education program, the UMSA Scholarship Program providing awards to cybersecurity students, and the UMSA Blog for industry news and updates. UMSA collaborates with professional associations, educators, and industry companies to provide these professional development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secure360 Conference Annual two-day cybersecurity conference held in May at Mystic Lake Center, Prior Lake, MN, featuring keynotes, hands-on workshops, and networking for security and risk professionals at all levels.
• Secure360 Twin Cities Educational program focused on security leadership and professional development for cybersecurity professionals in the upper Midwest region.
• UMSA Scholarship Program

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• ISSA (Information Systems Security Association): Global nonprofit professional association for cybersecurity practitioners, organized through regional chapters that deliver local events, networking, and education. Closely mirrors UMSA's chapter-style model of connecting business security professionals via meetings, conferences, and credentialing-adjacent programming.
• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, security, risk, and audit practitioners with chapters, an annual conference, and credentialing programs. Operates the same membership-association-plus-flagship-event structure that UMSA runs at a regional scale.
• (ISC)²: International nonprofit membership body for certified cybersecurity professionals, offering member benefits, local chapters, and security congress events. Directly comparable to UMSA in mission, member-services structure, and conference-driven engagement model.
• Cloud Security Alliance (CSA): Nonprofit organization that builds community, research, and educational programs around cybersecurity with chapters and events worldwide. Comparable to UMSA in operating as an alliance of professionals collaborating on education, standards-adjacent content, and regional programming.
• InfraGard: FBI-affiliated nonprofit alliance of business, government, and education stakeholders focused on critical infrastructure protection, organized through regional chapters that host meetings and events. Mirrors UMSA's tri-sector (business/government/education) membership and regional-chapter delivery model.
• OWASP Foundation: Open community-driven nonprofit producing security standards, tooling, and educational content through local chapters and global events. Shares UMSA's nonprofit alliance structure and reliance on volunteer-led regional chapters for community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• SANS Institute: Global cybersecurity training and certification organization running large-scale conferences (e.g., RSA co-located events) and deep technical training programs. Overlaps with UMSA's Secure360 conference and Twin Cities education program but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• RSA Conference: The world's largest cybersecurity conference, drawing global attendees, vendors, and speakers. Competes for the same sponsor and attendee dollars as Secure360 but at a national/international scale that dwarfs regional events.
• Black Hat: Premier global cybersecurity event series with USA, Europe, and Asia editions combining technical briefings, training, and a business hall. Operates as a marquee competitor for both Secure360 attendees and sponsors across the broader security community.

Regional players

• Cybersecurity Association of Maryland (CAMI): State-level nonprofit alliance that convenes Maryland's cybersecurity community through events, networking, and workforce programs. Closest analog to UMSA in operating a single-state/regional cybersecurity alliance with a flagship annual event, though serving a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMSAOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/secure360
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upper-midwest-security-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/secure360_mn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA)