Invitation from the General Chair

On behalf of the organizing committee, it is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 2004 International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN-2004), the leading international conference on dependability, to be held this year at Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence, Italy from June 28th to July 1st, 2004. This conference attempts to provide answers to a very important question, namely: "how can we make the computer systems and communication networks that we increasingly rely on more dependable?" Our lives have become critically dependent on the correct operation of these systems as we surf the web, fly in airplanes, drive our cars, manage our finances, and even heat our homes. The traditional concerns of the dependability community (e.g., inadvertent faults, errors, and failures) have now been enlarged by the massive connectivity provided by the Internet to include malicious exploitation of imperfect systems and networks, and intentional cyber-attacks on them. We have put together an excellent technical program for researchers, practitioners, and users to learn and exchange information on the latest research results and the state of the practice in dependable systems and networks. Multiple tracks include the Dependable Computing and Communications Symposium (DCCS), the Performance and Dependability Symposium (PDS), as well as Workshops, Tutorials, a Student Forum, and Fast Abstracts highlighting late-breaking research.

There will be plenty of opportunity for informal discussions during breaks, lunches, a welcome reception, and the social event. I invite you to join us at the leading conference on dependable systems and networks. I look forward to seeing you in Italy and don't forget to enjoy art, culture, history and more... in Florence in June 2004! Luca Simoncini