What Is OpenConf and Who Develops It?
OpenConf is a peer-review, abstract, and event management web application developed by Zakon Group LLC. It is used by thousands of events and journals in over 100 countries, supports more than a dozen languages, and is available both as a licensed installation for client servers and as a Cloud/SaaS-based service.
What OpenConf Does
OpenConf handles the administrative workflow around academic and professional events and publications. Based on Zakon Group's description, its core functions cover three areas:
- Peer review — managing the submission and review process for papers and abstracts.
- Abstract management — collecting and organizing submitted abstracts.
- Event management — supporting the logistics and administration of conferences and similar events.
This combination means a single system can carry a submission from initial abstract through review and into event organization, rather than requiring separate tools for each stage.
Who Develops It
OpenConf is developed by Zakon Group LLC, a consultancy that provides technology strategy, development, and integration. The firm works across the public, defense, healthcare, intelligence, and scientific sectors, and describes its services as advising, designing, developing, innovating, and training on emerging technologies, digital, cybersecurity, and policy.
OpenConf is one of the group's longest-running and most widely distributed products, which is notable given that much of Zakon Group's other work is advisory or custom development for government and scientific clients.
Deployment Options
OpenConf is offered in two forms:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Licensed installation | Installed on the client's own infrastructure |
| Cloud / SaaS | Hosted and delivered as a service |
The choice between them depends on where an organization needs its submission data to reside and how much internal infrastructure it wants to maintain. Organizations with strict data-residency or security requirements may prefer a licensed installation; those without dedicated hosting capacity may prefer the SaaS option.
Who It Is For
OpenConf is aimed at organizations that run peer-reviewed events or journals — conference organizers, academic societies, and journal editorial offices. Its scale (thousands of events and journals, over 100 countries, more than a dozen languages) suggests it is designed to serve both small single-track events and larger multi-language, multi-region operations.
If you are evaluating it, the practical questions to answer first are whether you need licensed or hosted deployment, how many languages your submission pool requires, and whether your review workflow matches the peer-review and abstract model the application is built around.