(ISC)² Blog

Update: New (ISC)² Official Training Provider S4 Inc.

Earlier this week, S4 Inc. announced that it has been added to (ISC)²’s roster of Official Training Providers. Based in Colorado Springs, S4 is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has supported US Government, DoD and DHS agencies since 1999. S4 is now offering its first official (ISC)² Training Seminar for the CISSP certification beginning on September 30th, 2019. Other instructor-led training seminars will also be available later this year for the CCSP, CSSLP and CAP certifications. If you’re in the local area, you can register here. S4 will also host an open house this Friday, September 20, at its 8800... Read more →

Looking to Break into Cybersecurity Without Direct Experience? Find Out How

The cybersecurity skills gap means companies are scrambling to fill security positions, and that presents an opportunity for you to find security work – even without direct experience. Faced with a critical shortage of qualified candidates, organizations are increasingly taking chances on nontraditional applicants and training them for security roles. One way to bridge a cybersecurity experience gap and get started? Make the case for your transferable skills. Success in security requires a mix of technical and soft skills. These can potentially come from ANY previous job. Analytical skills, enthusiasm for exploring technical questions and issues, and diagnostic experience will... Read more →

The Many Facets of the Mentoring Experience

by Dr. Chris Veltsos, CISSP, member of (ISC)² Advisory Council of North America Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear or read about the benefits of mentoring. Can a good mentoring experience fix what ails organizations today? I’m not a mentoring guru so I can’t answer that particular question, but what dawned on me is how many people seem to think of mentoring as a narrowly defined relationship where the mentor gives — time and advice — and the mentee receives that information. While the relationship has value, in this article, I wanted to share other forms of... Read more →

CISSPs: We Need Your Insight

(ISC)² regularly conducts Job Task Analysis (JTA) studies to review and update the content outline (or exam blueprint) of its credentialing examinations. A JTA is the methodical process used to determine tasks that are performed by credential holders and knowledge and skills required to perform those tasks successfully. Results of the JTA study link a candidate’s examination score directly to the domain knowledge being tested. The existing exam blueprint for CISSP will be reviewed in early 2020. In preparation for the upcoming review, we would like to hear from our CISSP members who are participating in this forum/community to comment... Read more →

Getting Started on the California Consumer Privacy Act

by Paul Lanois, SSCP, CIPP, CIPT, CIPM, Member of the (ISC)² Advisory Council of North America Privacy Working Group If you have spent any amount of time online recently, then it is extremely likely that you have already heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR"), the European regulation which came into effect on May 25, 2018 and which governs data protection or individuals which have their personal data processed or stored by an organization within the European Economic Area (EEA). Meanwhile, information management professionals are likely to remain very busy in the coming months with the upcoming California... Read more →

VMware Acquisitions Highlight the Importance of DevSecOps

In the digital age, security can no longer be an afterthought. As organizations modernize their IT environments through digital transformation initiatives, it’s become more critical than ever to bake security into new applications from the start. Virtualization giant VMware recognizes this new reality, which explains why it has decided to acquire two companies that give the company a stronger foothold in digital transformation and cybersecurity. One of the companies, Pivotal Software, brings to VMware a platform for developing applications in the cloud. The other, Carbon Black, has a cloud-native endpoint protection platform that ensures this is done securely. Together, the... Read more →

CCSP and CCSK: Which Cloud Security Credential Is Right For You?

Two of the industry’s most highly regarded cloud security credentials are the CCSP from (ISC)² and the CCSK from Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). Both offer a comprehensive education on cloud security fundamentals, but there are important differences. Here’s a quick breakdown of each. CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional). The CCSP is for IT and information security leaders seeking to prove their understanding of cybersecurity and securing critical assets in the cloud. It shows you have the advanced technical skills and knowledge to design, manage and secure data, applications and infrastructure in the cloud. Roles that typically require a CCSP include... Read more →

IT Professionals: Use the Security Skills Shortage to Your Advantage

A cybersecurity skills shortage is expected to result in 3.5 million unfilled positions by 2021. Research from ESG finds 51% of organizations believe they have a “problematic shortage” of cybersecurity skills – an increase of 7% year-over-year. Clearly, the skills gap is a serious problem, impacting an organization’s ability to keep up with software vulnerabilities, harden devices, respond to security issues quickly and strategically manage security in an ever-evolving threat landscape. With the odds stacked against them, businesses must find new ways to recruit and retain skilled security employees and proactively address the lack of talent to fill critical roles.... Read more →

The Collaborative Alliance to Develop New Cybersecurity Council and Professional Recognition as part of the UK’s National Cybersecurity Strategy

(ISC)² is a member of The Collaborative Alliance for Cybersecurity, a consortium of organisations that represent a substantial part of the cybersecurity community in the UK. As part of the Alliance, we will be participating in the design and delivery of the new UK Cyber Security Council on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The Alliance, with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) nominated as lead organisation, was selected following a competitive grant competition by DCMS. The Collaborative Alliance for Cybersecurity brings stakeholders together in the interest of advancing a healthy cybersecurity workforce for... Read more →

(ISC)² is Now an Approved Professional Organisation for Tax Relief in the UK

There are few certainties in life, with taxes being very much at the top of the list. However, for (ISC)2 members in the UK, we have some good news for you on that front. From now on, members in the UK will be able to claim tax relief on their annual maintenance fee (AMF) in most cases. We have been granted Approved Professional Organisations and Learned Societies status by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority. This status recognises (ISC)2 among a select number of essential professional societies and bodies operating in the UK that... Read more →