As we approach the opening of the elections for the 2012 (ISC)² Board of Directors, I want to encourage all (ISC)² members to vote! Log in to the member Website between 8 a.m. ET 16 Nov. and 5 p.m. ET 30 Nov. 2011 to cast your vote. All members in good standing as of 16 July 2011 AND as of the date the election starts are eligible to vote. The election process is a great way to ensure your voice is heard and that we are delivering the kinds of programs and services that are important to you.
We are a membership organization, which means we exist by you and for you, and the Board is here to listen to and represent you. If you’re not able to attend a member reception or Town Hall session but want to share your ideas or feedback, you can bring your thoughts, feedback and concerns to the Board’s attention at any time by sending a message to any of us: www.isc2.org/board-of-directors.aspx#Contact
Over the last year, the Board has worked hard to support your career development needs and to move the information security profession forward. We’ve been focused on:
• Introducing a Chapter program to give our members worldwide the chance to form and interact with local communities of like-minded professionals;
• Migrating our exams to computer-based testing, a platform that offers enhanced convenience and security;
• Launching the (ISC)² Foundation to dedicate resources to our goodwill programs that make the cyber world a safer place for all;
• Expanding our scholarship program to offer US$140,000 in grants and creating new grant opportunities for women and undergraduate students;
• Expanding our global awards program to broaden the recognition of professionals through the Americas Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA);
• Launching an advisory board for Latin America to ensure we understand and are meeting the needs of professionals in that region; and
• Kicking off the first (ISC)² Security Congress – an event dedicated to meeting the continuing education, networking and professional growth needs of our members. I particularly enjoyed the Town Hall session at Congress this year, because it gave Board members like me a chance to hear what’s important to you and how we can work together to make good things happen for the (ISC)² membership and the profession.
Through these and our existing programs, we’re hoping to reach more information security professionals than ever before.
I am proud to say that we have strong diverse regional representation on the Board. In fact, for the first time, this year’s Board officers are all from outside the U.S. Be sure to vote to ensure that the folks you want representing you are at the table in 2012. There are seven candidates on the ballot and four seats available. Please take the time to learn about each of the candidates by logging in to the member Website and reviewing the official ballot. The candidates are as follows:
Daniel D. Houser, CISSP-ISSAP, CISM
Eamonn McCoy, CISSP
William Murray, CISSP
Wim Remes, CISSP
Randolph Sanovic, CISSP-ISSMP, ISSAP
Jill Slay, CISSP
Greg Thompson, CISSP
In addition to casting your annual vote for the Board members, I encourage you to get involved with (ISC)²! There are so many ways to participate and influence the direction of the programs and of the organization (with the exception of voting, all of these activities are CPE-eligible activities):
1. Petition to get on the ballot. The petition process is detailed several months preceding the election, and several members over the years have had successful petitions.
2. Participate in the Job Task Analysis (JTA) survey for your credential. We conduct these annually in most cases, and this process is an important step in the credential examination development process and in ensuring your credential remains the relevant, gold standard it is today. Participation by our members representing various geographic regions, ethnicities, practice settings and years of experience is critical to ensuring that the content of the exam adequately represents the field. The final outcome of each JTA is an updated Detailed Content Outline (DCO) for the examination. By participating in the JTA, you will influence the outcome of the DCO that will be used to define the content of the examination for the next three years. You can also earn five CPE credits for participating in the JTA survey and completing it. We conduct JTAs nearly annually for all our credentials and completed them for the CISSP, SSCP and CAP earlier this year. Our upcoming JTAs are scheduled as follows.
- 1 – 29 February 2012: ISSAP
- 1 – 31 March 2012: CSSLP
Watch your inbox for details on how to participate!
3. Be an item writer for an (ISC)² credential examination. To participate, you must hold the credential for which you plan to write exam items. Multiple credential holders may participate and write items for any credential exam they hold. Do not worry if you feel you don’t have enough experience. Professional psychometricians will guide you through the item writing process. You may earn up to 22 CPEs for participating in an (ISC)² exam writing workshop.
4. Help shape our education program by writing content for our education exam forms, such as our studISCope certification exam simulator. A note of caution: those who are involved in examination item writing or development cannot contribute content to education materials, and vice versa. We offer free training for item writing, and you can both obtain the training and write items remotely by using our item writing tool. You can earn 0.5 CPE credits for every question that is approved for use in one of our education exam forms.
5. Volunteer with (ISC)² to proctor examinations locally. We still offer paper and pencil examinations throughout the world. If you can spare your weekends, you can begin volunteering by being a proctor and facilitating an exam. You can later move on to becoming a supervisor of a test center.
6. Start an (ISC)² Chapter. (ISC)² Chapters provide members with the opportunity to build a local community of peers to network, share knowledge, exchange resources, collaborate on projects, and create new ways to earn CPE credits!
7. Become a blogger or speaker for (ISC)². If you are an accomplished writer or speaker, we need you! We offer the (ISC)² blog and speaking opportunities through our Security Leadership Series (live and virtual events held around the world) and are always looking for subject matter experts to write and speak on a wide variety of topics.
8. Become a Safe and Secure Online volunteer. (ISC)² members in Canada, Hong Kong, the UK and US have taught more than 66,000 children in those countries to protect themselves online. This program, which is free to schools, is a wonderful way for you to share your expertise and knowledge with a very vulnerable group of Internet users. Read more about the program and sign up here: https://cyberexchange.isc2.org/safe-secure.aspx.
9. Serve in a focus or Web usability group. We regularly need feedback on new credentials, programs or services we’re exploring and to improve our current processes/systems for our members. If you sign up for these activities, we’ll reach out to you during the project evaluation phase, and you can participate as often as you like.
Regular input from you through channels like these helps us stay connected with you and ensures that we are supporting your work, your professional growth and the information security profession at large in the ways that you want us to. The bottom line is that we always want to hear from you – what’s important to you and whether we’re doing things that matter to you. All you have to do is let your voice be heard!
To participate in any of these activities, please send an email to [email protected] and indicate in the subject line which activity you’d like to participate in. You won’t regret it! You’ll receive a response within three business days.
As always, thank you for all you do for (ISC)², the information security community and society every day.