(ISC)² Blog

Level Up Your Cloud Security Skills and Your Career Options

As organizations, applications, and users alike continue their journey toward the cloud, the demand for cybersecurity professionals with experience in cloud security increases. The knowledge and skills gap are the biggest concerns for all cloud-first organizations. According to the 2022 Cloud Security Report, lack of qualified staff is ranked as the biggest operational security headache trying to protect cloud workloads, while lack of qualified staff and knowledge was also echoed as the most challenging aspect of cloud compliance. Vendor certifications offer technical expertise The tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, have listened to these concerns and invested an enormous... Read more →

What It Takes to be a Cybersecurity Professional: The Non-Technical Skills You Need

Organizations around the world are being targeted – often from an unseen enemy. Cyberthreats are a plague on systems and data, and combatting them is costly and time-consuming. In order to defend against bad actors, organizations need the talent and skills on staff to detect and mitigate cyberthreats. This has led to massive opportunity in the field of cybersecurity. Research shows the global workforce needs a staggering influx of 2.7 million cybersecurity professionals to meet demand.1 Cybersecurity is a strong career choice for many reasons. It offers opportunities globally and in all industries. There are more than 50 career paths... Read more →

Real Talk with CCSPs an Interview with Matt Lee, CCSP

What do you get when you cross a teacher with an entrepreneur who also has a passion for cybersecurity? You get Matt Lee. Matt is the Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, where he is a force multiplier in the mission to empower Managed Service Providers (MSP) to continue to grow in their security knowledge and operability. We recently had a chance to speak with Matt about his experiences, and to offer some solid advice to those who are looking to enhance their cloud security. Q: Could you tell us a little about your background, and how you... Read more →

Considering a Career in Cybersecurity? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

Regardless of what the economy or job market is doing, a career in cybersecurity promises near limitless possibilties. And with the current threats to cyber stability around the world, there’s never been a greater urgency for cybersecurity professionals. The latest research reveals a formidable gap in available talent — the workforce needs an influx of 2.7 million cybersecurity professionals to meet global demand.1 The data is obvious in its message. Cybersecurity is in dire need of skilled professionals and it’s costing organizations money. A recent study finds 64% experienced breaches that resulted in lost revenue and/or fines in the past... Read more →

Building the Next Generation of Security and Privacy Professionals

The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and (ISC)² teamed up to dive into similar challenges facing security and privacy professionals in a constantly evolving world. The latest (ISC)² Workforce Study shows an IT background – either from education or work experience – remains the most common point of entry for cybersecurity roles as 63% of participants reported it as their path to cybersecurity. This percentage has lowered in recent years, giving way to a variety of other entry points. Today, just over one-third of cybersecurity professionals get their start outside of IT. This number continues to expand as the... Read more →

Effective Cybersecurity Board Reporting

By Allen Ari Dziwa, CISSP, CCSP a risk specialist and SME for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He has worked in technology and cybersecurity consulting for 15 years. Allen currently serves on the Board of Directors of ISSA North Texas, E-Council’s Ethical Hacking Advisory Board and contributed to CISSP reviews for (ISC)². He is a certified ethical hacker and certified threat intelligence analyst. The purpose of a Board of Directors is to provide governance and hold senior management accountable, including implementing cybersecurity strategy within established cyber risk appetite. A goal for any organization is generating revenue from business activities,... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 3 – Reverse Mentorship

In the final part of this three-part mentorship series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are discussing the advantages and challenges of reverse mentorship. Hear from two members who dared to embark on the complex world of reverse mentorship and shared their experiences with us. Read more about becoming a mentor and mentee in our part 1 and part 2 of this blog series. Chinatu Uzuegbu, CISSP, CEO/Managing Cyber Security Consultant at RoseTech CyberCrime Solutions Ltd. How would you describe reverse mentorship? Reverse mentorship is a process of being trained or mentored by a younger or junior position as a more... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 2 – Mentees

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are reviewing the three sides of mentorship by speaking with members who are experienced mentors, mentees and those who have taken part in reverse mentorship. Review our part one blog and hear from experienced mentors. In this, our second part of our three-part interview series we will hear from Jean Tam, CISSP, Cybersecurity Manager/Lead, Subject Matter Expert at Lockheed Martin on what the mentee experience is like. What drove you to seek mentorship? I was just out of college and wanted to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. What did... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 1 – Mentors

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are looking at three sides of mentorship from the mentor’s perspective, the mentee’s insights and reverse mentorship. Follow along with us though this three-part interview series highlighting member perspectives from varying industries. In this first blog, we will hear from three experienced mentors sharing their insights and takeaways from years of experience helping to guide the next generation. Chaddrick “Chad” Nevills, CISSP, Service Engineer at Microsoft What motivates you to succeed as a mentor? Seeing someone else succeed using the knowledge from my experiences to their advantage. It is fruitful to see someone from my... Read more →

As the Cybersecurity Profession Grows, So Does the Workforce Gap

The cybersecurity field has become larger than ever, but as the ranks of cybersecurity professionals increase, so does the workforce gap. The 2022 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study reveals the workforce has grown to 4.7 million, an 11% increase from a year ago, while the workforce gap is now 3.4 million, up from 2.7 million. “Despite adding more than 464,000 workers in the past year, the cybersecurity workforce gap has grown more than twice as much as the workforce with a 26.2% year-over-year increase, making it a profession in dire need of more people,” the newly published report says. Findings were... Read more →

(ISC)² Collaborates with KISA to Strengthen Cybersecurity Professional Development in Emerging Economies

Many developing countries lack the resources to secure valuable information and data effectively. To strengthen cyber defenses in these economies, additional cybersecurity professionals are needed – with the right skills and knowledge – to defend critical assets. Understanding the challenge and wanting to improve the global cybersecurity ecosystem, today (ISC)² and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate and leverage the expertise of our organization, as well as KISA, to nurture the global cybersecurity workforce. The collaboration will expand cybersecurity professional education and training by providing professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills... Read more →

No work experience? Don’t let that stop you from pursuing a career in cybersecurity

With the current threats to cyber stability around the world, there’s never been a greater urgency for cybersecurity professionals than now. Organizations are investing more time, money and talent to detecting and mitigating cyberattacks. The result is a boom in demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals. What’s the best way to break into cybersecurity when you have no experience in the field? It depends on where you are in your career, what you want to do and where you see your future. If you thrive on solving problems, are driven to help people and are excited at the prospect of working... Read more →

Hiring Inexperienced Cybersecurity Practitioners: What’s Not to Like?

Managers who hire entry- and junior-level cybersecurity practitioners may do so to free up senior staff for more advanced work. But what they often find is that new hires contribute more than expected. Those new to cybersecurity bring fresh perspectives and excitement. They are open to different ideas, are generally eager to learn and want to succeed. Consider the following comments from respondents to an (ISC)² study on cybersecurity hiring practices: Entry- and junior-level staff “bring new ideas to the table. The fact that they have less experience means that they are also more flexible to new ideas. That is... Read more →

October is #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth

The month of October is widely acknowledged as Cybersecurity Awareness Month and an opportunity for the global community to join together in the mission of educating those outside of the profession with daily practices that can be implemented so that we may all live in a safer and more secure cyber world. This month reminds us that cybersecurity is for all and doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Together we can showcase the vast resources our community has to support all organizations and industries to keep their valuable information secure. Access Resources (ISC)² has curated a collection of informational resources... Read more →

(ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso Honored by SC Media's Women in IT Security Program

Closing the gender and diversity gap in cybersecurity is critical if the profession is serious about addressing its current workforce crisis. (ISC)² estimates that the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap currently stands at 2.72 million professionals globally, but women only make up roughly 25% of the cybersecurity industry, compared to at least 40% of the global workforce. Every year, the SC Media Women in IT Security program celebrates significant contributions of those who have faced these challenges and made a positive impact on the advancement of cybersecurity in government or the private sector. (ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso was recognized as an advocate... Read more →

Assigning Tasks to Less-Experienced Cybersecurity Hires Depends on Company Needs

Depending on the organization, entry- and junior-level cybersecurity professionals are assigned an assorted mix of tasks, according to new (ISC)² research. Junior-level employees typically are trusted to handle most tasks, the research shows. The findings come from a survey of 1,250 cybersecurity hiring managers showing wide variation in the roles that less-experienced hires are expected to take on. The study shows some differentiation between the types of tasks assigned to entry-level as opposed to junior-level employees. It also reveals greater agreement among respondents about what tasks junior-level employees can handle. Differences within level of responsibility assignments varying by company size... Read more →

Enrollment Is Open for Free One Million Certified in Cybersecurity

(ISC)² is making a cybersecurity career more accessible. As part of our commitment to help close the cybersecurity workforce gap and diversify those working in the field, we are offering FREE (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity Online Self-Paced Training and exams to one million people worldwide. To qualify, individuals must enroll as an (ISC)² Candidate, for free, which entitles them to a wide array of exclusive programs and services to assist individuals starting a cybersecurity career, including free education and exams for the association’s new entry-level cybersecurity certification (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity. How to Enroll in One Million Certified in Cybersecurity... Read more →

The Cybersecurity Workforce Climate in Asia

“The unfilled demand of cybersecurity positions is 2.72 million, down from 2020. However, it is primarily coming from Asia because every region around the globe went up, demand outpacing supply, except for in Asia,” Clar Rosso said in discussing the (ISC)² 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study on Techstrong TV. The Workforce Study showed that 61% of the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) cybersecurity professionals surveyed, 1,234 participants, feel their organization lacks a sufficient amount of cybersecurity talent (people and/or skills). The response was much greater in China, with 74% reporting the need for more professionals in the field. This need for more cybersecurity... Read more →

(ISC)² Closing the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap

The following letter was sent by (ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso to all (ISC)² members and associates, sharing insights into several developments at (ISC)² focused on addressing the workforce gap and creating cybersecurity career opportunities for more people worldwide. Dear Members, I hope you share my tremendous pride in our association as today we announce three significant milestones in our collective efforts to address the global workforce gap by making cybersecurity careers accessible to more people around the world. First, our newest certification, (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity, is now operational. More than 1,500 individuals, who passed the exam during our pilot... Read more →

Become an (ISC)² Candidate – No Exam, Experience or Fees Required

Today, (ISC)² launched a new initiative so that anyone can join our association as an (ISC)² Candidate. When you become an (ISC)² Candidate, you’ll gain access to many of the benefits and resources that (ISC)² certified members and Associates of (ISC)² enjoy – but with no exam, work experience, and, for a limited time, no fee required. Who should become an (ISC)² Candidate? We created (ISC)² Candidate for those interested in pursuing an (ISC)² certification or a career in cybersecurity. If you’re looking to join the cybersecurity workforce, this program is ideal for you! If you’ve been working in cybersecurity... Read more →