(ISC)² Blog

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with AJ Yawn

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to AJ Yawn. AJ tells us about his motivation for setting it up his own business, his passion for mentoring and opening up pathways into cybersecurity, and why he thinks (ISC)² Chapters are a great place for networking and accelerating your career.... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with James Wright

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. In our last interview, we met Jason Lau. In this installment, we meet James Wright. He is a cybersecurity technologist with The Walt Disney Company. He is... Read more →

CISSPs From Around the Globe: An Interview with Adesoji Ogunjobi

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Adesoji Ogunjobi, who is passionate about cybersecurity in Africa. He is Chief Information Technology (security) Architect and Trainer with Kavod Doyen Consulting in Lagos and talks about how this industry has changed over his 14-year professional background and his ambitions for... Read more →

CISSPs from Around The Globe: An Interview with Theresa Grafenstine

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Theresa ‘Terry’ Grafenstine. Terry tells us about her time working as the appointed Inspector General of the U.S. House of Representatives and her journey to becoming Chief Auditor for Global Technology at Citi. She shares with us her passion for cybersecurity... Read more →

CISSPs From Around the Globe: An Interview with Laurie Mack

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Laurie Mack. Laurie lives in Canada and is Director for Security and Certifications at Thales. In this interview, Laurie shares with us how she started her career in the Canadian Armed Forces as a radio communicator and how her proudest professional... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Jason Lau

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this diversity, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. Last time we heard from Mari Aoba and her experiences with CISSP. This installment features Jason Lau, CISO for Crypto.com and an official member and contributor... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Melissa Parsons

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this diversity, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. Last time Angus Macrae shared his CISSP experience. This installment features Melissa Parsons, Senior Consultant in Cyber Security for KPMG Canada. She has notable success driving... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Angus Macrae

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. Last time we met Jerome Leach and discovered his experience with the CISSP certification. This installment features Angus Macrae. He is Head of Cyber Security at King’s... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Jerome Leach

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. In our first interview, we met Javvad Malik and heard about his experiences. This installment features Jerome Leach. He works as Cyber Officer in the Coast Guard... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Javvad Malik

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)2 has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. Our first installment features Javvad Malik, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, as well as blogger and YouTuber at JavvadMalik.com. He’s also contributes on two podcasts, The... Read more →

CSSLP Spotlight: John Kent

Name: John Kent Title: Manager IT, DevSecOps Employer: FedEx Location: Irving, Texas Education: BAAS Computer Science, MS Cybersecurity Years in IT: 37 Years in cybersecurity and/or privacy: 13 Cybersecurity certifications: CSSLP, CEH, CHFI How did you decide upon a career in security software development? My passion for software development began in 1981 and launched my career in 1987. It wasn’t until my first exposure to pen test results in 2005 that I understood software design, development, test and operations from a much wider perspective. There was so much more to programming than creating working software — it had to be... Read more →

(ISC)² Member Spotlight: Jasmine Rodriguez

Name: Jasmine Rodriguez Title: Managed Services Engineer Employer: KnowBe4 Location: Clearwater, FL Education: BA, Psychology from San Diego State University and Masters, Education from Vanderbilt University Years in IT: 3 Years in cybersecurity: 2 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, Associate of (ISC)², Security+, CEH How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I found my way into the cybersecurity field a couple years after entering the workforce. I always had a passion for technology. My entry point was in a Network Operations Center where I soaked in knowledge quickly. How did you decide to pursue your CISSP? I utilized self-study materials... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Renju Damodaran

Name: Renju Damodaran Title: Senior Manager, Cyber Risk Services Employer: Wipro Limited Location: Boston, MA Education: BS, Information Systems from BITS, Pilani. Years in IT: 20 Years in cybersecurity: 16 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CISA, SABSA SCF How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Back in the day (early 2000s), I was involved in setting up IT infrastructure for a startup company. I started interacting with information security professionals from external consulting firms and developed an interest in security as a profession. I learned BS7799 framework and landed an information security officer role in ING Vysya Bank (now known... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Amy Mitchell

Name: Amy Mitchell Title: Managed Services Engineer Employer: KnowBe4 Location: Clearwater, FL, U.S. Education: Associates of Science Years in IT: 6 Years in cybersecurity: 4 Cybersecurity certifications: Security+, CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I realized how important PCI DSS security is when I worked in the service industry. From there, I worked in network security for point of sale systems and have now moved to KnowBe4. I help teach people about cybersecurity awareness around the world. Why did you decide to pursue your CISSP? I interact and work with CISSPs on a regular basis. I... Read more →

HCISPP Spotlight: Ramana Krothapalli

Name: Ramana Krothapalli Title: Consultant - Information Security & GRC Employer: Self-Employed Location: Hyderabad, India Education: M.Sc., PGDCA Years in IT: 7 Years in cybersecurity and/or privacy: 17 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, HCISSP, CISA, CISM, ISO 27001 LA How did you decide upon a career in healthcare security and/or privacy? It’s rather a chance than a choice. As the chief information security officer (CISO) of a software development firm, I was tasked to implement information security and privacy in multiple healthcare development projects. I am happy that I could contribute to security of healthcare. Why did you decide to pursue your... Read more →

HCISPP Spotlight: Shawn O’Reilly

Name: Shawn O’Reilly Title: Information Security Officer Employer: SUNY Upstate Medical University Location: Syracuse, New York Education: Master’s in Information Management, Syracuse University Years in IT: 25 Years in cybersecurity and/or privacy: 20 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CCSP, HCISPP, CISM, CISA How did you decide upon a career in healthcare security and privacy? The opportunity to move into a healthcare security and privacy career presented itself about 15 years ago when I was searching for a new job. I was previously employed by a Big 4 accounting firm, where I got my start as a cybersecurity consultant. I was looking to... Read more →

HCISPP Spotlight: George Chacko

Name: George Chacko Title: Senior Manager, Information Security Employer: New York Blood Center Location: New York, NY, U.S. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo Years in cybersecurity and/or privacy: 14 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, HCISPP How did you decide upon a career in healthcare security and/or privacy? After starting my career in financial services as an information security professional, I knew that the healthcare industry was an area in which experienced resources were needed due to the rise in major breaches of medical records and personal healthcare information. I had many family and friends in different roles in healthcare... Read more →

HCISPP Spotlight: Ana Ferreira

Name: Ana Ferreira Title: Doctor Employer: Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto Location: Porto, Portugal Education: BSc in Computer Science, MSc in Information Security, PhD in Computer Science Years in IT: 20 Years in cybersecurity and/or privacy: 16 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, HCISPP How did you decide upon a career in healthcare security and/or privacy? After I graduated in 1998, I went to work for a healthcare education institution as a researcher and IT specialist. After a few years, I realized that security and privacy, especially in the domain of healthcare, were crucial... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Shinji Abe

Name: Shinji Abe Title: Director Employer: NTT Security (Japan) KK Degree: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science in Quantum Physics Years in IT: 11 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I started my career as a system engineer. I became involved in information security after some systems managed that I was managing received vulnerability assessments. That was when I realized the importance of cybersecurity. I moved to the security analysis team to focus on security works in 2011. Why did you get your CISSP®? In the beginning of my cybersecurity... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Hayato Kiriyama

Name: Hayato Kiriyama Title: Senior Security Solutions Architect Employer: Amazon Web Services Japan K.K. Degree: MBA, Master’s of Science Years in IT: 14 Years in cybersecurity: 8 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Around 2010, I was involved in developing an application for Data Loss Protection at IBM. Such a data-oriented approach looked quite different to me because it was connected with the value of data in the business. It was this kind of business-oriented security which I wanted to research and develop further. Why did you get your CISSP? When I was working... Read more →