(ISC)² Blog

SSCP Spotlight: Sohail Awad

Name: Sohail Awad Title: Engineer Employer: Freelancer Location: U.K. Degree: Master of Science in Computer Security Years in IT: 16 Years in information security: 12 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, CCNA Security, CCNA R/S What security skills and knowledge would you count as relevant to your current role, and ambitions for the future? Every skill or bit of knowledge I gain is relevant to my role as they help me to see the big picture and better tailor the solutions I create and develop. The SSCP, in essence, is designed to deliver that vision. I have found the secure programming techniques, data... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Todd Painter

Name: Todd A. Painter Title: Network Engineer Employer: UNG, Inc. Location: Boiling Springs, SC (USA) Years in IT: 7 Years in information security: 3 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, Security+, working on CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Looking at the current scope of IT, it was apparent to me that the IT security field would have the largest growth in the coming years. With that in mind, I knew that I had a good chance at becoming a valuable asset to any company that needed a security expert, or someone with more of a security mindset rather... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: James Packer

Name: James Packer Title: Security and Cloud Specialist Employer: Big 4 Firm Location: London, UK Education: Information Technology and Security Years in IT: 10 Years in Cybersecurity: 5 Cybersecurity Certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CIS F ISO27001 How did you get in to a career in cybersecurity? I’d say I’m like countless security professionals out there, I first started in IT and security was just a part of my job, inherent in every role I performed. I started in desktop support, progressing through the service desk lines to a managerial role, before moving in to projects and architecture- “solutionising” as I call... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Greg Harris

Name: Greg Harris Title: Senior Security Consultant and Adjunct Professor Employer: Big 4 Firm and Kennesaw State University Location: Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S.A. Degree: MBA, MS in Information Systems, BS in Computer Science & Mathematics Years in IT: 15+ Years in cybersecurity: 13+ Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CRISC, CISM, CISA, GCFA How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? McKesson Corporation hired me as a Security Infrastructure Engineer through a campus-recruiting program at Kennesaw State University in 2003. My undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. With my Navy Electronic Warfare... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Richard Carpenter

Name: Richard Carpenter Title: Information Security Manager Employer: Global Media and Entertainment Location: Devon, United Kingdom Years in IT: 10 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? In my previous role supporting Identity and Access Management, a certain amount of due diligence was required when auditing user accounts, logon usage, permissions and security best practices for Access brokers. This sparked my interest in a cybersecurity practice outside the traditional ‘Security Operations’ role. Why did you get your CISSP®? While reviewing the market for training opportunities to upskill in my new chosen... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Mr. Toh Tai Ann

Name: Mr. Toh Tai Ann Title: Principal Trainer and Consultant Employer: Solution of Solutions LLP Location: Singapore Degree: Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Hons) University of Western Australia Years in IT: 31 years Years in cybersecurity: 10 years Cybersecurity certifications: Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I have been an Information Technology professional for more than 25 years and in the Information Technology sector for 30+ years. In these 30+ years I have seen the transformation of IT from a mainframe/minicomputer... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Mark A. Singer

Name: Mark A. Singer Title: Principal Software Engineer Employer: DoD Sub-Contractor Location: Indianapolis, IN Education: Business Management Years in IT: 19 Years in cybersecurity: 12 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Evolution. I stumbled into computers when I served in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1989 when PCs with 8086 processors were common. When I got out of the service, I was able to get a job working for Naval Avionics in Indianapolis and was placed in a role where I was doing local computer support on tempest computers (386, 486, & 486DX... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Ajet Ibraimoski

Name: Ajet Ibraimoski Title: System/Network Administrator Employer: PBS Systems Inc. Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Degree: MSc. in Computer Networks and e-Technologies; B.Sc. in Informatics and computer engineering Years in IT: 9 Years in information security: 5 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, CEH, Security+, Cybersecurity: Technology, Application and Policy – MIT, Information Security Foundation based on ISO/IEC 27002 How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Security has always been my passion. Information security blogs and magazines kept me awake at night during my university years. After graduation, I had the chance to work in various positions and industries that presented unique... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Guy Bertrand Kamga

Name: Guy Bertrand Kamga Title: Senior Security Analyst Employer: Nokia Location: Paris, France Degree: Master in Computer Science Engineering Years in IT: 14 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CCSK, CCSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I decided to focus in cybersecurity when I realized that due to the rapid development of new technologies (e.g. social networks, cloud) and the proliferation of mobile devices, it will be more and more challenging to efficiently protect personal data and other sensitive information. Why did you get your CCSP®? I decided to take the CCSP exam to challenge... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Adam Gorecki

Name: Adam Gorecki Title: System Administrator/Information Security Analyst Employer: Mountain View County Location: Didsbury, Alberta, Canada Years in IT: Over 10 years Years in information security: 1 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Information security has been something that has always interested me. It has been at the forefront of my mind during my career as a network analyst and a system administrator. When the opportunity arose for me to take on an information security analyst role, I jumped at it. Why did you get your SSCP®? I wanted to get a designation that... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Shashana Campbell

Name: Shashana Campbell Title: Manager, Cyber Risk Advisory Employer: Grant Thornton LLP Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Education: Master of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University and Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University Years in IT: 7 Years in information security: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CISA How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I began my career in risk consulting, providing IT Auditing and Advisory service. I think once you build a foundation in understanding, assessing and implementing IT security controls, the next step is learning how to further strengthen those controls and... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Uzoma Nwankwo

Name: Uzoma Nwankwo Title: Information Systems Security Officer Employer: Booz Allen Hamilton Location: National Business Park, Maryland, U.S.A. Education: MBA, BS in Computer Information Systems Years in IT: 12 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Comptia Security +, Project Management Professional (PMP) How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I began my career as a systems administrator, supporting a project for a large government agency. When that project ended, I was presented with an opportunity to help another government agency with cybersecurity services in locations throughout the country. I travelled, met new people... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Wendy Larsen

Name: Wendy Larsen Title: Security Consultant Employer: Weidenhammer Location: Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Years in IT: 27 Years in information security: 5 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, Security+, ITIL, VCP, MCSE How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I have been working for an information technology consulting organization for 27 years. They gave me many opportunities to expand my technical knowledge as a systems engineer. Over the past several years, I have been very interested in growing my skill set in cybersecurity. I came to discover that I have a passion for security – therefore, I took the bull by the... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Albert Torres

Name: Albert Torres Title: Cyber Security Project Manager Employer: Sempra Energy Utilities – contractor Location: San Diego, California, U.S.A. Education: M.S. in Information Security and Assurance from Western Governors University, B.A. in Management Information Systems (Summa Cum Laude) from Washington State University Years in IT: 26 Years in cybersecurity: 16 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, PMP, CEH, CHFI, ITIL v3 Foundation IT Management Certification How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I had been in the IT industry for over 10 years and our company was creating its first software as a service (SaaS) software offering. The previous software we... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Arlie Hartman

Name: Arlie Hartman Title: National Security Operations Manager - Cloud Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Business, IT Management at WGU (in progress) Years in IT: 16 Years in cybersecurity: 11 Cybersecurity certifications: CCSP, CISSP, HCISPP, GSEC, PCIP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I was working as a quality analyst doing root cause analysis for unsatisfactory IT incident resolutions – I was, essentially, a complaints department. I saw a position available as a technical analyst for our regional security officer and I applied and got it. I started out supporting the RSA Ace server... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Olayinka Ladeji

Name: Olayinka Ladeji Job Title: Management Consultant, Information & Cybersecurity and IT Advisory Employer: Enaxis Consulting Location: Houston, Texas, U.S.A. Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Years in IT: 14 Years in cybersecurity: 12 Cybersecurity certifications: CCSP, CISSP, CISM, CBCP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Information security has always been my passion. I was working at a financial organization after college, but didn’t get the opportunity to work in the field of information security until an independent information security department was set up there shortly after I joined. I was drafted into the department,... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Robert Kato

Name: Robert Kato Title: IT Specialist Employer: African Development Bank Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and Master’s Degree in Information Systems Years in IT: 10 Years in cybersecurity: 5 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CCNA Security How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I started my career mostly doing systems administration and networking roles. At that time, especially in Africa, connectivity and system performance were the most important aspects. We had servers that had 128GB of memory and a 64 Kpbs DSL link and would cost $500 monthly. However, with the increase in computing power and high speed internet... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Miriam Celi

Name: Miriam Celi Title: Technical Leader – Secure Coding IT Quality Assurance Employer: Humana, Inc. Years in IT: 20 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, GISP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I got into a career in cybersecurity by chance. In early 2009, I joined a small startup that specialized in personal identity verification (PIV) solutions for the government. I was very fortunate that since the company was small, I was able to perform various roles, such as integrating products with various physical access control systems and biometric devices, representing the company in security conferences... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Mahbubul Islam

Name: Mahbubul Islam Title: Head of Secure Design Employer: U.K. Government Department Degree: B.Sc., M.Sc. Years in IT: 15 Years in cybersecurity: 10 Cybersecurity certifications: CCSP, CISM, SABSA, LCCP, ISO27001 LA How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I started working for the U.K. government in 2001 and whilst working on various standard projects, I was successful in landing an apprentice role as an Information Assurance Manager. The role was very flexible, as it was the first of its kind which allowed myself and my colleagues to determine a structured plan to develop security skills within the fields... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Walter Speelman

Name: Walter Speelman Title: Senior Security Specialist, IAM Employer: The Walt Disney Company Years in IT: 26 Years in cybersecurity: 8 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP® How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I actually didn’t start off in cybersecurity. I started my career just doing typical IT functions related to the client/server environments and networks, later moving into programming and system architecture and design. While there are aspects of security in all of that, it was not until later that I moved specifically into a dedicated security role. When I started in IT, connectivity was the major focus and... Read more →