(ISC)2 Launches New Certification For U.S. National Security Information Security Professionals
Raytheon Leads IT Contractors and Hosts Certification Preview Seminar for Government Contractors and Employees
VIENNA, Virginia, USA, July 23, 2003 – The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, the non-profit international leader dedicated to training, qualifying and certifying information security professionals worldwide, will introduce the Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (ISSEP) certification requirements to government employees and contractors at its preview seminar hosted by Raytheon Company tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Raytheon facility located at 7700 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, Va.
The ISSEP addresses the unique information security knowledge and expertise the U.S. national security community requires of its employees and contractors, and serves as an area of concentration of (ISC)2’s Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) credential. The CISSP is a prerequisite to obtaining the ISSEP concentration.
This preview will be the first opportunity for government employees and contractors to learn about the ISSEP certification process and training requirements. Nearly 200 information security professionals from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Defense, civilian agencies, and government contractors have registered to attend the event.
(ISC)2 introduced the ISSEP earlier this year as part of a five-year contract with NSA’s Information Assurance Directorate to develop and administer the ISSEP credential for information security professionals who want to work for NSA as employees or contractors.
Raytheon has taken the lead in building a consortium of government IT contractors to learn about the ISSEP certification and respond to opportunities that may result from new information assurance requirements.
According to Jim Craft, director of IT strategic growth initiatives for Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, several large and small government IT contractors met with NSA earlier this year to apply the Raytheon Six Sigma collaboration and problem-solving methodology to increase the level of professionalism in cybersecurity and establish a common understanding of the Information Systems Security Engineering discipline.
“We determined that the ISSEP is one of the most promising mechanisms to further these two goals in the short term,” said Craft. “The opportunity now exists for industry and NSA to pilot a process to apply that mechanism to help secure the National Information Infrastructure. Working with (ISC)2, this seminar is our first step in expanding this collaborative effort nationally”
Opening remarks for the preview will be presented by Janet Oren, CISSP, senior information systems security engineer at NSA; Jim Craft and Raytheon senior executives; Lynn McNulty, CISSP, (ISC)2 director of government affairs; and Dow Williamson, CISSP, (ISC)2 director of communications. The agenda includes an introduction to the ISSEP concentration and how it impacts government contractors, certification and accreditation, the systems security engineering process, technical management, U.S. government information assurance regulations, and the preparation and training required for the ISSEP exam.
“(ISC)2 developed the ISSEP certification with NSA to establish an additional level of knowledge and expertise unique to U.S. national security. As a result, there is a defined career path for information security professionals and an opportunity for government contractors with IT professionals who meet ISSEP requirements,” said Dow Williamson. “The response from the national security community has been tremendous. Additional preview seminars will be presented in the near future to meet the requests of the community.”
The first ISSEP two-day training sessions and certification exams are scheduled for Aug. 25-27 and Aug. 28-30, 2003. The next ISSEP training and certification exams are scheduled in September 2003. To register for ISSEP training and the certification exam, CISSPs may contact (ISC)2 Institute at p. 888-333-4458.
About Raytheon:
Raytheon Company, with 2002 sales of $16.8 billion, is an industry leader in defense, government and commercial electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon employs more than 76,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.raytheon.com.
About (ISC)2:
Based in Vienna, Virginia, USA. with offices in London, UK and Hong Kong, China, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)2 is the premier organization dedicated to providing information security professionals around the world with the standard for professional certification based on (ISC)2’s CBKTM, a compendium of industry “best practices” for information security professionals. Since its inception in 1989, the non-profit organization has trained, qualified, and certified thousands of information security professionals in more than 90 countries and has advocated the need for one industry-wide information security standard. (ISC)2 awards the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) and the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP®) credentials as well as certification concentrations. The CISSP and SSCP are both unique by requiring years of experience in their field and, for the CISSP, the Gold Standard in information security certifications, an endorsement by a professional that is familiar with the background of the candidate. More information on (ISC)2 is available at www.isc2.org.