The lack of qualified professionals in the cybersecurity field is a well-documented challenge when it comes to keeping up with the pace and complexity of threat evolution. But in a piece of bright news on the subject, the (ISC)² has logged a big milestone: it has reached more than 100,000 members in 162 countries.
The global not-for-profit membership body of certified information and software security professionals also said that there are now more than 70,000 information and software security professionals with one or more (ISC)2 certifications in the Americas region, with over 12,000 confirmed to be employed by the US government alone – either as an employee or contractor.
Globally, the top 10 country-by-country breakdown as of September 2014 is as follows: U.S. (64,920), U.K. (5,010), Canada (4,470), South Korea (3,515), Australia (1,783), Netherlands (1,717), India (1,705), Japan (1,441), Hong Kong (1,436), and Germany (1,349).
(ISC)2 has evolved significantly over its 25-year history, developing programs and credentials designed for cybersecurity professionals at nearly every step on their career path, including in academics.
“As an organization, we’ve grown and evolved tremendously over the last 25 years,” said W. Hord Tipton, executive director of (ISC)2. “(ISC)2 has moved from a certifying body to a global organization focused on the bigger picture of filling the global need for more qualified cybersecurity professionals.”
Most recently, the prevalence of security breaches and their subsequent impact on the global economy has heightened awareness of the global need for more qualified cybersecurity professionals in the eyes of business, government and industry professionals in key verticals—which the (ISC)2 is taking into account, according to Tipton.
“We’ve made real progress toward meeting this goal through the creation of programs aimed to provide a standard for industries like healthcare and forensics, where more security awareness and training is required,” he said. “Cybersecurity is the industry of the future, and while 100,000 members is significant, it’s only the beginning.”