Finding experienced candidates for cyber security positions remains a top challenge for many organisations. Now, (ISC)2, the world’s largest non-profit association of certified cyber security professionals, has announced the (ISC)2 One Million Certified in Cybersecurity program.
They are pledging to put one million people through its foundational Certified in Cybersecurity entry-level certification test and education program for free.
The program builds upon the success of the100k in the UK (ISC)2 initiative, which pledged 100,000 free exams and course enrollments for UK residents earlier this year. Announced during the Cyber Workforce and Education Summit at the White House today, the program builds upon (ISC)2 leadership in delivering solutions to our global cybersecurity workforce challenges.
Organisations that focus on recruiting and developing entry-level cyber security staff, including those with little or no technical experience, accelerate the invaluable hands-on training that the next generation of cyber professionals need to start a successful cybersecurity career.
Those who earn the (ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity certification, currently in the final stages of a global pilot program, will demonstrate to employers that they have the foundational knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for an entry-level cyber security role. “For more than 30 years, (ISC)2 has advocated for the advancement, expansion and enablement of the cybersecurity workforce. Our ‘100K in the UK’ program garnered more than 10,000 applicants in its first two months... It is a resounding call to action for organisations serious about expanding the cybersecurity workforce to make the necessary investments now to break down barriers and clear obstacles for anyone interested in a cybersecurity career,” said Clar Rosso, CEO of (ISC)2. “We support the aims of the Biden Administration, the US National Cyber Director and administrations around the world focused on this critical issue.
Starting September 2022, (ISC)2 will open registration. Qualified individuals will receive a free exam, as well as access to the (ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity online self-paced education course. The course provides a review of the subject matter published in the Certified in Cybersecurity test outline, which shares the security concepts on which certification candidates will be evaluated, including:
University students, recent graduates, career changers and other professionals wishing to expand their skills and opportunities are encouraged to participate, especially individuals employed or seeking employment within small and midsized businesses.
(ISC)2 will work closely with new and existing partner organizations to reach historically under-represented populations and encourage greater diversity within the cyber security community and has pledged that half of the expanded commitment, 500,000 course enrollments and exams, will be directed toward students of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), minority-serving institutions (MSIs), tribal organisations and women’s organisations across the U.S. and the globe.
After successfully completing the exam, candidates will become (ISC)² members with access to a wide array of professional development resources to help them throughout their careers.
The (ISC)² entry-level cybersecurity certification is the first step on a career-long journey that will help cybersecurity professionals gain experience and work towards advanced qualifications such as the (ISC)² CISSP and (ISC)² CCSP.
There is a worldwide shortage of cyber security staff to adequately defend their networks from increasingly prevalent and sophisticated cyberattacks. (ISC)2 estimates a global cybersecurity workforce gap of more than 2.7 million. While the US cyber security workforce is comprised of more than 1.14 million people, according to (ISC)2, the federal government estimates the country has more than 700,000 cyber security job vacancies.
(ISC)2 has created the Certified in Cybersecurity entry-level certification as part of a broad strategy to support and nurture a new generation of cyber security professionals entering the field.
For more information on the (ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity go to: www.isc2.org/certified-in-cybersecurity.
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Security training and certification specialist (ISC)² has announced a new programme, One Million Certified in Cybersecurity, pledging to put a million people around the world through its foundation level education programme and certification exam.
Announced at a cyber skills event held at the White House in Washington DC, the programme builds upon the early success of a UK-specific initiative, 100k in the UK, which pledged 100,000 free exams and course enrolments for Britain’s future cyber pros.
The UK programme – which is open to anybody from recent graduates to people looking for a mid-career change, will – if successful – expand the UK’s existing security workforce by a third and so fill the gap left by security pros leaving the industry, according to (ISC)².
Beginning from September, (ISC)² will offer qualifying individuals free access to its online, self-guided Certified in Cybersecurity course, and the following examination. This covers the basic principles of cyber security; business continuity, disaster recovery and incident response; access control concepts; network security; and security operations practice.
Like the UK pilot, the worldwide programme will be open to anybody wishing to expand their skills and opportunities in the security sector, with a particular focus on individuals working in, or who wish to work in, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
(ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso said research suggested organisations that focus on recruiting and developing entry-level cyber pros are better placed to accelerate the invaluable hands-on training that their new recruits need to start a successful career in the sector.
“Our ‘100K in the UK’ programme garnered more than 10,000 applicants in its first two months. It is a resounding call to action for organisations serious about expanding the cyber security workforce to make the necessary investments now to break down barriers and clear obstacles for anyone interested in a cyber security career,” said Rosso.
“We support the aims of the Biden Administration, the US National Cyber Director and administrations around the world focused on this critical issue. We are proud to announce this initiative alongside so many others who share a strong commitment to addressing our cyber security workforce challenges and look forward to building the public-private partnerships needed to accomplish our goal of One Million Certified in Cybersecurity.”
At the same time, (ISC)² has committed to reaching groups that are historically under-represented in the cyber security sector. It plans to direct fully half of its one million commitment to target students from the US’ historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), tribal organisations and women’s organisations in the US and worldwide.
Successful completion will see candidates become full (ISC)² members with access to further professional development resources, including more advanced qualifications and certifications.
VIENNA, Va., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Omega Integration and their CTA partner Dynamo Technologies (Team DAO) have won an $86 million contract with the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer to provide mission critical cyber security operations support across the USDA enterprise. Team DAO will support the USDA's mission through the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Division and Cyber Defense Operations Division by delivering services such as cyber defense, incident response and operations, detection & monitoring, network security, system security, and cybersecurity architecture.
"Alpha Omega's IT research and development initiatives along with our interest in keeping abreast of new cyber threats and state of the art defensive technology will prove indispensable on this opportunity to monitor and protect the nation's Agriculture mission assets. We are grateful to the USDA and ISC for giving us the opportunity to support them with cutting edge, mission-critical, automated cybersecurity expertise," said Gautam Ijoor, CEO for Alpha Omega.
"IT systems are mission critical. The USDA OCIO ISC diligently serves and supports all the various USDA Bureaus and Offices by helping to protect their mission-critical assets and information, thereby securing or country's diverse food, agriculture, rural and natural resources. Team DAO is committed to do our part to ensure the highest levels of security and integrity of the USDA's enterprise systems," said Dr. Vivek "Vick" Taneja, President of Dynamo Technologies.
ABOUT ALPHA OMEGA INTEGRATION
Alpha Omega provides high quality, collaborative IT and business consulting services, with the expertise and capabilities to serve customers. We are committed to quality and continuous process improvement, demonstrated by our Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level-5 (ML-5) for Development and Services, as well as ISO/IEC registration for 20000-1:2018, 27001:2013, and 9001:2015. It is our commitment to customers to integrate best practices and standardization in the areas of quality, service management, and security into everyday operations. Alpha Omega is a mission-focused, client-centric, results-driven organization. For more information, visit https://alphaomegaintegration.com/aoi-contract-usda/.
ABOUT DYNAMO TECHNOLOGIES
Dynamo is a full lifecycle digital transformation company providing best-in-class technology and mission support services to the U.S. federal government. Dynamo's mission is to lead the digital transformation industry and provide best-in-class solutions to its clients with a truly human touch. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in the National Capital Region (NCR), Dynamo serves CONUS and OCONUS missions across the defense, diplomacy, environmental, financial, and law enforcement markets. Dynamo delivers excellence through talented personnel, in-house innovation labs, and partnerships with leading cloud/platform technology providers. Dynamo is CMMI-DEV v2.0 Level 3 appraised, and maintains ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, ISO 27001 and AS9100D quality certifications.
View original content to obtain multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alpha-omega-integration-and-dynamo-technologies-win-86-million-contract-with-usda-ocio-information-security-center-isc-cyber-security-operations-301600173.html
SOURCE Alpha Omega Integration
VIENNA, Va., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Omega Integration and their CTA partner Dynamo Technologies (Team DAO) have won an $86 million contract with the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer to provide mission critical cyber security operations support across the USDA enterprise. Team DAO will support the USDA's mission through the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Division and Cyber Defense Operations Division by delivering services such as cyber defense, incident response and operations, detection & monitoring, network security, system security, and cybersecurity architecture.
"Alpha Omega's IT research and development initiatives along with our interest in keeping abreast of new cyber threats and state of the art defensive technology will prove indispensable on this opportunity to monitor and protect the nation's Agriculture mission assets. We are grateful to the USDA and ISC for giving us the opportunity to support them with cutting edge, mission-critical, automated cybersecurity expertise," said Gautam Ijoor, CEO for Alpha Omega.
"IT systems are mission critical. The USDA OCIO ISC diligently serves and supports all the various USDA Bureaus and Offices by helping to protect their mission-critical assets and information, thereby securing our country's diverse food, agriculture, rural and natural resources. Team DAO is committed to do our part to ensure the highest levels of security and integrity of the USDA's enterprise systems," said Dr. Vivek "Vick" Taneja, President of Dynamo Technologies.
ABOUT ALPHA OMEGA INTEGRATION
Alpha Omega provides high quality, collaborative IT and business consulting services, with the expertise and capabilities to serve customers. We are committed to quality and continuous process improvement, demonstrated by our Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level-5 (ML-5) for Development and Services, as well as ISO/IEC registration for 20000-1:2018, 27001:2013, and 9001:2015. It is our commitment to customers to integrate best practices and standardization in the areas of quality, service management, and security into everyday operations. Alpha Omega is a mission-focused, client-centric, results-driven organization. For more information, visit https://alphaomegaintegration.com/aoi-contract-usda/.
ABOUT DYNAMO TECHNOLOGIES
Dynamo is a full lifecycle digital transformation company providing best-in-class technology and mission support services to the U.S. federal government. Dynamo's mission is to lead the digital transformation industry and provide best-in-class solutions to its clients with a truly human touch. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in the National Capital Region (NCR), Dynamo serves CONUS and OCONUS missions across the defense, diplomacy, environmental, financial, and law enforcement markets. Dynamo delivers excellence through talented personnel, in-house innovation labs, and partnerships with leading cloud/platform technology providers. Dynamo is CMMI-DEV v2.0 Level 3 appraised, and maintains ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, ISO 27001 and AS9100D quality certifications.
View original content to obtain multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alpha-omega-integration-and-dynamo-technologies-win-86-million-contract-with-usda-ocio-information-security-center-isc-cyber-security-operations-301600173.html
SOURCE Alpha Omega Integration