Tag Archives: career

Value of an ISSA Membership

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One of the most common questions that mentees ask me is about membership in different groups and organizations. One of the most valuable in the Central Ohio area is ISSA (Information Systems Security Association International). Here are a few reasons why we believe in ISSA, their mission and their work.

Specific Value of an ISSA Membership

The ISSA is the community of choice for international professionals who are interested in furthering individual growth, managing technology risk, and protecting critical information and infrastructure.

A few key reasons that a Cybersecurity professional would want to join ISSA are listed below.

  • Chapters Around The World -ISSA provides educational opportunities and local networking for information security professionals. ISSA’s members can become your strongest allies when needed, and there are 157 chapters around the world.
  • Build Your Knowledge and Reputation – There are opportunities for active participation at Board and Chapter levels. You can use the ISSA Journal and KSEs to share your insights with the industry if you are an ISSA author or speaker. If you have innovative ways to solve problems, have applied security technology to address risks, or have case studies of how you have done it, then your ideas on security challenges, management, and innovation will go a long way in establishing you as a thought leader.
  • Network Like a Pro -Make new contacts and deepen old ones on a regular basis. ISSA offers a lot of networking opportunities beyond exchanging business cards. Forging lasting ties with others who have the same professional interests and concerns is one of the things you can do as you attend local chapter meetings, become involved on a committee or take a prominent leadership role. The sources of inspiration and ideas will come from these relationships. Networking contacts are a great resource for benchmarking security practices and validation of security product features.
  • Grow Your Career – The training you receive through the ISSA will give you a means to find potential career opportunities and can help get you noticed by those looking for someone to join their team. The ISSA sponsors many meetings and conferences that you can attend in order to earn CPEs for various certifications.
  • Learn for a Lifetime – The annual conference and chapter meetings are vital educational and professional resources that provide in-depth and timely information about the information security industry. Meeting and events can help you develop skills and solve problems. In addition to comprehensive workshops, seminars and knowledgeable guest speakers, there are presentations on new technologies. ISSA gives members additional discounts to security conferences.

Summary

In summary, I think that joining ISSA is worth every penny, especially if you want to progress from beginner to practitioner to expert. It’s among some of the best money you can spend in terms of ROI for growing your knowledge and your reputation in the community.

 

We’re Growing Again!

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From social media:

Got #infosec skills? We’re looking for a new team member to join MicroSolved. Pen-testing, threat intel & innovation are core reqs. Ethics, rapid learning, positivity are must haves. #Columbus preferred. Get in touch!  

Here is a bit more information: 

This engineer will engage with clients to review technical systems/applications, perform vulnerability assessments/pen-testing, application assessments, cyber threat intelligence assessments, network segmentation analysis, validate technical findings and support customers with security issues across the attack event horizon. 

Projects will cover the scope of networks, applications, security devices, servers/systems and likely embedded systems/components. Deep enterprise network knowledge in one or more areas of networking and/or security is a requirement. Familiarity with NIST standards/cyber security frameworks is preferred. 

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to (jobs <at> microsolved <dot> com). Please, no recruiters and no phone calls. If you have questions, please reach out on Twitter to @lbhuston. 

Thanks! 

Young IT Professionals, Cybercrime, Script Kiddies & CyberWarriors, OH MY!

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Recently I came across a couple of articles that both centered on the potential roles that young people entering into the IT Security field may face. Some of them, for example, may be lured away from legitimate IT security jobs and into the world of cybercrime. Others may follow the entrepreneurial role and fight cybercrime alongside myself and other professionals.

I suppose such dichotomies have existed in other professions for quite some time. Chemists could enter the commercial or academic world or become underground drug cartel members, ala Breaking Bad. Accountants could build CPA tax practices or help bad guys launder money. Doctors could work in emergency rooms or perform illegal operations to help war lords recover from battle. I suppose it is an age old balancing act.

I am reminded of Gladwell’s Outliers though, in that we are experiencing a certain time window when IT security skills are valuable to both good and bad efforts, and a war for talent may well be waging just beyond the common boundary of society. Gladwell’s position that someone like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates could only emerge within a specific time line of conditions seems to apply here. Have we seen our IT security Bill Gates yet? Maybe, maybe not….

It is certainly an interesting and pivotal time isn’t it? These articles further solidified my resolve to close a set of podcast interviews that I have been working on. In the next couple of months I will be posting podcast interviews with teams of IT and Infosec leaders to discuss their advice to young people just entering our profession. I hope you will join me for them. More importantly, I hope you will help me by sharing them with young people you know who are considering IT security as a career. Together, maybe we can help keep more of the talent on the non-criminal side. Maybe… I can always hope, can’t I? 🙂

Until next time, thanks for reading, and stay safe out there! If you have questions or insights about advice for young security professionals, hit me up on Twitter (@lbhuston). I’ll add them to the questions for the podcast guests or do some email interviews if there is enough interest from the community.

Here We Grow Again! — MSI is Hiring!

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MSI is seeking a technical leader with an understanding of Linux, networking and an interest in information security. The main focus of this position is project/engagement management, but the successful candidate will also need to be able to participate in security testing as a member of our team. They should have excellent written and verbal communication skills and not be afraid of dynamic environments. Public speaking, customer presentations and technical writing definitely go in the “plus” column.

The position is full time, located in Columbus, Ohio and has excellent benefits, a friendly and casual working environment and minimal travel. It also includes working with our team and being the best that the security industry has to offer.

If you would like more information about this position, please send your resume to bhuston**AT**microsolved.com.