Introduction


If you have read this book from the Foreword on to this chapter, you already have some idea of the changes that have occurred over the years in the duties and responsibilities of the ISSO professional. They include a working environment that involves increasing amounts of:

  • Complexity;

  • Rapidity of change;

  • Technology dependence;

  • Technology drivenness;

  • Sophistication of the workforce;

  • Competitiveness in the business world;

  • Instant communications;

  • Information available to more people than ever before;

  • Incidents of corporate fraud, waste, and abuse;

  • Threats to, and vulnerabilities of, corporate information-related assets; and

  • Competition for high-level InfoSec positions.

Since this 21st-century environment means more competition for InfoSec positions, those that want to succeed in this career field must gain more experience and have more education than ever before—or at least more than other InfoSec professionals they are competing against.

The corporate culture, InfoSec duties, responsibilities, and positions vary almost as much as the number of corporations. Many outsource much of their InfoSec service and support functions while others find it more cost-effective to use employees. No matter what type of corporation—business or government agency for that matter—that you work for, the main goal is still to protect the information and information systems assets of the company (or government agency). Corporations want to hire ISSO and InfoSec professionals who can do that successfully at least impact to cost and schedules.

  • pro fes sion al [prō f shƏn'l, prō f shnƏl, prƏ f shƏn'l] adjective

  • very competent: showing a high degree of skill or competence

  • noun (plural pro fes sion als)

  • member of profession: somebody whose occupation requires extensive education or specialized training

  • somebody very competent: somebody who shows a high degree of skill or competence[3]

For those who got into the ISSO profession as a retirement job, well, this is probably not a career for you but just that, a retirement job. The first question one should ask oneself is "Why am I in InfoSec?" This is an important question because it helps determine whether you want to be the best possible ISSO professional the world has even seen; or whether this is just a job and it is too late in life to change careers.

If you consider yourself an ISSO professional and want to be the world's best, then you need a career development program. So read on. If not, skip this chapter and enjoy your "retirement job."

[3]Encarta World English Dictionary & (P) 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.




The Information Systems Security Officer's Guide. Establishing and Managing an Information Protection Program
The Information Systems Security Officers Guide: Establishing and Managing an Information Protection Program
ISBN: 0750698969
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 204

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