This year marks the first ever (ISC)² EMEA Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA), a chance for our community to recognise fellow information security and management professionals going the extra mile to enhance security across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Overall, we received a staggering number of impressive submissions, over 200, and these were shortlisted down to our finalists by our judges, members of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Advisory Council (EAC). Winners will be announced at our Secure Summit UK on 12 December 2017. In the meantime, we will be sharing their stories on the blog. Here is the first instalment: Bridget Kenyon, Head of Information Security at University College London (United Kingdom) After graduating from the University of

(ISC)² is excited to announce the launch of our new online Community. Created for cyber experts and IT security professionals – both (ISC)² certified members and non-members alike – this Community is a place for you to share your cybersecurity knowledge and experience with other professionals. The Community has several categories with discussion boards where you can post conversation topics, or message directly with other users. We hope that you’ll find this to be a place to connect with other professionals, collaborate on industry issues, share your career experiences and develop relationships with others in the field. So come on by! Post a question, join a discussion and earn your Early Adopter badge (as long as you join before November

By Yves Le Roux, (ISC)² EMEA Advisory Council Co-Chair & Privacy Workgroup Lead Yves will be hosting the half-day workshop  GDPR: Charting Experience on the March to May 2018 at (ISC)² Secure Summit MENA, in Dubai on the 21st and 22nd November 2017. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) is a regulation by which the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU). The regulation was adopted in April last year. It becomes enforceable from 25th May 2018 and, unlike a directive, it does not require national governments to pass any enabling legislation; and is thus directly binding

Organizational culture typically takes shape as a result of decisions and actions by top management, who are responsible for setting vision, values and practices. When leadership doesn’t understand something, it shows in how the organization handles that particular area. When it comes to IT security, research by (ISC)2 reveals a tepid commitment to investing in a strong security stance, both in the areas of technology and human resources. Too often, cybersecurity teams are short-staffed, lack the resources they need to handle a cyberattack, or aren’t given the responsibility to fill a more proactive role in protecting company data and networks. About half of participants in (ISC)2’s 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study, consisting of IT professionals in charge of security

Whether it’s Congress, a two-day Secure Summit, or a one-hour webinar, the experience is a product of the (ISC)² Community By Tisun Rustem, Senior Events Manager in EMEA, (ISC)² With so many industry events and online educational opportunities vying for your attention, particularly in information or cybersecurity, one can be forgiven for wondering whether an (ISC)² event could have something unique to offer. (ISC)² serves its membership with a range of on-line and conference-based educational opportunities, including one-hour webinars and half-day symposia, your annual regional Congress; and new to this year, the two-day Secure Summits - five of which are taking place in the EMEA region. Two, MENA and the UK, are still to come in November and December. They all provide