Finalists have been announced for the 2018 Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA®) Government. The ISLA Government program recognizes the ongoing commitment and achievements of individuals and teams whose initiatives, processes or projects have led to significant improvements in the security posture of a U.S. department, agency or government (state, local or federal). "Some projects are not well-known to either the public or the information security professional community. Recognizing a practitioner through the ISLA awards provides awareness of some of the important projects happening throughout the government." - Kris Thomas, CISSP, 2018 Nominator The awards ceremony will take place at the (ISC)² Secure Summit DC event on Tuesday, May 8th at 12 p.m. as a luncheon. Finalists and winners will be

(ISC)²’s theme for 2018 is Enrich. Enable. Excel. In an effort to enable our members to be the best in their field, we have partnered with A Cloud Guru to offer a one-month free membership to A Cloud Guru. This benefit allows members exclusive access to cloud security education from A Cloud Guru, which delivers an array of cloud security courses to enable cybersecurity professionals to better defend their data in the cloud. Cloud security was identified as the number one skill security professionals needed to acquire or strengthen to advance their career, according our 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study. A Cloud Guru offers cloud-based training courses for all experience levels, and allows you to sort the courses by

Non-white cybersecurity workers outnumber their white counterparts in advanced education degrees (master’s and higher), but they are still underrepresented in managerial positions. As a group, minority professionals also get paid less than Caucasians, according to a new report from (ISC)2. The report, Innovation Through Inclusion: The Multicultural Cybersecurity Workforce suggests ethnic and racial minority professionals face barriers to advancement that don’t seem to apply to Caucasians. The same is true when it comes to salaries, as Caucasian workers significantly out-earn their multicultural peers. Minority workers make up 26% of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce, just five points above the overall minority workforce (21%) and two points below the share of the U.S. population composed of ethnic and racial minorities (28%). Job Promotions In

By now, you’ve heard that the CISSP exam format has changed from linear to Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT). This change to the English language exam started in December of 2017. If have questions about what this change means for you, as you’re preparing for your CISSP, we’ve got answers in our latest video: Looking for even more information? Check out our CISSP CAT FAQs.

By Wesley Simpson, COO, (ISC)² Some have called the skills gap in IT and cybersecurity a national security crisis. Yet, it’s one that most everyone in the industry doesn’t know how to solve. Many look to automation and other technologies as a solution to the problem. Others foster relationships that will fill the pipeline and attract new talent. But there is no ONE solution. Instead, organizations need to both build and buy the talent they need. The growing gap between skills needed and qualified candidates is not a problem that technology alone can solve, but it is one that is made more complex by burnout and attrition. Companies need to be thinking about the strategies they can put in place