What are the EMEA ISLAs?

After eleven consecutive years of success in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, the Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA) program is finally coming to EMEA!

The (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs are a unique opportunity for you to nominate fellow information security and management professionals who go the extra mile to enhance security throughout the private and public sectors across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

There are four nomination categories: Senior Information Security Professional, Information Security Practitioner, Up-and-Coming Information Security and Woman Information Security Professional.

It’s not long now until the nominations will be open (between the 12th June and 12th July), and you will be able to make your submission via the (ISC)² Global Awards Program nomination portal once applications open.

But why take the time to nominate?

People can be skeptical about award and industry recognition programs. Often awards are accused of being developed to attract sponsorship or attendee income. The (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs are different, as they are the only EMEA-wide awards that give you, the professional cybersecurity community, a credible opportunity to distinguish your peers, while providing notable exposure from the world’s largest, nonprofit professional organization in our field.

Here are our five reasons why we think you should take the time to help put someone’s name forward, and help a colleague earn some much-deserved recognition:

1. The (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs are not like other cybersecurity awards

The (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs have just four categories, developed to spotlight achievements at various levels of practice. Additionally, nominations are open to members and nonmembers from the EMEA region (barring (ISC)² staff and the judging panel) and it is free to put someone forward. Nominators can also come from anywhere; they do not have to be from the EMEA region.

This is a unique opportunity for our community to recognize its own. Especially those who never look for thanks, though may probably deserve it the most!

(ISC)² CEO David Shearer said it well when he officially announced the very first (ISC)² EMEA ISLA program earlier this month:

2. It is time to shine a spotlight on the profession

We have a thriving community of professionals that is continuously making important contributions to business, government and the community. But there is a real need for more recognition in the field, as arguably, it is a sector where success often comes with silence. In making sure nothing happens, a security professional is judged to be doing his/her job.  This can result in it being difficult for many to comprehend the actual effort that goes into our work, let alone value it.

Today, much has moved on. Cybersecurity risks are better recognized, but not necessarily the effort and unseen duck paddling that goes into the battle to address them. It’s time to break the silence, debunk the myths and stereotypes and start celebrating what cyber and information security professionals do to achieve progress, and assure success.

3. The awards will be a fantastic way to share experiences

The (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs will be a chance for our professional community to unite. It will not only offer a platform to learn about the exciting work and achievements taking place throughout our region, but also give everyone the chance to learn about and learn from professional peers, as well as discover tools and tips that can be applied at our workplaces. Our profession moves extremely fast, and the more that we can learn from one another, the stronger we can become in our work and as a community.

4. Because it’s time for more positive news stories

In recent years, cyber has become one of the most common types of crime, with reports of hacks on businesses, governments and even elections filling our airwaves and newspapers daily. While it is very important that cybersecurity and the important role it plays in society is making news, it seems that the losses rather than the wins are continually highlighted. As previously mentioned, we do need to shine a spotlight more on our region and its successes; but let’s take it one step further to generate some good news in our sector too, by getting involved with nominations and sharing this wonderful initiative with our networks and communities. This way, we’ll hopefully get away from the image of our work being all about doom and gloom all the time! 

5. The awards will be a genuine celebration!

This reason speaks for itself really. As a community, we have so many opportunities to meet and learn through our chapters and secure summits; but let’s utilize our first ever ISLAs (and the future ones, going forward) as a way to also let our hair down after a year of tireless effort and achievement. While we would love to know about a person who has impressed you, we would also love to see you there with us while we celebrate our nominees and winners!

The awards ceremony

The prize giving will be hosted at the (ISC)² Secure Summit UK in London in December, with shortlisted nominees from outside the host country sponsored to attend the evening ceremony.

Show your appreciation for achievements that have amazed you, as we shine a spotlight on and celebrate the tremendous amount of talent in this region. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

To find out more about the awards and how to nominate, visit the official (ISC)² EMEA ISLAs page