Today I can add a few more letters to my business card: M.Inst.ISP. Few of you will yet be familiar with what this stands for. It means Member of the Institute of Information Security Professionals and it signifies an endorsement of "knowledge, experience and professionalism" in the field of information security.
I'm proud to be one of the first individuals to achieve this accreditation. The Institute may still be in its infancy but it has its objective to "advance the professionalism of information security practitioners and thereby the professionalism of the industry as a whole." As it states here:
By the year 2010 the institute aims to provide a universally accepted focal point for the information security profession.” In addition, IISP aims “to act as an accreditation authority for the industry, and Membership and Fellowship of the Institute will be the internationally accepted gold standard for information security professionals.”
Achieving full membership is based on attested experience, professional references, and the ability to impress an interview panel and accreditation committee. In my mind this makes it a far more valid measure than a one off exam such as the CISSP.
It remains to be seen exactly how successful the organisation is at achieving its goals however, I'll be supporting it and doing what I can to contribute to its growth.
You can read more about the IISP on their website here: www.instisp.org.
