Member Testimonials

[ChrisGreen]

Earlier this year, we started a listening exercise with members to learn more about the motivations that led to pursuing certification and about how being a member of (ISC)² has been beneficial in your professional and personal circumstances.

We began this process with members in EMEA, and we have received a number of testimonials from members across the region that we want to share with you and with the wider industry. Over the coming weeks we will be adding member testimonials to this thread so that we can all benefit from the insights and experiences of others within the (ISC)² community.

To start things off, here is Tony Chebli, a CISSP and the Head of Information Security for a major banking organisation, talking about his background and how (ISC)² certification and membership has been beneficial:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: I am in charge of securing and protecting the data/information within the organisation. In a nutshell, I established, implemented and maintained a security programme based on ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS standards. This programme encompasses defence in depth approach and is aligned with business requirements.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: I started in early 2000 as a data security consultant and used to market security solutions and services within the Middle East region. During that period, it wasn't easy to market security and people considered me as a lunatic and wouldn’t believe that hackers could penetrate their system through the Internet. Moreover, people wouldn't take me seriously without having a recognised certification. Subsequently I searched for a reputed certificate to back me up while proposing solutions and services and found the CISSP and saw it as the standard for security certification.

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: Becoming a CISSP changed my entire professional life. My employer, clients and friends listen to me and consider my recommendations for improvements. Moreover, I have been invited to present awareness sessions on local radio and people were interacting with me, liked the topics which I presented and waited for my session on weekly basis. In addition, being a CISSP opened doors which I would otherwise not be able to reach. Namely, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at several conferences across the Middle East region.

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: Holding a CISSP certification since 2001 has been very beneficial in every sense of the word. The CISSP gave me an advantage, not only as a consultant and a security manager, but as a trainer. In fact, I became a professional trainer and gave classes for several security practices: i.e. ISO27001, PCI-DSS, GDPR and others.

[ChrisGreen]

Our next testimonial comes from Matthias Maier, a CISSP and product marketing director for a major cloud software company, talking about the multi domain nature of his certification has helped with giving him a broader view that he uses in his daily work:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: I'm leading the go-to-market strategy for cybersecurity at my employer across EMEA. This includes working closely with leading security teams to document best practice and share back to the community.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: There were a few things that motivated me to get my certification:

• I wanted to learn about the full breath of cybersecurity and not just a single specific domain
• Learning how cybersecurity is done globally and not just how it is adopted in Germany where I come from is especially useful. This includes understanding different mindsets.
• I wanted to get the magic CISSP tag of course

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: Holding a CISSP certification has benefitted me in several ways:

• It proves that the person - the certified professional - is seeing cybersecurity as a whole and not just from a narrow technology or vendor perspective
• It empowers you to have a conversation that is independent - "what is best, what is right for an organisation"

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: It helps with credibility and being heard. Internally as well as externally, your voice is heard and has a real impact on the organisation and on any strategy that is being developed. Also, when it comes to applying for jobs or reviewing someone's CV, the checkbox of security knowledge will be easily ticked if they are a member.

[ChrisGreen]

Jan-Tilo Kirchhoff is a CISSP and is the managing director of a security company in Germany. Here he talks about transitioning from telecommunications knowledge to building an understanding of cybersecurity, as well as the importance of certification as a measure of expertise and competence in the sector:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: I manage a team of penetration testers and incident responders. Together, we offer expert consulting on IT security topics and solutions.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: My job description at the time (I was a product manager at a telecommunications company) did not reflect the IT security expertise and know how that I have been building and using on the job for 20+ years. Undertaking a certification was a way to solidify and document that expertise.

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: The CISSP has helped me prove my expertise when talking to others who are working full time in IT security, e.g. when writing security concepts for telecommunications products on the request of CISO's or government Computer Emergency Response Teams.

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: The connections and the community that come with being an (ISC)² member have helped me to gain more extensive knowledge and to build a great network.

[ChrisGreen]

Our latest member testimonial comes from Jeff Day. He is the Voice Security Lead for one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. The role and industry that Jeff works in requires highly skilled professionals with a constantly evolving knowledge base. As a CISSP, Jeff is able to demonstrate that he is at the top of his profession:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: I work with various IT projects within my organisation to ensure they deliver secure solutions and keep them secure throughout their various product life cycles.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: I wanted to ensure that I had a security qualification that is recognised within the industry. One that demonstrates that I understand security and how to implement it. I also wanted to challenge myself to prove that, yes, I do understand the subject that is my career!

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: The CISSP has helped me demonstrate to my employer and colleagues that I have the skills needed in a security professional. It has earned me respect within the organisation and has helped me attain the roles that I wanted within the company.

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: being an (ISC)² member and having the CISSP certification gives me the confidence to face clients, sure in the knowledge that I am able to address their security needs. It has also helped me earn respect from my peers that I am a professional in my subject.

[ChrisGreen]

Our latest member testimonial comes from Jeff Day. He is the Voice Security Lead for one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. The role and industry that Jeff works in requires highly skilled professionals with a constantly evolving knowledge base. As a CISSP, Jeff is able to demonstrate that he is at the top of his profession:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: I work with various IT projects within my organisation to ensure they deliver secure solutions and keep them secure throughout their various product life cycles.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: I wanted to ensure that I had a security qualification that is recognised within the industry. One that demonstrates that I understand security and how to implement it. I also wanted to challenge myself to prove that, yes, I do understand the subject that is my career!

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: The CISSP has helped me demonstrate to my employer and colleagues that I have the skills needed in a security professional. It has earned me respect within the organisation and has helped me attain the roles that I wanted within the company.

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: being an (ISC)² member and having the CISSP certification gives me the confidence to face clients, sure in the knowledge that I am able to address their security needs. It has also helped me earn respect from my peers that I am a professional in my subject.

[ChrisGreen]

As we move closes to the end of 2020, we wanted to share some more member stories with the community. This testimonial comes from Neil Breden. He is a CISO for a global technology company. The role and company that Neil works in requires highly skilled professionals with a constantly evolving knowledge base. As a CISSP, Neil is able to demonstrate that he is at the top of his profession and is of critical value to his organisation:

Q: What do you do in your job role?

A: The role is very broad as a CISO, but if I were to focus on anything, it would be Cyber Security Senior Management, Security Architecture and Security Incident Response.

Q: Why did you decide to get an (ISC)² certification?

A: I was an operational Service Manager, a role that also included dealing with security. I was looking to raise my professional profile within my employer and within the industry, as well as make move fully into cybersecurity.

Q: How has the (ISC)² certification you hold benefitted your professional life?

A: It has given me the credibility needed to progress to new roles within my employer. Holding a recognised certification has opened up new opportunities. It increased my confidence in my skills as a cybersecurity professional.

Q: How has your (ISC)² membership has been beneficial to you?

A: I have taken on much more work that I enjoy, built up a strong network of professionals, increased my earning potential and gained greater job security.