That is a very key point. Meeting the ISO/IEC 17024 standard is key to the value of any certification's acceptance. Leaders world-wide need a way of determining if the person they hire actually have the skills to do the job. In our ever more technical world, this is becoming a big challenge for hiring managers. The (ISC)2 not only includes the test but the experience, ongoing proof of continual learning (CPE), and endorsement component that is just as important as passing any test. The amount charge for annual renewal is very reasonable when compared to the benefit that the certification provides the person holding the certification and to the organization that hires the person and maintains them on staff. I have been in government, industry, the military and now I am in academia and I know for a fact that the certification weighs heavily on being able to get and retain a good job. People pay ~100K and four years to get college degrees that don't do that for them and I know that first hand. Alos, I know for a fact that CompTIA, Cisco, SANs, and all the rest are following suit with what (ISC)2 is doing so I don't think we have a right to complain about the fee but the roll out to the new system did not go smooth and requiring people to have to manually pay each year instead of having auto pay is ridiculous. We should also have provided to us some mandatory training sessions we can view online from (ISC)2 that we then take a quiz on like we do for the magazine and where we can re-review material until we pass the quiz to ensure that as members we have some key new developmental concepts in cybersecurity under our belt. We need all this hassle if we want to be considered a valid accrediting body. I see all the people saying the CISSP is not worth it but I totally disagree. Learning to earn the CISSP and maintaining it makes me much sharper than I otherwise would be and I was in the business for over 40 years so I know for a fact that the level of professionalism is much greater due to the mandatory requirement for maintaining certifications. Before certifications were considered much; it was a roll of the dice when it came to figuring out if the person or organization you were hiring had any clue about security before you engaged them for work. Again, other professions pay much more per year to stay qualified and our profession is very well compensated compared to most others. Additionally, the CISSP is still among the top certifications and in my opinion that means the $125 is wortht he money especially when we consider that now people with multiple (ISC)2 certifications actually are paying less than before https://www.prepaway.com/certification/top-7-cybersecurity-certifications-consider-2019/
Respectfully,
Francis (Frank) Mayer, CISSP EMERITUS
