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As businesses, organizations, and the world become more complex, cybercrime continues to increase. In fact, data breaches exposed billions of records in the past year. Verizon reports that 45% of breaches used hacking. Of those breaches, 70% were perpetrated by external actors, while 30% involved internal actors.
It's for reasons like this, cybersecurity must remain among the highest priorities for organizations.
That's where ISACA comes in.
With over 145,000 members, ISACA is rated among the most important and lauded professional associations focused on IT security, governance, assurance and risk privacy. Its credentials embolden IT professionals to more confidently validate and advance their cybersecurity skills in enterprise environments. ISACA certifications command respect from peers, propel careers forward, and make enterprise organizations better with certified staff to protect them.
The net results? Dividends paid to both the individuals and the organizations. (We explain below.)
With cybersecurity as one of the leading areas of investment for organizations in 2020, IT professionals focused on security must consider ISACA certifications. In this article, we explain more about their value and benefits to both the individuals and the organizations they serve.
Why ISACA? Cybersecurity Skill Gaps Impact IT
For years, the cybersecurity field has experienced disproportionate workforce shortages than other areas of tech. Global Knowledge's 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report found that cybersecurity was the leading challenge facing IT decision-makers worldwide. Nearly half of all IT leaders in North America say cybersecurity is their top challenge for finding qualified talent.
Some estimates put the workforce shortage at 4 million, meaning organizations need literally millions of professionals to cultivate cybersecurity know-how and protect their data from breaches. One survey suggests 70% of organizations have been impacted by workforce shortages.
That’s a huge vacancy in skills and, more importantly, leadership. And who is helping create cybersecurity leaders of today and tomorrow?
You guessed it: ISACA.
ISACA’s role is to help those in the field of cybersecurity get greater utilization out of the people already in the fold. This means enabling IT professionals to take a leadership role and increase their depth of knowledge. Greater skills validation translates to stronger leaders, who can face challenges more confidently and guide organizations to a safer state of security.
How Do ISACA Certifications Deliver Returns to Individuals AND Organizations?
As a result of those validated skills, ISACA-certified IT professionals typically have average salaries considerably higher than their non-certified peers. Read the 15 top-paying certifications here. ISACA is on the list multiple times.
With greater insights, responsibility and training comes a bigger paycheck, and this is rightfully so given the dire need for cybersecurity leadership. According to Global Knowledge's annual report, cybersecurity professionals ranked in the top three for highest average salaries globally.
Put into context, however, organizations stand to gain great returns on their investment. A 2020 report by IBM found the global average security breach costs organizations $3.86 million. What's more, identifying and containing a breach takes months and months. The report shows that if organizations can contain the breach within 200 days, it could save them $1 million. But unfortunately, security breaches run longer (280 days on average). What factors play into long containment cycles and expensive breaches? Staff shortages.
Now, get the calculator out and do the math. The cost-savings of well-trained, credential security staff — versus the exceedingly high damages of a data breach — likely pays for itself many times over.
So, essentially, it's a win-win all around:
- Security professionals become better at their jobs, more competitive in the field, and paid more.
- Organizations stave off what could be an incredibly damaging data breach and protect their assets.
ISACA Certifications Strengthen Security
ISACA-certified IT professionals want to succeed and consistently re-evaluate the definition of success through continued engagement and learning. Those who turn to ISACA for skills development and certification commit to the cause and receive higher salaries given their continued efforts to seek out validation for their persistence in curtailing the everyday threats of cyberattacks.
IT professionals and organizations must consider ISACA certifications and training to bolster their chances of defending against malicious cyberattacks, while maintaining the everyday security standards that should remain best practices for all.
These certifications will improve cybersecurity at any organization:
- CISM - Certified Information Security Manager
- CRISC - Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control
- CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor
The Best Way to Keep Up with Security Trends?
Security is always on your mind. But it's hard to keep up with everything going on. We get it.
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