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Soldiers Safeguarding Information Technology Systems

Published on 21 November 13
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In this era of constant technological innovations, blatant cyber-crime is also on the rise. With the growing threat in IT security, maintaining the safety of IT systems is a huge concern for most of the corporations. Keeping up with the changes in technology, while keeping the cyber-attacks at bay, is a persistent challenge that needs to be addressed. Such a situation has given rise to a new type of crime fighter, a modern-day soldier in an urban battlefield, who is the new hero in a war against IT rebels. Meet the IT Systems Security Experts - the folk who safeguards Information Technology Systems against the cyber-attacks.


Tech-Savvy Soldiers on a Business Battlefield

Meet Mr. ‘R’ - we’ll call him Robert for convenience, who is a professional warrior. His battlefield is the complex Information System network within his organization and his weapons are his training, experience and safety protocols that are already in place. Everyday Robert is ready with an eye out for those nasty cyber-attacks that could cost his company millions. These cyber insurgents often sneak past the fortress of security built into the company’s IT system, and Robert must be ready to take action and defend his company against them.


The Unseen Enemy

What do these cyber miscreants and mischievous hackers look for? They are looking forward to access the sensitive data stored in a company’s IT system, such as employee details, customer details, account details, passwords, credit card information and more. Today, information is a goldmine that cyber thieves are keen to access and use. Robert is the soldier who tries and stops them.


The Dangerous Reality

If this sounds like a video game plot; think again. This is a real threat that exists in the modern business world. As recently as 3rd October 2013, a globally renowned software giant Adobe, announced a security breach that compromised the personal data of 2.9 million of its customers. Among the details that the hackers gained access to, was the vital credit card information. Even worse - the thieves stole parts of the source code of some popular Adobe software products, thus putting the companies that use these products at risk of being hacked in the future. Adobe is just one on a growing list of large corporations and government organizations that has suffered the consequences of a security breach of its information systems. Some of the big names on the list include Epsilon, Google, LinkedIn, RSA Security and Dropbox among the others.


Defining the Role of an IT Systems Security Specialist

Now, let’s get back to Robert. Within his organization, everyone knows who Robert is, but very few of his colleagues understand what he really does. In fact, his business card is no less enlightening, simply stating by way of designation - Information Systems Security Executive. From time to time, Robert will conduct spot inspections of computer terminals and monitor Internet and Email usage. He also periodically sends out mass warnings about a new virus that is at large, or instructions on how to set stronger system access passwords. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Robert’s professional duties.


Robert is one of the executives in a team of over 20 employees, who reports to Mr. ‘M’ - we’ll call him Mr. Mayer - the Chief Information Systems Security Manager and an indispensable asset to the company. Mr. Mayer is not just a manager of the firm’s IT systems, he was the one who designed its architecture and set in place the safety systems and protocols that are today working in tandem to ward off cyber attacks as best as they can. Robert’s duties are to ensure that those protocols are being followed.


The Cream of the Crop - CISSP

Let’s dig a little deeper and gain some insight on what it takes to reach the level of Robert’s boss. With several years of experience under his belt, Mr. Mayers certainly deserves the respect he gets at work. He’s also one of the highest paid IT managers, not just at his firm, but in the industry as well. Why? This is because he is one among a relatively small number of people worldwide who are Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP). Earning a CISSP certification is not an easy task, even for someone with plenty of experience in the field of information security.


CISSP certified professionals are members of an elite group in a league of their own, who have passed a rigorous six-hour examination with in-depth questions that cover ten IT systems security domains. These are: Access Control, Telecommunications and Network Security, Information Security Governance and Risk Management, Software Development Security, Cryptography, Security Architecture and Design, Operations Security, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Legal, Regulations, Investigations and Compliance and Physical (Environmental) Security. Apart from requiring a minimum of five years of experience in any one of these ten domains, a CISSP certification aspirant must undergo rigorous training to gain an understanding of all the domains he or she will be tested on.


Preparing for Victory in the War Against Cyber Crime

When Robert’s company was setting up its business operations, they relied heavily on Mr. Mayer to define and design the exact architecture of their IT systems. Mr. Mayer first conducted a comprehensive analysis of the company’s operations including its products, activities and related risks. He then went on to design the security solutions that would help mitigate those risks. He also put into place several security protocols and employee best practices that would help lower the risk of cyber attacks, during the company’s day-to-day operations. Last but not the least, Mr. Mayer hired a crack team of experts to help him implement, monitor and manage the IT system safety solutions he had designed.


Robert is one of those crack team members and Mr. Mayer has trained him to oversee the IT systems safety protocols. His work includes managing and updating anti-virus software on systems, ensuring that firewalls are in place, patch management, intrusion detection and information encryption. Apart from this, Robert is always on the lookout for any system vulnerabilities that must be swiftly dealt with in order to protect the company. His valuable feedback is what that enables Mr. Mayer to make the right changes and upgrade to the system.


The Spoils of Battle

Whether it’s the virtual leaking of a product design, or customer information that is stolen, or the constant threat of cyber terrorism, the consequences of a security breach in an IT system are often dire. Such breaches have grave impact on a company’s bottom line adversely affecting profits and resulting in loss of brand’s reputation. The customers, who lose faith in a company’s ability to protect their data, will quickly lose interest in its products and services too. A cyber-attack could literally bring business operations to a standstill and even with a business continuity plan in place a company will suffer calamitous consequences. That’s why people like Mr. Mayers and his team, are so important to the smooth functioning and growth of a company. When it comes to ensuring effective IT systems security in a company, anticipation, preparation and prevention is what really works.


Moving Up the Ranks

In six months, Robert will have completed five years of working as an IT security specialist. This experience will make him eligible to prepare and sit for the CISSP exam. Robert hopes to one day be as respectfully addresses as Mr. ‘M’. For now, he’s learning as much as he can on the job as he counter-attacks, parries, thrusts and finds his mark against the virtual threats that he must battle every day.

CISSP is a credential from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)-², a global, not-for-profit leader in educating and certifying information security professionals throughout their careers. If you are an experienced IT systems security professional looking to give yourself a career boost you should think about getting certified.












In this era of constant technological innovations, blatant cyber-crime is also on the rise. With the growing threat in IT security, maintaining the safety of IT systems is a huge concern for most of the corporations. Keeping up with the changes in technology, while keeping the cyber-attacks at bay, is a persistent challenge that needs to be addressed. Such a situation has given rise to a new type of crime fighter, a modern-day soldier in an urban battlefield, who is the new hero in a war against IT rebels. Meet the IT Systems Security Experts - the folk who safeguards Information Technology Systems against the cyber-attacks.

Tech-Savvy Soldiers on a Business Battlefield

Meet Mr. ‘R’ - we’ll call him Robert for convenience, who is a professional warrior. His battlefield is the complex Information System network within his organization and his weapons are his training, experience and safety protocols that are already in place. Everyday Robert is ready with an eye out for those nasty cyber-attacks that could cost his company millions. These cyber insurgents often sneak past the fortress of security built into the company’s IT system, and Robert must be ready to take action and defend his company against them.

The Unseen Enemy

What do these cyber miscreants and mischievous hackers look for? They are looking forward to access the sensitive data stored in a company’s IT system, such as employee details, customer details, account details, passwords, credit card information and more. Today, information is a goldmine that cyber thieves are keen to access and use. Robert is the soldier who tries and stops them.

The Dangerous Reality

If this sounds like a video game plot; think again. This is a real threat that exists in the modern business world. As recently as 3rd October 2013, a globally renowned software giant Adobe, announced a security breach that compromised the personal data of 2.9 million of its customers. Among the details that the hackers gained access to, was the vital credit card information. Even worse - the thieves stole parts of the source code of some popular Adobe software products, thus putting the companies that use these products at risk of being hacked in the future. Adobe is just one on a growing list of large corporations and government organizations that has suffered the consequences of a security breach of its information systems. Some of the big names on the list include Epsilon, Google, LinkedIn, RSA Security and Dropbox among the others.

Defining the Role of an IT Systems Security Specialist

Now, let’s get back to Robert. Within his organization, everyone knows who Robert is, but very few of his colleagues understand what he really does. In fact, his business card is no less enlightening, simply stating by way of designation - Information Systems Security Executive. From time to time, Robert will conduct spot inspections of computer terminals and monitor Internet and Email usage. He also periodically sends out mass warnings about a new virus that is at large, or instructions on how to set stronger system access passwords. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Robert’s professional duties.

Robert is one of the executives in a team of over 20 employees, who reports to Mr. ‘M’ - we’ll call him Mr. Mayer - the Chief Information Systems Security Manager and an indispensable asset to the company. Mr. Mayer is not just a manager of the firm’s IT systems, he was the one who designed its architecture and set in place the safety systems and protocols that are today working in tandem to ward off cyber attacks as best as they can. Robert’s duties are to ensure that those protocols are being followed.

The Cream of the Crop - CISSP

Let’s dig a little deeper and gain some insight on what it takes to reach the level of Robert’s boss. With several years of experience under his belt, Mr. Mayers certainly deserves the respect he gets at work. He’s also one of the highest paid IT managers, not just at his firm, but in the industry as well. Why? This is because he is one among a relatively small number of people worldwide who are Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP-®). Earning a CISSP certification is not an easy task, even for someone with plenty of experience in the field of information security.

CISSP certified professionals are members of an elite group in a league of their own, who have passed a rigorous six-hour examination with in-depth questions that cover ten IT systems security domains. These are: Access Control, Telecommunications and Network Security, Information Security Governance and Risk Management, Software Development Security, Cryptography, Security Architecture and Design, Operations Security, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Legal, Regulations, Investigations and Compliance and Physical (Environmental) Security. Apart from requiring a minimum of five years of experience in any one of these ten domains, a CISSP certification aspirant must undergo rigorous training to gain an understanding of all the domains he or she will be tested on.

Preparing for Victory in the War Against Cyber Crime

When Robert’s company was setting up its business operations, they relied heavily on Mr. Mayer to define and design the exact architecture of their IT systems. Mr. Mayer first conducted a comprehensive analysis of the company’s operations including its products, activities and related risks. He then went on to design the security solutions that would help mitigate those risks. He also put into place several security protocols and employee best practices that would help lower the risk of cyber attacks, during the company’s day-to-day operations. Last but not the least, Mr. Mayer hired a crack team of experts to help him implement, monitor and manage the IT system safety solutions he had designed.

Robert is one of those crack team members and Mr. Mayer has trained him to oversee the IT systems safety protocols. His work includes managing and updating anti-virus software on systems, ensuring that firewalls are in place, patch management, intrusion detection and information encryption. Apart from this, Robert is always on the lookout for any system vulnerabilities that must be swiftly dealt with in order to protect the company. His valuable feedback is what that enables Mr. Mayer to make the right changes and upgrade to the system.

The Spoils of Battle

Whether it’s the virtual leaking of a product design, or customer information that is stolen, or the constant threat of cyber terrorism, the consequences of a security breach in an IT system are often dire. Such breaches have grave impact on a company’s bottom line adversely affecting profits and resulting in loss of brand’s reputation. The customers, who lose faith in a company’s ability to protect their data, will quickly lose interest in its products and services too. A cyber-attack could literally bring business operations to a standstill and even with a business continuity plan in place a company will suffer calamitous consequences. That’s why people like Mr. Mayers and his team, are so important to the smooth functioning and growth of a company. When it comes to ensuring effective IT systems security in a company, anticipation, preparation and prevention is what really works.

Moving Up the Ranks

In six months, Robert will have completed five years of working as an IT security specialist. This experience will make him eligible to prepare and sit for the CISSP exam. Robert hopes to one day be as respectfully addresses as Mr. ‘M’. For now, he’s learning as much as he can on the job as he counter-attacks, parries, thrusts and finds his mark against the virtual threats that he must battle every day.

CISSP is a credential from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)-²-®, a global, not-for-profit leader in educating and certifying information security professionals throughout their careers. If you are an experienced IT systems security professional looking to give yourself a career boost you should think about getting certified.

This review is listed under IT Security & Architecture Community

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  1. 29 December 20
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  2. 13 July 20
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