Empowering IT Staff with Security+ Certification for Effective Defense

Security managers worth their salt are arming their companies with arsenals of technology such as firewalls and encryption. But it's the wise ones like Matthew Speare who know that it also takes well-trained foot soldiers to fight the constant information security . . . Security managers worth their salt are arming their companies with arsenals of technology such as firewalls and encryption. But it's the wise ones like Matthew Speare who know that it also takes well-trained foot soldiers to fight the constant information security battle.

That's why Speare, IT risk management director at the $10 billion Ohio Savings Bank, recently fired off a memo to his security administrator strongly recommending that the bank steer as many IT staffers as possible to a new entry-level security certification called Security+.

"I'm a strong believer in certification," said Speare, in Cleveland. "If there's one now that covers the basics, our guys need to know about it."

Security+, from the Computing Technology Industry Association, is the latest among several security skills certification programs that are increasingly popular with enterprises. However, unlike many certifications, including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), Security+ is targeted at entry-level IT security professionals. As such, say experts, it represents an attractive opportunity for IT pros seeking to find new opportunities in today's difficult job market.

The link for this article located at eweek is no longer available.