The UK’s Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP) has been awarded a prestigious Royal Charter, in a move which could help to attract more people into the industry to combat chronic skills shortages.
The newly named Chartered Institute of Information Security Professionals can now claim to be the authoritative body for the cybersecurity industry in the country. Royal Charters are rarely granted, and only to bodies that are able to prove pre-eminence in their field and who serve the public interest.
Under its new banner, the CIISP will continue its mission to promote knowledge sharing across the profession and develop standards for skills recognition and career development, at home and potentially overseas.
“As the cybersecurity industry continues to grow, professionalization has to be central to its agenda, and the institute’s chartered status will be a key component driving this forward,” said Alastair MacWillson, chair of the Chartered Institute of Information Security Professionals.
“The institute has spent over a decade using uniquely developed frameworks to set standards for skills, experience and roles across the profession and it’s hugely encouraging to see these standards and processes validated by charter incorporation.”
MacWilson also argued that its new status would help the institute encourage more applicants into the industry, which has been suffering from skills shortages for many years.
The global shortfall in information security professionals now stands at nearly three million, including 142,000 in EMEA. Of these, just a quarter (24%) are women.
According to a March Tripwire study, 85% of industry professionals polled claimed their IT security department is already understaffed, with only 1% saying they can manage all of their organization’s cybersecurity needs.
A separate poll for Infosecurity Europe in the same month found that over half (52%) of IT and security professionals believe skills shortages are putting their business at an increased risk of attack.