International cybersecurity organization (ISC)² today announced that its membership has grown to include over 150,000 professionals.
(ISC)² is the world's largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals, drawing members from 175 different countries.
The organization was founded in the United States in 1989 as "The Consortium," with the dream of creating a global information security certification process for professionals.
CEO of the organization David Shearer said a major focus of today's (ISC)² was attempting to close the gaping global cybersecurity skills gap.
"We're extremely proud of our association's growth over the past 30 years to support the profession and reach this member milestone, however we can't stop now," said Shearer.
"The cybersecurity workforce still needs to grow by 145% globally in order to close the widening skills gap, and we will continue to maintain our certifications and provide up-to-date training opportunities to help our members keep their skills sharp throughout their careers, so they can overcome the challenges associated with securing critical assets in the public and private sectors and the systems we use in our everyday lives."
One solution to growing the cybersecurity workforce that (ISC)² is actively pursuing is to recruit new talent from other industries.
Shearer said: "Reaching 150,000 members is certainly a milestone worth celebrating, but our focus remains on driving awareness of the cybersecurity profession as a great opportunity for those currently outside the field too.
"We need to introduce and welcome a more diverse group of talented young people to cybersecurity, especially those outside of information technology, who can add different perspectives and problem-solving skills to existing teams. Closing the skills gap will take all of us working together to find solutions."
(ISC)² entered the history books when it became the first information security certifying body to meet the requirements of ANSI/ISO/IEC Standard 17024—the leading global benchmark for certifying professionals.
Today the organization offers several information security certifications recognized as the global standard for excellence, such as the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and the fast-growing Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification.