Join the growing number of Volunteer Assessors for Professional Registration

Do you feel that you have something to offer and want to contribute more to the development of Cybersecurity? The Council can now offer professional registration for Cyber Professionals in line with engineers, accountants and surveyors, so the opportunities to get involved with the industry’s growth are plentiful.

This blog will tell you more about the history of the development of Cybersecurity becoming a chartered profession, from the perspective of a seasoned volunteer Alan Quinlan, plus tips on how you could become a key part of the next stage of its life cycle.

Introduction

I’m not sure how many people are aware of how the efforts of professional registration members who voluntarily work hand in hand with various institutions support change that helps protect and inspire others. We’ll explore the power of the cybersecurity community and how transitioning to a volunteer can lead to a rewarding experience, as it has for me.

I think this quote given by Tommy Emmanuel, a gifted and inspirational guitarist at the end of his 2024 stage tour, “Life is not a rehearsal, so you'd better get on with it” is pertinent. There are those that go to work and when they get home, want to forget all about the day that they just had. There are others who are innately curious and passionate about the protection of organisations against cyber-attacks and wanting to make a difference. This can sometimes lead to sleepless nights…if this is you then read on.

The Volunteer Community

The cyber security volunteer community is a collaborative group of professionals who share a common goal: protecting the digital world from threats through advancing cybersecurity professionalism and reducing the skill gap trend.

The cybersecurity workforce shortage has risen to a record high of just under 4 million despite the cybersecurity workforce growing by almost 10% in the last year. That’s according to the 2023 Cybersecurity Workforce Study from ISC2, and this research found that the gap between the number of workers needed and the number available has risen 12.6% year over year, with cutbacks, economic uncertainty, artificial intelligence (AI), and a challenging threat landscape as key driving forces.

To make sure we create the right conditions and ensure a shared sense of purpose to build the cyber security capability for the future we need to foster a foundation of a community spirit that is both helpful and caring. The Cyber Scheme’s CEO Charles White said: “The professionalisation of the industry is well overdue, especially as we look to counter the growing threat of cybercrime. A chartered organisation which reflects an individual’s experience, skills, and knowledge is critical for UK Plc growth and crucial for those employing such skills”

How is this achieved?

Volunteering: Many cybersecurity professionals and enthusiasts devote their time to volunteer initiatives, sometimes supported by the companies they work at, but more often than not through their own altruism. This altruism does have benefits beyond that positive feeling of wellbeing and belonging to a community. It also provides a safe environment to discuss and be curious, learn and not be judged, contribute and be part of something great and simply put, give back to the community.
Knowledge Sharing: In cybersecurity, knowledge is power and the lack of knowledge or what can programmatically be worse, ’a little bit of knowledge without training or understanding’ can either support or hinder growth. The volunteer community regularly comes together to share information and give feedback to the potential cybersecurity professionals of the future.
Supporting the future Cybersecurity professional: Transitioning into the field of cybersecurity and plying that heady path to full competency in your respective field can be difficult, however, amongst the myriad of qualifications and specialisms, is a new path of professional titles, namely Associate (ACSP), Principal (PCSP) and Chartered (ChCSP). The volunteer assessor can utilise their knowledge, expertise and understanding of the rapidly evolving threat landscape to support the cyber security professionals of the future. More specialisms are being delivered through pilots by the UK Cyber Security Council, through their Licensed Bodies for Chartership the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) and The Cyber Scheme.
Critical moment: Our profession has just begun to develop into maturity to stand proudly alongside other notable professions that have gained chartered status. A chartership is a formal award for a person in recognition of a particular level of competence in their professional field and Chartered status is generally considered the pinnacle in a particular profession. The chartership for Cybersecurity has two institutions; CIISec and The Cyber Scheme.

My volunteer journey

I became a committee member of the British Computer Society (BCS) Information Security Specialist Group (ISSG) shortly after I gained my Chartered IT Professional (CITP) in early 2000. Several years later I embarked on the delivery of a membership programme for a large telecommunications company to support the early stage of the Institute of Information Security (IISP) development, the pre-cursor of CIISec and support the objectives of the security leadership to be world leaders in the field. So it seemed a natural transition; I already had volunteering experience, shared the leadership aspiration and was passionate about developing cybersecurity professionals.

So if you are an existing member of CIISec and have done some volunteering for membership or a seasoned Cybersecurity Professional who has yet to ‘dip their toe-in’ – then there is no better time to contribute.

About me

I led teams of information security professionals and delivered assurance activities based on ISO/IEC 27001:2005 globally for third party companies. With over 35 years’ experience in the telecommunications, finance and core UK government sectors, I have been a voluntary contributor to the BCS ISSG committee in various roles and a full member of CIISec as an assessor and interviewer, for nearly 20 years. I was part of the UKCSC pilot team as an assessor, interviewer and the accreditor for Chartered Registration (ChCSP) for the specialism: Audit & Review, and proudly received my ChCSP certificate in the first ceremony certification at NCSC headquarters in 2023. I was one of the first 100 individuals who obtained a Professional Registration Title. [I was actually the first person ever to get a CHCSP certificate but not due to any special merit – the order of the procession was by first name – thanks mum and dad!]

Written by Alan Quinlan
BSc (Hons) CITP MBCS ChCSP MCIIS CISSP 27001 LA/LI
Head Consultant at Cyberfort Ltd as NCSC Assured Provider for Audit & Review

If you want to volunteer to be an Assessor get in touch here: https://www.ukcybersecuritycouncil.org.uk/contact/