7/9/2003 -- Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) recently decided to retire its Information Security Officer title and corresponding SANS training course.

Stephen Northcutt, director of GIAC, said the decision was made due to customer confusion as to whom the title was for. "Something about the term Information Security Officer is ill-fated. Exactly half of the industry considers it to be a senior-level position -- like a CIO -- the other half considers it a hands-on" low-level position, he explained. "So...50 percent of the people who come [to the course] were angry at us, and that's not the GIAC way."

To meet the needs of both audiences, the title is being replaced with Information Security Leader training courses, which debuted in March, as well as a new entry-level certification title, GIAC Information Security Fundamentals +, Northcutt said.

Northcutt told CertCities.com that the new title is based on Computing Technology Industry Association's Security+, but also covers additional material in the areas of wireless, defense and business continuity planning.

Northcutt said that the practical assignment (a required component of every GIAC certification) for the new title will debut sometime this month, with the Web-based exam coming shortly thereafter.

GIAC, a division of the SANS institute, offers 11 security-related certifications and two certificate (non-exam) programs, Northcutt said. Since its debut in March 2000, the program has granted 4,473 certifications to candidates worldwide.

More information on the new certification is scheduled to be posted on GIAC's Web site (GIAC.org) shortly. -Becky Nagel