6/23/2003 -- On Friday, Vienna, Va.- based International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium [(ISC)2] announced a new Associate program that allows candidates without the requisite security background to become official Associates of the organization while pursuing the organization's Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) titles.

Candidates still must have the required experience levels to become CISSPs or SSCPs (four years and one year, respectively). However, with the new program, those who pass the exam(s) without the requisite experience will now become a Associates of (ISC)2. While they won't be able to use the titles of CISSP or SSCP until the experience requirements are met, they will be able to access benefits of (ISC)2, such as a member-only forum, while gaining that experience.

"The Associate program is designed to accelerate the professional growth of practitioners worldwide by encouraging individuals entering the field to…pass a rigorous exam and subscribe to (ISC)2's code of ethics as early as possible in their careers," James E Duffy, CISSP and executive director of (ISC)2, explained in a written statement. "The program is ideal for those accumulating their first experience in the field and for students looking for a future career in our profession."

"The Associate program is part of (ISC)2's commitment to serving the need of the information security professional throughout the career path of their choice," he continued.

For more information on this announcement, click here. -Becky Nagel

Corrected 6/24/03: Previously, this story stated that Associates could use the title CISSP Associate or SSCP Associate. This was not correct. Associates are only allowed to use the moniker of Associate of (ISC)2; using the CISSP or SSCP moniker in any way before completing the entire certification process is forbidden. CertCities.com apologies for this error.