7/27/2005 -- Earlier this month The SANS Institute's Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) program opened registration for its "Gold" titles, which require a written paper (or practical) along with passing an online exam to earn the security designations.

The move comes just three months after the company announced that it was dropping the practical requirement -- in-depth written assignments around a particular technical topic -- from its standard titles. However, at the time Stephen Northcutt, director of The SANS Institute, told CertCities.com that the organization was considering keeping some practicals as an "extra level" of certification for those who are interested.

And that's what appears to have happened. GIAC's standard certifications (exam only) are now considered "Silver" certifications. Completing the practical papers now turns the certifications into a Gold one. It appears that any GIAC certification can be taken to the Gold level.

When the organization announced the practicals drop in March, Northcutt explained that the GIAC certifications had the lowest pass rate in the industry, mainly because of the written practicals. "This is based on the need for more test-based certifications while eliminating barriers that block 80 percent of past candidates from completing the process," he said.

More information on the new Gold and Silver structure of the GIAC program can be found here. -Becky Nagel