TruSecure Launches Security Certification

March 25, 2002 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- TruSecure Corporation (trusecure.com), a leading security services provider, and its independent ICSA Labs division, announced on Monday that it has made available its TruSecure ICSA Certified security Associate (TICSA), a new security certification for computer network practitioners.

TICSA, says TruSecure, represents a practical, vendor-neutral measurement of proficiency and growth. The certification is designed to validate and improve foundation-level information security skills for network and computer administrators and other technology-auditing specialists.

"TruSecure's security practitioner certification program benefits the network security specialists as it demonstrates an essential level of understanding demanded in today's Internet-connected environment, and benefits the employer by helping to ensure that IT staff members have the required level of knowledge and ability to be successful," says Bob Flinton, director of product marketing, TruSecure Corporation. "This new program completes our certification coverage of the three critical elements of the Security Triad -- certification of security products by our ICSA Labs, certification of organizations under our TruSecure Services, and now certification of the practitioner via TICSA."

Understanding that the TICSA certification is targeted toward mainstream security practitioners, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, says TruSecure, has endorsed TICSA as complementary to its CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) credential. TruSecure says that it, and ICSA Labs, will also endorse (ISC)2’s CISSP credential.

"We are endorsing the TICSA credential because it fully represents our standards for certification at the practitioner level," says James Duffy, managing director for (ISC)2. “This mutually beneficial alliance with TruSecure will galvanize both organizations' position in the certification arena, as well as distinguish the CISSP certification as the premier credential in the security certification market. Additionally, receiving the endorsement of (ISC)2 strengthens TICSA's value in the global information security arena."

The TICSA certification candidates, says TruSecure, are tested against 14 common information security disciplines that the company calls its Essential Categories of Knowledge. These include malicious code fundamentals; host- and network-based security; risk management and essential practices; design and configuration fundamentals; law, ethics and policy issues; TCP/IP security fundamentals; firewall and router fundamentals; and detection and incident response fundamentals.

A successful candidate, says TruSecure, will have two or more years experience in IT administration, or 48 hours of course work or security conference attendance from a recognized provider, must pass a multiple choice exam and sign a code of ethics agreement. The certification is good for two years, and requires the candidate to maintain the 48 hours of ongoing course work for re-certification.

TruSecure says it has contracted Global Knowledge (globalknowledge.com) as the first recognized training partner.