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p class=””>Information risk and security is an infinite field of work and study. You can spend your whole life trying to gain the width or depth of knowledge necessary to do the job competently, and every day feel you know a little less than the day before.
At the same time, it’s one of the least mature professions you can find. It has been borne from a computing industry less than a century old, yet in many ways has grown beyond it. It’s often unclear whether it is a technical field or a management one, with passionate advocates arguing both that there are too many policy wonks and it’s time to get back to our technical roots, and that there are too many technical specialists who can’t see the wood for the trees.
Choosing CISSP
Against that background it is no wonder there is a deep cynicism of training programmes and professional qualifications in particular. The one qualification that employers seem to value above all others (apart from experience) is CISSP. It requires both technical understanding and business context. As such, its seen as rather hard and therefore a good differentiator.
With that in mind I decided to try my hand at it last year. Comments from industry colleagues and a quick reading of the syllabus convinced me that, whilst i’d have to call on all my experience in IT, business and risk, I would also need some form of refresher training to stand any chance of passing. In some areas my knowledge lacked depth, in others width. I also lacked time.
Choosing Firebrand
I rapidly found that the information security training market was fragmented with no clear or consistent view of the quality of courses of training providers. I was particularly concerned that it would be impossible to cover the CISSP syllabus in a short course. After some months looking in detail into the options and talking with colleagues, I picked a 7 day residential intensive CISSP boot camp from training provider Firebrand, and tried to arrive with an open mind.
I was pleased I did.
The Course
The instructor – flown in from the US for the course – was unquestionably an expert and able to explain theory both clearly and quickly. This was essential, as to pack the course into the week and get us prepared for an exam on day seven required an early morning start, full morning and afternoon sessions, and for many a return after dinner for more study. W
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