Information Security: A Field That Continues To Thrive

Submitted by: Stewart Wrighter

The field of information security is one that is expected to grow quite a lot in the coming years and so perhaps obtaining some security training may not be such a bad investment. Because there is such a demand for certified professionals, many are well-paid if they have a security certification.

Certifications such as the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), the ISSEP (Information Systems Security Engineering Professional), the ISSMP (Information Systems Security Management Professional), the CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional) and the SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner) carry such a focus.

At the basic level, a certified practitioner works to guard information from unauthorized users who may want to access, use, destroy or disrupt it. The phrases information assurance and computer security are often used to mean the same thing as information security.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7V973zKSoo[/youtube]

In the modern era, corporations and other institutions must collect and store mass amounts of data which is often of the confidential sort. The information may involve researching products or financial account information which is often stored, processed and transmitted to more than one computer via a network. Much of this information must be protected from potential criminal use.

The ultimate goal of the information security industry is to protect the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information. Information security keeps information confidential by protecting it from unauthorized users or systems. An example of this would be encrypting an online credit card transaction so that credit card information cannot be stolen and used by a third-party. This kind of security works to ensure the integrity of information in that it makes certain information is not modified without detection. And last but not least, this industry aims to keep information available to those meant to have access to it.

The field has quickly become one of the most important within that of information technology, as it is essential to just about every modern business. Because of this widespread need, the area has continued to grow even through the recent recession.

This is just one aspect of the information technology industry, which refers to the use of computers and software to manipulate and maintain information. The field dates back to the days of Julius Caesar, who is thought to have created information security with his Caesar cipher around 50 BC. Just as Caesar wrote in code because he did not want his private messages to end up in the wrong hands, today s internet users must rely on information security to be able to safely use networks like the worldwide web.

The outbreak of World War II saw the first modern day signs that an information security field was blooming, but it was not until use of the internet became widespread that technological innovations in the field really began taking place. The need was great because of incidents of international terrorism and the growth of consumer business over the net led to many important developments in information security.

Because this field has come full circle in recent years, evolving and growing even now, there are a great number of positions available for professionals. Specialty jobs within this area of expertise can be found in application and database security, information systems auditing, network security, security testing, business continuity planning, digital forensics science and others.

About the Author: Stewart Wrighter recently studied new

security certification

sites online while conducting research for an article. His son searched the term

security training

online to find out more about registering for a class.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=790063&ca=Internet