At the beginning of this year, ISACA took on a bold new vision for the future: Be the standard-maker for digital trust everywhere. Digital trust is about instilling confidence in a more secure digital ecosystem. That calls for having the right people in place with the needed skills and training, the right technology that can secure the integrity and confidentiality of personal and corporate data, and the processes to ensure that technology and data are only used for their intended purpose.
ISACA has spent the past 50-plus years equipping our community to succeed. We’re even more focused on doing so going forward in an era when strong digital trust has become table stakes for organizations to succeed. With that in mind, it is a tremendous honor to begin my term as ISACA’s new board chair.
The technology fields in which many ISACA members work – areas such as IT audit, IT governance, risk management, information and cyber security, and data privacy – make the difference for companies that are looking to confidently innovate in our technology-centric landscape. Increasingly, it is clear that the challenges companies face require professionals to understand and work across these digital trust professions to implement the holistic solutions.
In recent months, ISACA has taken a series of important steps to execute against that imperative, including strengthening our credentialing portfolio and expanding our partner ecosystem. As a result, we have become more strategically focused and more technologically capable. We are integrating technology and expertise to be a catalyst of progress for our community of lifelong learners as they pursue digital trust in enterprises across all sectors and geographies.
I am keenly aware that no industry was left untouched by the ongoing global health crisis. Organizations are accelerating their digital transformation efforts to meet the many challenges posed by COVID-19. Those that already had the partners and tools in place for their digital transformation were able to quickly adjust to meet customer needs. Nonetheless, digital transformation is not about technology – it’s about change. In the rapidly changing digital economy, that change and innovation are happening NOW. As a result, these organizations are benefitting from innovative business outcomes. In this brave new world, where digital initiatives are accelerated and are often defined by more data and more automation, it also means greater risk and more sophisticated cyberattacks, along with constantly evolving technology that needs assurance. It is these digital initiatives that are changing the risk profile.
ISACA members need the dexterity to pivot quickly to keep up with the pace of digital business, and the knowledge and skills to provide trusted advice, strategic assurance and risk mitigation strategies in this new arena. As an enabler to keep up with this pace of change, ISACA is building a digital trust framework that provides a common language. It is a compelling framework to help our professional community assess and guide their organizations in responding to the risks in their digital business model.
But a framework alone will not enable us to be trust advisors, and risk and assurance professionals. ISACA members need to acquire the skills to utilize the power of data, both internal and external to their organizations. To become a digital trust professional and trusted advisor, I recommend these two steps:
Be a joiner – You took the first step by joining ISACA. Now take the next step and join others in local chapter meetings and events, global webinars and conferences, and ISACA’s Engage online community. The heart and soul of ISACA are its volunteers. My favorite day of the year is ISACA CommunITy Day! I get up early and stay up late to watch and be amazed at our global community and the contributions posted by chapters and individuals.
I, too, started my journey volunteering at local chapter events, from marketing to event management. As I grew in my volunteer journey, I took on more responsibilities and duties at the chapter level. I then expanded to speaking events and other opportunities at ISACA Global, such as “Chapters of the Future.” That working group made significant contributions to ISACA chapters, from software tools adding additional rebates and reimbursements to chapter toolkits to prepare members for various chapter roles.
Volunteerism is the voice of members put into action. Volunteer actions shapes and molds the present into a future. Any one of us can serve as a volunteer, no matter what point you are at in your career journey. Join with other digital trust professionals to share information and ideas. Join the growing volunteer force. Together we can do so much.
The second step works in conjunction with the first, and that is to take the initiative. Take the initiative to continue to invest in yourself and your professional growth by improving and developing new skills. Improving your skills doesn’t always mean investing in additional formal training. What are those little things that you can do now that will add up and create value to you and your career?
Investing in your knowledge and skills can take many forms. Have you read the ISACA Journal lately? Did you know that it turned 50 this year? Over the past 50 years, thousands of volunteer authors and reviewers have contributed their expertise to ensure that ISACA’s members are equipped to respond to technology challenges and adversity. Utilize additional available training by enrolling in workshops, attending conferences, or participating in webinars. ISACA Global also offers more than 70 hours of free CPE, and many other opportunities exist at the local level, so take advantage of them as often as possible. Pursuing ongoing training, and relevant and advanced certifications, ranging from traditional ISACA bodies of knowledge such as IT audit to newer focal points such as data privacy and emerging technology, are all valuable investments.
ISACA provides so many resources for information technology professionals in the digital trust professions. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and advancements. Read ISACA publications, expert blogs, and follow the latest news on ISACA’s website, podcast and YouTube channel. Set goals around your education and start investing time, as extra skills will open more doors.
I want everyone to experience the same value from their relationship with ISACA as I have. It is a true honor to be board chair of this dynamic organization. Working together with ISACA’s terrific 2022-23 board of directors and the dedicated ISACA staff team, there is so much to accomplish in the year ahead. ISACA has an unwavering commitment to helping you successfully navigate, embrace and optimize new technologies and new ways of doing business. Expect these learning and community-building resources to become even more visible and valuable as we go further and faster on all fronts in the year ahead.
