Message From the President
What is ISSA
The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) is an international organization providing educational forums, publications and peer interaction opportunities that enhance the knowledge, skills and professional growth of its members, — information security professionals. The primary goal of ISSA is to promote management practices that will ensure availability, integrity and confidentiality of organizational resources. ISSA is dedicated to being the voice of the information security professional. But to be effective, we need your voice as well.
Our Mission
Simply put, our mission is to facilitate and support the protection of sensitive information assets. At the local level we accomplish this by networking, education, and information exchange.
I have been president of the New Jersey chapter for several years. I have witnessed its rise from the early years, when we had very few members and limited interaction, to where we now have one of the larger US chapters, with more than 100 members, and have regular meetings and educational sessions. We have experienced some peaks and valleys of our membership in the past — primarily due to the practicalities of the business world, but we have endured despite being pulled in many directions and we are a thriving group today.
We have always tried to keep the group informal and will continue to do so — the goal being inclusion and openness, which I believe, fosters sharing and exchange.
As we move forward, I would like to see the chapter double in its membership size. I know we have many security professionals working in this immediate area, and are only scratching the surface when we tally up the current 100 members. As our membership increases, we will be able to continue to improve our programs, deliver more tangible deliverables, and make progress in accordance with our mission. So in that vein, we are all membership coordinators. Please do you part to communicate the value of the group to your peers and help ensure we continue to grow. The security profession is a great one and you too can play a major role in taking security to the next level.
Thank you for your support.
Chris Stanoch