London, UK: In 1969, the first message was sent between computers via ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet. In the same year, ISACA was founded by a small group of visionary electronic data processing auditors. As a testament to the growth of technology, ISACA, now a global association of information systems professionals, is celebrating its 45th anniversary and serves 115,000 constituents (members and non-member certification holders) in 180 countries.
The nonprofit, independent ISACA is an advocate for professionals involved in information security, audit, assurance, risk management and governance. It offers globally tested good practices, tools, certifications, guidance and a community of more than 200 local chapters to help business and IT leaders maximize value and manage risk related to information and technology
Founded as the EDP Auditors Association, the organization’s name was changed to Information Systems Audit and Control Association in 1994 and was shortened to ISACA in 2006 to reflect a broader membership.
“ISACA is proud to celebrate the growth and success that the association has experienced in the past 45 years,” said Ramsés Gallego, CISM, CGEIT, CISSP, SCPM, CCSK, ITIL, COBITf, ISACA international vice president and Security Strategist & Evangelist at Dell Software. “It is truly an honor to serve for ISACA, especially when you see the value provided to over 115,000 members worldwide. The sense of belonging and the opportunity to share, learn, discover and network are second-to-none and it is a rewarding experience being able to connect with professionals from around the world.
"Looking back, we have to be proud of what ISACA has built for the Audit, Security, Risk Management, Assurance and Governance arenas. The value provided by the COBIT 5 framework and the insights into disruptive technologies like geo-location, mobile payments, Social Media, etc. are relevant for our constituency. Now, combining this disciplines like Privacy and Cyber Security means that this is just the start for another fantastic 45 years for ISACA.”
ISACA Membership Growth |
||
Year |
Number of Members
|
Number of Countries
|
1985 |
9,000 |
48 |
1995 |
15,250 |
92 |
2005 |
60,000 |
154 |
2014 |
100,000 |
160 |
Among the association’s plans for its 45th year are an increased focus on cybersecurity and privacy, in addition to new audit guidance based on the COBIT 5 framework and an online version of COBIT 5.
ISACA developed and continually updates COBIT, a business framework for the governance and management of enterprise information and technology. Used by enterprises worldwide, COBIT 5 was recently included as an informative reference in the core of the US Cybersecurity Framework, released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) this year.
"I feel fortunate to visit more than 20 countries every year and I truly amazed of the recognition that ISACA has," Gallego continued. "With more than 204 Chapters worldwide, ISACA has become the de facto standard for how IT should meet business requirements and build bridges. It is a privilege to see how governments and private companies have embraced the Governance framework COBIT 5 and how they relate back to ISACA deliverables when it comes to understand the value driven from IT. This makes ISACA unique and the anniversary is just the start of another 45+ years of serving the communities we live in."
ISACA also advances and attests IT skills and knowledge through four certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC). The CISA credential, established in 1978 as a standard of achievement for information systems audit, has been earned by more than 106,000 individuals since inception. The CISM designation, designed for experienced information security managers, has been earned by more than 23,000 professionals since it was established in 2002. More than 5,800 IT governance professionals have earned CGEIT since its inception in 2007. CRISC, introduced in 2010 for risk and control professionals, has been earned by more than 17,000 individuals.