Palm Harbor, FL (PRWEB) September 12, 2012 (ISC)2® (“ISC-squared”), the world’s largest information security professional body and administrators of the CISSP®, today announced the winners of the second annual (ISC)2 Americas Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA).The Americas ISLA program honors those information security professionals or managers in Central, North, and South America who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and initiative by creating and implementing projects and policies that are effecting significant improvements to the information security workforce and bringing new and positive visibility to the profession.“For the second year in a row, we have received a large number of nominations representing the accomplishments of private and public sector industry leaders who are making a real difference in the growth and quality of the information security workforce in countries throughout the Americas,” said W. Hord Tipton, CISSP-ISSEP, CAP, CISA, executive director of (ISC)2. “The industry continues to face a crisis, due to a major shortage of qualified information security professionals, but through their efforts, innovations and achievements, the 2012 Americas ISLA winners are illustrating what can and is being done to attract more top personnel to the field and give them the knowledge and tools they need to combat the growing cyber security threat.”The 2012 Americas ISLA judges, all senior-level information security professionals from (ISC)2’s North and Latin American Advisory Boards, carefully reviewed the nominations and selected individuals with Americas ISLAs in four distinct categories. The 2012 Americas ISLA recipients are:Information Security Practitioner CategoryLisa Kissler, CISA
GRC lead, Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD)
U.S.A.
Ms. Kissler oversaw the multiple information security projects rollup, an overhaul of her department’s information security program that has been described as “the single most significant risk mitigation that has occurred in technology at ESD.”Managerial Professional for an Information Security Project CategoryIsmael Cruz
chief executive officer, Akiyama Corporation
Brazil
As a result of the implementation of the biometrics fingerprints initiative for the Brazilian electoral process, Mr. Cruz has enabled the organization to re-register 7.5 million voters using a biometric identifier, which will allow them to vote electronically in the 2012 national elections.Senior Information Security Professional CategoryMalcolm Harkins
chief information security officer, Intel
U.S.A.
Mr. Harkin’s implementation of an enterprise security strategy for Intel’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program enabled the program to meet its 2011 goals for decreased security risk, increased cost savings, and improved employee satisfaction and productivity. Up-and-Coming Information Security Professional CategoryShawn Marck, CCNA, JNCIA
vice president of operations, Black Lotus Communications
U.S.A.
Mr. Marck developed a successful human behavior analysis technique for detecting and mitigating Layer 7 threats to availability, guaranteeing the defense of 2,800 commercial Web presences to date.As a special recognition, the judges also awarded a Community Service Star to one nominee for her volunteer efforts to increase information security awareness within her community. The 2012 Americas ISLA Community Service Star is:Dr. Aury Curbelo, Security+, CEH
associate professor, University of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Dr. Curbelo offered free training to university faculty and other teachers on social networking security and worked with local churches to organize conferences aimed at educating families and teenagers on how to use social networks and other information systems safely.(ISC)2 announced and honored the Americas ISLA winners at a gala dinner held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A. on Sept. 12, 2012, in conjunction with the second annual (ISC)2 Security Congress.About (ISC)²
(ISC)² is the largest not-for-profit membership body of certified information security professionals worldwide, with over 86,000 members in more than 135 countries. Globally recognized as the Gold Standard, (ISC)² issues the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) and related concentrations, as well as the Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP®), Certified Authorization Professional (CAP®), and Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP®) credentials to qualifying candidates. (ISC)²’s certifications were the first information technology credentials to meet the stringent requirements of ISO/IEC Standard 17024, a global benchmark for assessing and certifying personnel. (ISC)² also offers education programs and services based on its CBK®, a compendium of information security topics. More information is available at http://www.isc2.org.© 2012, (ISC)2 Inc. (ISC)², CISSP, CSSLP, ISSAP, ISSMP, ISSEP, CAP, SSCP and CBK are registered marks of (ISC)², Inc. Twitter YouTube (ISC)² blog ISLA on FacebookTags: Americas ISLA, CISSP, (ISC)²