Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Common Body of Knowledge Review (CBK)

(ISC)2 Organizational Background
In mid-1989, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium or (ISC)² was established as a not-for-profit corporation to develop a certification program for information systems security professionals.
Representatives of organizations interested in the certification of information security practitioners were first brought together in November 1988 by the Special Interest Group for Computer Security (SIG-CS) of the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). Committees of volunteers from these and other interested organizations began a joint effort, through (ISC)², to forge a certification program. Co-operating organizations included SIG-CS of the DPMA, the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), the Computer Security Institute (CSI), the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS), several agencies of the U.S. and Canadian governments, and Idaho State University (which has developed computer security education modules).

Since then the CISSP designation has grown tremendously, as many organizations have recognized the need to certify their information security professionals in order to gain a competitive edge. As of 8/1/02 over 11,000 professionals in over 70 countries hold the designation, which recognizes experts in the information security field.

(ISC)² is the only source for the CISSP exam, manages records and re-certification of CISSPs and offers the industry's premier CISSP Common Body of Knowledge Review Seminar.