ISA introduces cybersecurity courses and certificate programs

Building on its global leadership in industrial cybersecurity and its commitment to help prepare a new generation of workers capable of preventing potentially catastrophic cyberattacks, the International Society of Automation (ISA) has introduced its expanded suite of industrial automation and control system (IACS) cybersecurity training, including three new technical training courses with associated certificate programs.

The three new ISA industrial cybersecurity training courses include:

Assessing the Cybersecurity of New or Existing IACS Systems (IC33) Click here for more details.
IACS Cybersecurity Design & Implementation (IC34) Click here for more details.
IACS Cybersecurity Operations & Maintenance (IC37) Click here for more details.

By combining these three new courses and aligned certificate programs with its current course offerings in IACS security—Using the ANSI/ISA-62443 Standards to Secure Your Industrial Control System (IC32); Cybersecurity for Automation, Control, and SCADA Systems (IC32E); and Introduction to Industrial Automation Security and the ANSI/ISA-62443 Standards (IC32C)—ISA is able to deliver a comprehensive set of industrial cybersecurity training solutions and address the complete “lifecycle” of cybersecurity training requirements.

ISA’s cybersecurity certificate programs are offered to those who successfully complete the requirements of ISA’s cybersecurity courses. Passage of each of the three new certificate exams bestows specialist recognition—enhanced evidence and endorsement of a cybersecurity professional’s subject-matter proficiency.

ISA already offers a first tier, introductory cybersecurity certificate exam—leading to the designation as ISA99 Cybersecurity Fundamentals Specialist—for those who complete ISA courses IC32 or IC32E. Those who complete all four core ISA cybersecurity courses (IC32, IC33, IC34 and IC37) and pass all corresponding certificate exams will achieve the designation level of ISA99 Cybersecurity Expert. However, individuals may explore the training and designation that are most appropriate based upon their current experience and job requirements.

“No organization has a more complete set of industrial cybersecurity courses and certificate programs and is better capable of providing the all-encompassing, expert training needed to develop a highly skilled and well-prepared industrial cybersecurity workforce than ISA,” said Dalton Wilson, ISA’s director of education services. “We now provide everything from a general overview of industrial automation security to detailed instruction on how to best leverage ISA’s series of industrial cybersecurity standards through a full-circle exploration of IACS assessment, design, implementation, operations and management.”

At the core of ISA’s marketplace leadership in IACS cybersecurity training is the ISA/IEC 62443 set of standards, which are proven to prevent and mitigate IACS security vulnerabilities across all key industry sectors and critical infrastructure. Reducing these vulnerabilities is critical since they can open the door to potentially devastating cyber damage to the industrial plant systems and networks used in power generation, water treatment, refineries and other vital industrial facilities.

The ever-rising volume of industrial cyberattacks combined with the increasing diversity and sophistication of cyberwarfare tactics have generated a tremendous demand for qualified industrial cybersecurity professionals. In fact, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is growing 12 times faster than the overall job market.