Fellow CISSPers, I’d like to introduce our first write-in candidate, Mr. Rik Ferguson. I met Rik while searching far and wide for the best recommendations to make an impact on the (ISC)2 board. Rik came with high accolades from everyone I spoke to, and his LinkedIn profile is just a brief glimpse of the full expanse of his career and leadership skills. Rik is a fellow split-brained personality. We share many of the same values, and I think you’ll appreciate his vision and goals for (ISC)2. I’ll let you read for yourself though. Check out this wanna-be astronaut turned rocker and infosec pro!
Read more about the write-in campaign and #isc2writein
at http://securityuncorked.com/?p=1806
I’ve asked each of the write-in candidates to share thoughts in their own words with you. Keep reading to meet Rik.
NAME: Rik Ferguson
WRITE-IN NAME: Use Richard D. Ferguson (Rik) <- You must use this name for the ballot write-in
ABOUT RIK: As you’ll see from his use of s’s where we like z’s, Rik is hails from the UK, is currently in Poland, and works with TrendMicro as the Vice President of Security Research. You can learn more about Rik’s professional life in the links, and get to know Rik a little more in the “About Rik” section below.
RIK’S LINKS:
- LinkedIn: http://pl.linkedin.com/in/rikferguson
- Blog: http://countermeasures.trendmicro.eu
- Twitter: @rik_ferguson http://twitter.com/rik_ferguson
RIK’S MESSAGE to VOTERS: I want to bring my perspective as a lifelong IT and security professional to the board, the perspective of someone who started on the first rung of Tier I technical support and stuck with the industry, the perspective of someone who certified because they hadn’t made an academic study of computer security, or even information technology, someone who wanted to challenge and formalise the knowledge and skills that they had gained on the job.
I believe that (ISC)² is in the midst of some profound change and has an uphill struggle to maintain its relevance and credibility. Like all popular certifications the CISSP is at risk of becoming devalued, a victim of its own success. I do not want to see that happen. I have publicly questioned, as recently as a year ago, whether it was worth paying my CISSP and ISSAP annual maintenance fees as I never perceived any personal value from the organisation, but decided to give it one more chance. Then I saw people I know and respect get elected to the board and I realised that it is up to us, the certified, to make this organisation relevant and worthwhile again. We need to deliver real benefit to our community both internally and externally. Internally, the system for earning and submitting CPEs needs to be re-examined and made more transparent and the fee system needs to show some real return for the membership. Externally (ISC)² members need to start creating a reputation in the world beyond the security community, giving back to business, to schools and to society at large and being rewarded for doing so within (ISC)².
Security, Privacy and Trust have become increasingly relevant and critical in the wider world as it becomes ever more connected. (ISC)² needs to become a less insular and academic organisation and start giving back to the society of which its members are a part.
ABOUT RIK:
I have a foot in two camps, the creative and the technical. In addition to the security focused work and career, I have also been singing in bands and writing my own songs since 1988 and making films (for Trend Micro) for the past 2 years.
Work from my most recent musical outing can be found at http://www.reverbnation.com/clearlydeluded and my most recent film work is the 2020 project at http://2020.trendmicro.com. The first career choice I made was “Astronaut”, that was relatively quickly superseded by “Actor”, so of course I found myself in the security field!
I speak English, French and German fluently and am in the process of learning Polish, which is by FAR the toughest language I have yet encountered!
WRITE-IN NAME: Use Richard D. Ferguson (Rik) <- You must use this name for the ballot write-in
Read more about the write-in campaign and #isc2writein
at http://securityuncorked.com/?p=1806
Stay tuned for additional #isc2writein candidate profiles.
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[…] Meet Rik […]