Canadian forum of CIOs mulls establishing national cybersecurity standard

Canada’s national forum for chief information officers (CIO) and executive tech leaders have announced plans to establish a national occupational standard for cybersecurity workers.

The CIO Strategy Council announced last week that it is looking for input from industry stakeholders on its draft for the standard, which looks to establish the minimum requirements for the qualification of cybersecurity professionals, as well as their responsibilities.

“This proposed national occupational standard will help organizations in the digital society better define the cybersecurity talent they need and recognize cybersecurity professionals as a new role with distinct responsibilities to prevent and protect organizations from cyber threats and attacks,” said Randy Purse, senior cybersecurity advisor for the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in Toronto Metropolitan University.

Purse outlined the potential and distinct responsibilities of cybersecurity talent, which include “assessing the risks of cyber threats, advising on effective security measures, and ensuring data and systems are safe and secure.”

“It will be a gamechanger for many Canadian organizations who employ cybersecurity professionals, educators who train them, and individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity,” the cybersecurity advisor added.

“Cybersecurity remains an emerging and evolving field of work. It has not been well defined in occupational terms and is often combined with other organizational roles,” pointed out CIO Strategy Council senior director Darryl Kingston. “Cybersecurity is not just about technical systems, it’s also about people, their behaviour and how they connect and engage with those systems.”

The national standard draft is available on the CIO Strategy Council’s website until October 21 for the public to review. After the review period closes, a committee will review and disposition all comments received.