The BCS CESG Certified Professional Scheme provides an independent assessment and verification process for those working in Information Assurance (IA).

Information assurance is the confidence that systems will protect the information they handle and that information assets are accurate, secure and available when required. Although closely linked with information security, IA has a broader remit and includes strategic risk management and reliability.

Our scheme aims to demonstrate that IA professionals have the skills and experience required to carry out their role effectively and deliver a consistently high standard in IA. It also provides those working in IA with a clearly defined career development path.

The scheme covers six roles identified within IA by CESG including:

• Security and Information Risk Advisor
• Security Architect
• Accreditor
• IA Auditor
• IT Security Officer
• Communications Security Officer (ComSO)

For each role, certification is available at 3 levels; Practitioner, Senior Practitioner and Lead Practitioner.

 
Why choose the BCS scheme

Our unique position as the professional body for IT and also an awarding body, gives us unrivalled insight into the needs of the IT industry that means we are ideally placed to deliver this scheme on behalf of CESG.

We are raising levels of IT professionalism and setting the standard in IT training and professional development through:

• delivering our Chartered IT Professional standard - the benchmark in IT excellence.
• certifying over 400,000 IT professionals with our Professional Certificates,
• supporting IT employers develop their teams with a range of professional development tools including SFIAplus (our IT skills and competency framework),

We also have a 6000-strong IA community, strong relationships and relevance across government and the private sector and an existing network of training providers within the IA space, enabling us to provide the support to IA specialists beyond just the certification.

The diagram below outlines the BCS assessment which includes a combination of written submission, examinations and expert interviews depending on the role and level you are applying for.

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