FDM Group partners with ISACA to boost cyber training programme

The FDM consulting group has announced a partnership with ISACA to boost its cyber training programme and credentials.

Through this partnership, FDM employees will benefit from ISACA’s cyber training, as well as having access to ISACA-approved resources, including online learning tools. This will allow FDM to enhance its cyber security credentials and offer the latest technical expertise to its clients.

FDM also has plans to improve its cyber security training courses, aiming to equip hundreds of new consultants every year as part of its Technical Operations programme.

“Getting access to the latest cyber security expertise is a top priority for every business, and our partnership with ISACA will enable FDM to bring the very highest standards of service and skills to the market,” said Andy Brown, chief commercial officer at FDM Group.

“We are very pleased to be working alongside such a prestigious organisation to equip the next generation with world-leading security expertise.”

ISACA is an independent, non-profit, global association that engages in the development, adoption and use of globally accepted information system knowledge and practices. With more than 170,000 members, the technology association is recognised for its expertise in information security, governance, assurance, risk, privacy and quality.

Jeff Angle, senior director for academic and workforce development at ISACA, said: “FDM Group is widely recognised as a leading global provider of highly skilled IT experts. We are very excited to be teaming up with such an extensive workforce, sharing knowledge, best practice and industry expertise to further enhance their offering in such a crucial area.”

This is not the first time ISACA has focused on cyber training and security. In a study marking the annual Data Privacy Day in January 2022, ISACA found that thousands of technical privacy roles were going unfilled all over the world, leaving organisations dangerously exposed to breaches of compliance laws and cyber security incidents.

It found that 46% of organisations were struggling to fill legal and compliance roles, and 55% technical privacy roles. Additionally, 41% reported that the biggest challenge in forming an organisational privacy plan was a lack of competent resources.

Safia Kazi, privacy professional practice advisor at ISACA, said: “Enterprises need to sufficiently invest in their privacy programmes and teams, not only to retain privacy staff and upskill talent to fill open roles, but to also prioritise privacy training efforts to ensure all employees are supporting privacy initiatives.”

When seeking privacy professionals, respondents highlighted compliance and legal experience, prior experience in a privacy role, and technical experience as the key requisites, but they also reported that many candidates lacked these skills.

As a result of this, less than half of respondents said they were very or completely confident in their privacy team’s ability to ensure the organisation’s data protection practice was effective and compliant with national and international laws and standards.

“The role of the privacy professional continues to evolve, with many now taking their organisations on a journey from compliance to building trust as a competitive advantage, helping to make companies stand out based on the values they hold and the commitments they fulfil,” said Alex Bermudez, privacy manager at OneTrust, which sponsored the ISACA study.