Ahmed Mirza, the former president of the Jeddah chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), is confident that the organization has a bright future ahead in providing local professionals with a place to network and find training opportunities. In an interview with Saudi Gazette, Mirza, who is currently head of Bank Aljazira, says he joined the organization in 2002 and led the team that established the local chapter. “The main role of the team is to ensure that the chapter is active and helps to spread awareness about ISACA and its objectives,” said Mirza. The Jeddah ISACA chapter includes an executive committee of eight members. There are a total of 94 registered members, of which 30 percent are Saudis. He says they are hoping to attract more professionals and students. Awareness sessions have already been held at a few educational institutions, including King Abdul Aziz University and Dar Al-Hekma college, he says. With more than 86,000 constituents in more than 160 countries, ISACA is a leading global provider of knowledge, certifications, advocacy and education on information systems assurance and security, enterprise governance of IT and IT-related risk and compliance, according to its website. Its vision is to be recognized as a global leader in IT governance, control and assurance. Its mission is to support enterprise objectives through the development, provision and promotion of research standards, competencies and practices for the effective governance, control and assurance of information, systems and technology. The association is governed by an elected and appointed body of volunteers from around the world, bringing their unique professional and geographical insights to bear on organizational decisions. The ISACA Jeddah chapter was established in 2002 and is affiliated to ISACA International, the mother organization with its headquarters in the United States. ISACA is said to have about 180 local chapters worldwide with more than 95,000 members. It is affiliated to the Information Technology Governance Institute (ITGI) and other renowned research organizations to develop management frameworks or standards and encourages best practices in managing information systems (IS) audits, IS security, IT risk and IT Governance. In addition, ISACA also offers four global professional certifications in the fields of information systems audits, security and IT risk and IT management. These are CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) and CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control). Mirza says the chapter has organized certification exam review courses, workshops on Business Continuity Management, and regular technical sessions on IT topics by experienced speakers. Recently, the local chapter was awarded the “Gold Level Award” from ISACA International for its website www.isaca-jeddah.org. In 2007, it was awarded the bronze award for the best small chapter in Asia and the Middle East. As for the future, Mirza hopes to grow the organization. “ISACA is here to stay. It has grown tremendously over the past five to seven years. Its certifications are widely accepted across the world. In fact, there are countries which have recognized the CISA certification as mandatory for its IT audits. Other certifications are gradually gaining importance and recognition. We are very confident that the Jeddah ISACA chapter shall soon achieve new heights and set a good example and reference point for all interested in information systems and related subjects,” he remarked.
