Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Since 1978, the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) program, sponsored by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), has been the globally accepted standard of achievement among information systems (IS) audit, control and security professionals. The technical skills and practices that CISA promotes and evaluates are the building blocks of success in the field.

With a growing demand for professionals possessing IS audit, control and security skills, CISA has become a preferred certification program by individuals and organizations around the world. CISA certification signifies commitment to serving an organization and the IS audit, control and security industry with distinction. In addition, it presents a number of professional and personal benefits.

Benefits of Becoming a CISA

• Being recognized as a CISA brings with it a great number of professional and organizational benefits.
• Successful achievement in an individual?s information systems audit, control and security expertise.
  
• Application of the most effective information systems audit, control and security practices, and an awareness of the unique requirements particular to information technology environments.
• Possession of a worldwide sought-after professional designation.

CISA Target

This includes the following: Accountants, IS Professionals, IS Security and Control Professionals, Chief officers, Information, Systems Auditors, Auditors (Internal and external), and a wide range of professionals.

Requirements For Initial CISA Certification

Certification is granted initially to individuals who have completed the CISA exam successfully and have minimum of five years of professional information systems audit, control or security work experience. Substitutions and waivers of such experience may be obtained as follows:

A maximum of one year of information systems, operating or programming experience or one year of financial or operational auditing experience can be substituted for one year of Information systems auditing, control or security experience.

An associate?s or bachelor?s degree (the equivalent of 60 to 120 completed college semester credit hours) can be substituted for one or two years, respectively, of Information systems auditing, control or security experience.

Each two years of experience as a full-time university instructor in a related field (e.g computer science, Accounting, information systems auditing) may be substituted for one year of information systems auditing, control or security experience.

Experience must have been gained within the 10-year period preceeding the date of the application for CISA certification or within five years from the date of initially passing the exam. If the application for CISA certification is not submitted within five years from the passing date of the exam, retaking and passing the exam is required. All experience is verified independently with employers via a Verification of Work Experience form.

It is important to note that many individuals choose to take the CISA exam prior to meeting the experience requirements. This practice is acceptable and encouraged although the CISA designation will not be awarded until all requirements are met.

Objectives of Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Validate your expertise and get the leverage you need to move up in your career. With ISACA?s Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification, you can do just that. CISA is world-renowned as the standard of achievement for those who audit, control, monitor and assess an organization?s information technology and business systems.

The Certified Information Systems Auditor program was established to:

• Develop and maintain a testing instrument that could be used to evaluate an individual?s competency in conducting information systems audits.
• Provide a mechanism for motivating information systems auditors to maintain their competencies and monitoring the success of the maintenance programs.
• Aid top management in developing a sound information systems audit function by providing criteria for Personnel selection and development.

Today, the CISA program is designed to assess and certify individuals in the IS audit, control or security profession who demonstrate exceptional skill, judgment and proficiency in IS audit, control and security practices.