Certifications and soft skills equal high pay. (Tech Talk).Despite last year's struggling economy, bonus pay for many information security professionals has continuously increased over the past six quarters, according to David Foote, president of the Web research group Foote Partners LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control . Foote explained that those with technical certifications related to project management, database management, and security have seen the biggest increases in bonuses since the fourth quarter of 2000. This research, which is presented quarterly by Foote's company, used a sample of almost 30,000 IT professionals from a wide range of industries and government agencies. Foote said that the highest paying certifications (in terms of bonus pay provided) are Project Management Professional (PMP), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP (processor) OCP - Order Code Processor. ), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA See Microsoft certification. ), and GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification) The award for successful completion of a course in computer security from The SANS Institute, Bethesda, MD (www.sans.org). Introduced in 1999, GIAC tests the practical application of the required knowledge. Certified Intrusion Analyst (GIAC is the Global Information Assurance Certification Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) is an information security certification entity that specialises in technical and practical certification as well as new research in the form of its GIAC Gold program. , which is offered by the SANS Institute). He also noted that many companies have become reluctant to pay bonuses to junior staff or inexperienced members, preferring instead to use available funds to give bonuses to top-tier "impact" workers. A fourth quarter 2001 sampling by Foote of more than 1,300 IT security professionals showed a range of salaries from $72,519 for a senior systems administrator (including a 9 percent bonus) to $118,017 for a director of information security (including a 14.5 percent bonus). According to Foote's research, the technical knowledge that will prove most valuable for IT workers in the next two years includes remote and wireless access, authorization and authentication mechanisms, virtual private networks, and cryptology The science of developing secret codes and/or the use of those codes in encryption systems. See cryptography. cryptology - The study of cryptography and cryptanalysis. . He noted, however, that many of the other skills that will be expected of IT professionals are not technical at all. Familiarity with issues such as privacy (including knowledge of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website, Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when ), risk management, development of user-awareness policies, and metrics; and "soft skills" (such as being a team player and having marketing ability) are the important capabilities that future IT professionals will be expected to bring to the workplace. * Visit SM Online for more on this presentation. |
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