Computest, specialists in performance and cybersecurity, have set up their own Academy for international training and certification of security professionals. Moreover, thanks to a collaboration with Kader, who specialise in compliance and security science, they are able to offer the overlapping areas of security and compliance in a single high-quality training and certification process. The launch of the international Academy is an important step for Computest in further strengthening its focus on security and compliance.
Training is an essential element of the security policy of every company – it assures the knowledge within the organisation and allows its people to continue to develop. Computest has for many years been offering courses for different roles and positions that bring together the experience of security experts, practical knowledge and theory.These courses are often delivered in-company and tailor-made. By setting up its own Academy, Computest is significantly expanding its training offer and supplementing it with certifications such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional). Computest is one of the few providers in the Netherlands which is entitled to offer this official training under the (ISC)² banner. The collaboration with Kader also means breaking out of the security and compliance silos.
"The fact that companies, and especially their employees, are having to arm themselves against increasingly sophisticated threats means that training and certifying those employees in various aspects of security has really become a top priority”, says Chris Hazewinkel, CEO of Computest Services. "By raising the available knowledge, awareness and information security policy to a higher level of maturity, a company not only improves in quality, it can also bring new solutions to the market faster. The Academy offers courses focused on various critical areas to support organisations and professionals in that endeavour."
Virtual, hybrid and on-site training
The Computest Academy offers international courses in the field of security awareness, professional courses such as Security in DevOps and various certifications including CISSP and CISM (Certified Information Security Manager). These can be delivered both virtually and in coronavirus-proof environments at various physical locations including Zoetermeer and Zeist. We use the latest insights from educational theory to guarantee the success of our virtual courses. The goal is to offer professionals a high-quality and practice-based training programme so that they can contribute to improving and monitoring security and compliance within their organisations.
“Monitoring and maintaining the level of knowledge among employees is starting to feature in compliance audits. The academy helps companies assure the required knowledge level and offers an integrated approach to help them comply with the relevant compliance laws and regulations, as well as the requirements for security professionals[CvL1] ”, says Rick Santbergen, Management Systems & Certification Business Unit Manager at Kader.
Multi-year plan for security
Businesses are increasingly opting for an overarching approach to security and compliance and defining specific requirements for departments and professionals. For example, CISOs and other security professionals have to obtain certain certifications and companies want to be assured that other employees are sufficiently aware of security risks and how they can contribute to reducing them. To this end, a multi-year plan can be developed in collaboration with the Computest Academy, focusing on obtaining certifications and building particular skills.
"The goal is not just to help organisations and professionals increase their knowledge and obtain certifications, we want to actually make the world a safer place. That's why our courses are aimed at making the information stick, for example through the practical cases which our trainers discuss based on their own experience with customers", says Hazewinkel.