Security Sales & Integration April 2021 - 8

INDUSTRY PULSE

NEWS

ANALYSIS

RESEARCH

PEOPLE

Cyber Certification Coming for Security
Integrators Rodney Bosch
SILVER SPRING, Md.
- The Security Industry Association (SIA) is spearheading a
first-of-its kind cybersecurity certification
program for physical security integrators
that is expected to be formally unveiled
in June, SSI has learned. SIA is joined by
stakeholders from across the security industry ecosystem in development of the
program, including members of the consultant and manufacturing communities,
PSA and SecuritySpecifiers.
" In today's world of converged security
we recognize there is a competency gap
between the installation of physical security devices and the assurance of a secure
connection to network infrastructure,
which today really goes hand-in-hand, "
Elli Voorhees, Ph.D., director of education for SIA, tells SSI.
During the past year, Voorhees and a
core group of subject matter experts have
worked to develop a program that complies with the ANSI National Accreditation Board's ISO/IEC 17024. The standard is a globally accepted benchmark for
bodies managing the certification of persons, and is being increasingly recognized
by the U.S. government, the certification
industry and organized labor.
The working group's tasks have been
manifold as it labors to meet the stringent
criteria under ISO/IEC 17024. Among
the activities of an initial focus group was
to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) necessary for a security technician to perform cybersecurity work activities. The list of KSAs generated by the
focus group then became the foundation
for developing a functional job task analysis. Subsequently, the KSAs were validated
through the administration of a questionnaire to determine essential job functions.
" From that initial focus group we created a long list of competencies. Then
through a somewhat iterative process you

IN DEPTH

Certification testing will be held at
Scantron sites around the nation. A
remote proctoring option will also be
available.

go back and group them into domains, "
Voorhees explains. " And then the next
step is once you have those initial domains
and the competency statements, you send
them out for validation in a survey. "
The survey was administered to individuals from 50 systems integration
companies, both SIA and PSA members. Participants rated each competency
statement as part of the job task analysis.
With that data, the working group was
then able to identify which competency
statements would qualify for inclusion to
form the basis of the certification exam.
" Once you have those exam specifications that's when you get into the item
writing process, " Voorhees continues.
" And that's where we currently are in that
phase of development, finishing up writing exam questions. "
Physical security technicians will be administered a multiple choice-style exam
to achieve the cybersecurity certification,
which is yet to be given an official name.
The exam is purely a competency-based
assessment; there will be no in-person evaluation of performance. SIA is contracting
with Scantron to administer the exams at
the vendors' various testing sites around the

8 Security Sales & Integration APRIL 2021

SS2104 pp08 In Depth.indd 8

nation. A remote proctoring option is also
expected to be available later in the year.
Most, if not all, current cyber certifications are IT-oriented, making the certification program for security integrators the
first to address the hands-on technician
who installs electronic security, explains
Ray Coulombe, managing director of SecuritySpecifiers. Coulombe, who has been
instrumental to the inception and development of the program, says a certified
technician will give a sense of confidence to
their employer and specifying consultant.
" Consultants will have the ability to
include this in specifications under Contractor Qualifications, thereby setting a
bar for installing companies. This reduces the consultant's own liability, in my
opinion, and it helps drive integrators to
use qualified technicians to support a cyber-hardened installation, " he says. " Further, it could become part of the criteria
for manufacturers to use to certify their
integrators, thus reducing their potential
cyber exposure in the process. "
In the simplest terms for a security integration business, the importance of sending cyber-certified technicians into the
field is all about securing what you sell,
says Anthony Berticelli, vice president of
operations for PSA and member of the
certification working group. Ensuring
integrators have the knowledge to keep
their clients secure is one benefit, but the
certification can also help to instill confidence in the eyes of the client that the
integrator has expertise in all aspects of
the products and infrastructure they install on the network, adds Berticelli.
" I believe that the ability to provide cybersecurity awareness and solutions will
help security integrators present a more
complete security solution to their customers, " he continues. " Those who embrace this will have a competitive edge in
the market. "
securitysales.com

3/22/21 9:46 AM

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Security Sales & Integration April 2021

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