By Scott Algeier
The IT-ISAC is proud to celebrate 20 years of collaborative sharing and analysis throughout 2020. The formation of Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) originated from Presidential Decision Directive 63 in 1998. Its purpose was to protect our critical infrastructures from physical and cyber-attacks. Today when security budgets are under pressure due to economic uncertainty while cyber threats continue to increase, the need for industry-specific information sharing forums remains as important today as it was 20 years ago. The IT-ISAC serves as a cost-effective force multiplier, enabling companies to scale their security operations. For just a fraction of what it costs to hire a security analyst, IT-ISAC membership can supplement organizations’ security intelligence and analytics by engaging with IT-ISAC staff, collaborating with analysts from leading IT companies, and by leveraging our global network of security experts. To help demonstrate the value effective information sharing forums can deliver to members, we have produced a white paper titled, “The Value of an Industry Information Sharing Forum.” Focusing specifically on the IT-ISAC, the paper details the value that the IT-ISAC offers to companies even beyond information sharing, and why engagement with information sharing forums is an important component of an enterprise security strategy. You will find that our white paper outlines the resources and tools we make available to our members, how we share information, and it recognizes some of our proudest achievements in collaboration, including formalizing an operational partnership with the Information and community technology-ISAC Japan (ICT-ISAC Japan), helping to establish the National Council of ISACs (NCI) and the IT-Sector Coordinating Council. I would like to thank all our members for their support and participation over the past 20 years. Without our members, we would not be the force multiplier that we are today. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with our members and partners- and strengthening our global network of trusted security forums to meet the security challenges to come. Read “The Value of an Industry Information Sharing Forum” here.