Public Relations

Asgent Announces Start of International Standard Certification Course to alleviate global CIO^*1 personnel shortage

- ISO/IEC 27002 Information Security Foundation Course -

September 6, 2010
Asgent,Inc.
（JASDAQ：4288）

Asgent, Inc. (President & CEO: Takahiro Sugimoto, located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo), announces the start of ISO/IEC27002 Certification Training to alleviate global concerns about CIO personnel shortages. This is the first time that this training will be performed in Japan.

The aim of this training course is for participants to acquire certification from EXIN International (Headquarters: Holland), a recognized testing organization for “ITIL^®” ^*2, an international standard for IT service management. The initial certification training course, “Information Security Foundation based on ISO/ IEC 27002” (ISFS), will begin on September 28th, with additional courses planned in line with global qualifications.

Asgent also boasts the top market share for certification training for “ISMS Conformity Assessment System (ISO/IEC 27001) Auditor” qualifications, which are certified and promoted by JIPDEC (Japan Information Processing Development Corporation)^*3, with backing from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

【Background】

It is essential for organizations today to be able to connect, operate and manage massive amounts of information within environments such as internal and external networks, the internet and the Cloud, with the responsibilities of the CIO or CISO^*4 increasing concurrently.

However, there is still no end in sight to incidents or accidents caused by insufficient information management, which in turn is a result of an overwhelming global shortage of personnel capable of executing the necessary measures to prevent such incidents. Also, in the same way that IT has fused with economic and social systems through globalization of the economy, there is a growing trend towards the globalization of threats to information security.

The U.S. federal government, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) have raised the alarm over CIO/CISO personnel shortages^*5, and are utilizing international expert panels led by EXIN International to formulate a security and IT governance qualification system to fulfill CIO/CISO requirements.

In contrast, the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat and METI have been warning of a shortfall in CIO personnel for some years. Most recently, the National Information Security Center (NISC) positioned the “cultivation and retainment of information security personnel” as an important issue in the “Secure Japan 2009” report.

With this background in mind, JIPDEC made the decision to work with EXIN to alleviate the personnel shortages. Asgent, in response to requests from JIPDEC, has continued to contribute to qualification systems to alleviate these personnel shortages and has represented Japan at international conferences since 2007.
As a result, EXIN Japan (Country Manager: Etsuko Nakagawa, located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), the Japanese arm of EXIN International, will begin examinations for “Information Security Foundation based on ISO/ IEC 27002”, one of the global qualifications essential for cultivating CIOs. In turn, Asgent will partner with EXIN to conduct a certification course for acquiring this qualification.

^*1 CIO: Chief Information Officer
^*2 「ITIL^®」: Registered trademark of the United Kingdom's Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the UK and the EU
^*3 JIPDEC: METI-affiliated extra-governmental organization
^*4 CISO: Chief Information Security Officer
^*5 The US federal government founded the CIO Council, creates guides and supports the establishment of the CIO University, to cultivate CIOs with the wide-ranging and advanced skill set required for the position. Also, the NIST stipulates the role and responsibilities, as well as guidelines for cultivating the CIO and CISO in the “ITL BULLETIN FOR JUNE 2010”.

【ISO/IEC 27002 Compliance Information Security Certificate】

The ISO/IEC 27002 Compliance Information Security Certificate is comprised of three separate certificates, and certifies that the CIO/CISO (and administrators involved with information security) manage and control information appropriately.
The certificate examinations to commence are for the “Information Security Foundation based on ISO/ IEC 27002” qualification.

The ISO/IEC 27002 Compliance Information Security Certificate is comprised of the following three certificates.

1. Foundation Level: Information Security Foundation based on ISO/ IEC 27002 (ISFS)
2. Advanced Level: Information Security Management Advanced based on ISO/ IEC 27002 (ISMAS)
3. Expert Level: Information Security Management Expert based on ISO/ IEC 27002 (ISMES)

【Course Outline】

Course Name:

ISO/IEC 27002 Compliance Information Security Foundation Course

Course Period

2 days (9：30 - 18：00 ※Examination on second day from 17:00)

Course Cost (tax incl.)

\126,000 (includes examination)

Course Inquiries

Security Policy Alliance Office (Asgent, Inc.)
TEL： 03-5643-2590
E-mail： info@policyalliance.com
http://www. policyalliance.com

【Comment from EXIN Japan】

EXIN Japan Country Manager, Etsuko Nakagawa
“We were fortunate to have the cooperation of Asgent, an expert in information security, for developing and conducting the first certification course in Japan ahead of the certificate examination in September. Asgent has been active as a pioneer in information security for many years, and has produced many expert personnel while being involved in the integration and auditing of information security management systems in many corporations. Based on this strong track record, Asgent will play a central role in this qualification system and has already cooperated with us to develop the ‘ISO/IEC 20000 Professional Certificate’ qualification system. We have high expectations for the growth of both qualification systems and the cultivation of expert personnel.”

【About EXIN Japan】

Japanese legal entity of EXIN International (Managing Director: Michiel Lande van der, Headquarters: Holland). Established in 2005, became Japanese legal entity in 2010. (Country Manager: Etsuko Nakagawa) Global independent company with over 40 years experience in IT certification. Conducting examinations for over 1 million people in 11 languages. Recognized globally as “ITILR” examination facility in IT service management field. Development of international standard certification schemes, formulation of examination requirements and accreditation for educators. Independent organization, not related to any particular educational organization.

【About Asgent, Inc.】

Established in 1997, Asgent has developed and grown, specializing in information security. As a leading company in the information security field, Asgent boasts the No.1 position in domestic sales of security and virtualization/cloud solutions, including Check Point UTM products. Asgent provides the entire product experience, including assessment, network design, integration, operations, consulting, education etc.

* All company names or product names are registered trademarks of their respective companies.