Wanted: Security Superman

Finding the right person to oversee an organization's information security efforts can take extra time, money and salesmanship.

By Deborah Radcliff

September 25, 2000 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - What really attracts Dale Bachman to a company are "cool toys and great projects." Pete van de Gohm looks for work that offers him "brand-new opportunities in brand-new markets." What draws Dan Doherty to a new job is the opportunity for growth and an energized work environment. For Howard Schmidt, the main attractor is support that's "more than lip service" from the top echelons of the corporation.
These employees hold titles such as chief security officer, national security practice manager, corporate security officer and director of information asset protection.

			Next Candidate, Please! Publix Network Corp., an Internet service provider in Hamden, Conn., is preparing to go public in the next six months. But until now, the company's security oversight has been handled by Chief Operating Officer Peter Zackowski, who hired a part-time security consultant on an as-needed basis. Like all start-ups, Publix isn't flush with money. About all it can offer a new security director is stock. Zackowski says he decided to bypass human resources and go through a headhunter. The headhunter saw the salary range and then sent candidates accordingly. "The first candidate shows up in the largest pair of Fabu [elephant-leg] jeans that really showed his plumber's side and props his feet up on a chair. After I introduce myself, he says, 'When do I start?' " Zackowski says. "The next candidate believed that an unwashed body was a spiritual statement. He reeked. During the interview, he lifted his arm and sniffed, like he was smelling a delicate flora." Even if Zackowski could get beyond these behaviors - and, he says, he considered it - he couldn't hire either candidate, because neither possessed the skills he claimed to have. The message here: Woe to the small company that can't justify, afford or attract senior-level security professionals. "We changed our request for a more managerial type on Aug. 7, but so far no one's walked through the door," says Zackowski. "The headhunter said he's sending three people, but I haven't even seen a resume."

There aren't many such people to go around. One reason is that senior-level security positions like these call for certifications. The de facto security management certification is the Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP). Only 3,000 have been issued, according to Jim Duffy, president of International Information Systems Security Certifications Consortium Inc. (ISC2) in Framingham, Mass. ISC2 is the CISSP certifying body.
In such a tight information technology labor market, it's no small feat to attract and retain information security executives, according to Tracy Lenzner,

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