Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is an ISACA authorized certification that verifies the skills of an individual regarding information systems security and auditing. It is a gateway to a career in consultancy, IT auditing, and risk assessment methodologies. These employees are able to make use of various information tools to control and audit the value of security measures in a firm to protect their assets.
A CISA certified candidate possesses the appropriate skills and know-how to deal with the management and governance of IT systems at a company. They maintain absolute knowledge about which teams and departments can access different company resources. They control and inspect various systems’ operational details and account for the marginal business value these specific ventures add to the company. They are trained to assess the risk that comes with the addition of capital and taking up various projects. Primarily, companies prefer CISA individuals to get an idea of where their data security stands and to get them appraised by qualified field experts.
CISA ELIGIBILITY AND EXAM
The CISA certification examination can be taken on any day in a 365-day window after the eligibility of the candidate has been established. With a fee of $575 for ISACA members and $760 for non-ISACA members, it is possible to schedule a date according to the convenience of the examinee. The eligibility requirements for the exam include five-year work experience in the field, and all possible waivers can be enjoyed with relevant educational backgrounds.
The examination covers a wide range of topics that have been divided into domains. These domains include auditing, governance and management, systems acquisition and operational control, and protection of assets. The topics are designed on the basis of various challenges these individuals will have to encounter in real-life jobs. The examination scores candidates on a scale of 200 to 800, 800 being the highest possible score. In order to pass the exam, a candidate has to score 450 or higher that represents the bare minimum knowledge that is required in the job environment.
After passing the examination, the candidate has to agree on certain terms and conditions of ISACA. These policies include the code of professional ethics that ensures the conduct of a certified employee in the workplace. They also have to follow continuing professional education policy, which requires the accredited individuals to maintain competency standards through constantly updating their skills and knowledge. On failing these educational policies, it is not possible to maintain the hard-earned certification. They also have to agree on following certain auditing standards that are common for all candidates working in the industry.
CISA PREPARATION
CISA is one of the toughest accreditations to get not only due to the tough eligibility requirements, policies to follow and abide by, and the grueling amount of properly accounted work hours but also due to the amount of preparation that is required to pass the exam. It is a practical exam that requires a concentration of knowledge in all domains. The key to passing it is studying for a few dedicated hours every day, practicing on simulation tests, and relying on training routines that are available online at ease.
CISA ONLINE REVIEW COURSES
To get some idea of what sort of examination CISA is, it is important to get guidance from the experts. One of the best ways to do this is to follow proper instructor-led programs that are available online and sticking to a schedule to achieve good assessment scores that helps build confidence. However, there are a vast number of coaching programs to choose from, and not every one of them can deliver the same results.
Simplilearn provides a great course to train applicants for the CISA exam. It provides a flexible schedule for 90 days of instructor-led training and is accompanied by live training from industry experts and job practitioners. At a premium price, all the course content can be saved for life too. The premium plan also comes with several tests and assessments based on experience. The candidate also gets access to 24×7 support and guidance programs. All the instructors teaching the course are ISACA accredited as well. The course emphasizes all the domains that are recommended and are part of the examination, which includes system acquisition and auditing. The advantages of this course plan include the blended mode of learning and instructor guidance quality. However, the two pricing plans are expensive, and people without the premium will not be able to attend any simulation tests.
With basic fundamental ideas about the various IT tools available in the market, the Pluralsight CISA training schedule can be a great resource to get yourself acquainted with the various concepts of the CISA exam. The course focuses on auditing and security skills, acquisition review, conducting inspections with adequate planning and reporting of events to employers. The course consists of 12 separate and independent modules that span over 24 hours and cover each topic meticulously.
The Infosec training boot camp is an industry-specific resource that comes in three pricing plans. While the professional and personal classroom plans are the most common ones to be used, the enterprise version is helpful for firms to help guide there already existing teams to become CISA compliant. All the courses come with online course materials and live instructions. Access to Infosec forums is also allowed as an additional perk. The pro mode gives 90 days of extended access for comfortable revision and also has performance reporting enabled to check how ready the candidate is.
If the individual is not comfortable with externals educational sources, then ISACA’s own training service can be of great help. This serves as a trustworthy training quality and a more affordable alternative. The course is designed to provide the appropriate knowledge and interactive lessons regarding the certification examination and help the individual get prepared for the job environment. It is suitable for all IT experts and fresh graduates to dive into, and it comes with an adequate amount of revision and assessment material to aid in the preparation. Enterprise training modules are also available.
The CISA training plans by Koenig Solutions is a quick approach to getting guidance for the auditing certification. It is a five-day-long boot camp routine that can be scheduled as per the candidate’s comfort. An instructor-led virtual classroom is conducted at the scheduled time slots, and these virtual classrooms cover all the domains that are required to ace the examination. In addition to this, classroom training is available in specific countries, and for corporations, the company also provides assistance on special requests.
Vinsys is an official ISACA training partner who offers aid to aspirants for CISA examination through courseware, study material, and instructional videos by qualified trainers. The key feature of the course is an additional CISSP integrated plan, which helps IS auditing enter the realm of cybersecurity systems and gives an extra edge to the candidates to apply for cyber analytics job roles. The course also provides multiple sample exam papers for assessment.
The Surgent CISA Review course is one of the best offerings available on the internet. It is inexpensive compared to certain other programs like the one offered by Simplilearn and comes with an adaptive study mechanism that configures your future study plan according to the way you perform. The course access continues for an entire year and can be accessed on any device so that you can learn on the go. The unlimited exams and the baffling number of questions set available is perfect for making the right assessment of exam readiness.
OTHER SOURCES FOR PREPARATION
There are a few other ways that will help you get yourself trained for the main examination manually. However, they will only have their full intended effect if you train under expert guidance in online review courses to gain the necessary experience and clarity of concepts. One of the beginner guides is ISACA’s CISA Start Guide, which helps the candidate get an idea of what they need to know in the fundamentals, so they have no issues following the complex concepts that are discussed in review courses available online. The CISA Review Material is another ISACA authorized material that helps candidates brush up all the key concepts right before the exam. It provides a short synopsis of all that is necessary for auditing, control and management of security systems, and IT governance.
CISA is a tough examination to crack. It requires rigorous skill training and experience building in order to be eligible for the certification. The exam tests the aspirant on various factors as well. However, in order to make candidates field experts, this treatment becomes necessary, and to aid them, various resources are available to educate them, both online and offline. In addition to all the sources listed here, the Information Security Audit Guide (ISAG) and various independent self-assessment quizzes are available online to help the aspirant know where they stand and whether they need further preparation for the examination. Once cracked, the CISA Certification can yield wonderful career opportunities for anyone willing to take up an auditing job in information systems and technologies industry.
