UK Cyber Security Council, ISACA partner for chartered Audit and Assurance pilot

The UK Cyber Security Council has announced a partnership with international professional association ISACA to launch the Audit and Assurance programme. It is the Council’s latest step towards establishing a universally recognised, professional standard for the UK cybersecurity sector to provide professionals the opportunity to achieve chartered status across 16 specialisms.

The new Audit and Assurance pilot follows the Council’s inaugural pilots in Cyber Security Governance and Risk Management and Secure System Architecture and Design last year, with Security Testing also launching earlier this month. ISACA, which developed the globally recognised Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credentials, will serve as the awarding body for Audit and Assurance professional titles, the UK Cyber Security Council stated.

Partnership crosses boundaries of cybersecurity and audit professions

The UK Cyber Security Council is the self-regulatory body for the UK’s cybersecurity profession aimed at developing, promoting, and stewarding standards in support of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy. The Council’s own 2025 strategy centres around five key areas of focus: professional standards, professional ethics, careers and learning, outreach and diversity, and thought leadership and influence.

In a press release, the UK Cyber Security Council said that the new partnership with ISACA crosses the boundaries of the cybersecurity and audit professions, combining ISACA’s global knowledge and good practices in those domains and the local expertise, authority and understanding of the UK market of the Council, targeting at a UK-tailored result that is aligned with global frameworks.

Professor Simon Hepburn, CEO, UK Cyber Security Council, commented, “We are very proud to be partnering with ISACA on our new Audit and Assurance programme, which is another step towards our goal of helping cyber professionals gain the recognition they deserve and enabling businesses to make informed choices around cyber recruitment.”

UK cybersecurity industry edges towards chartered professional standard

The pair will also be launching a new podcast series later this year which will explore the Council, partners, and cyber professionals’ journey toward standardising the cyber profession, Hepburn added. “The podcast will draw on the expertise of the sector and explain the various steps taken and challenges faced when standardising Audit and Assurance.” Each episode will be available on all major streaming platforms and the UK Cyber Security Council website.

Last year, UK cybersecurity professionals told CSO that a well-run, chartered standard scheme would benefit the UK’s cybersecurity sector in several ways, including helping to establish the UK as a global centre of cybersecurity excellence and making the profession more accessible through better defined career paths. However, questions were also raised over the value of such a national standard from a global perspective.