The ISC2 2023 Annual Report is now available. Read this message from 2023 ISC2 Board Chair Jill Slay, CISSP, and ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso, CC, who look back at the accomplishments from an exciting and transformative year for ISC2.

Read the Report

Dear ISC2 Members, Associates and Candidates,

Thanks to you, 2023 featured exponential growth and new beginnings for ISC2 and the entire cybersecurity profession.

The most visible indicator of change is ISC2’s growing community, which more than doubled in size to 635,000 professionals. The long-term impact of this transformation is a stronger community that is:

  • Better able to internationally defend information and systems
  • Tackling the workforce and skills gaps head-on
  • Leading in professionalizing the sector
  • And so much more

Thank you for being a driving force behind our collective success. With your support, we will continue to propel ISC2 and the cybersecurity profession for years to come.

Fueled by the ISC2 Candidate program and the One Million Certified in Cybersecurity pledge, our investment in the next generation of cybersecurity professionals resulted in more than 44,000 individuals earning the Certified in Cybersecurity certification. Meanwhile, we grew the ranks of CISSPs to nearly 170,000 worldwide.

As we grew in 2023, so did our impact.

We led as advocates for the cybersecurity profession, engaging with policymakers, regulators, governments and entities around the world to discuss the issues of greatest concern to our members, including workforce and skills shortages, lack of harmonization of proliferating global standards, unintended consequences of rushed policymaking, and the threat — real and perceived — of licensure of cybersecurity professionals.

We built our collective defense by taking an ecosystem approach to meeting the needs of members and the profession. In 2023:

  • We strengthened our relationships with the U.S. Office of the National Cyber Director, the UK Cyber Security Council, the EU Digital Skills Academy, the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore and many others.
  • We hosted an inaugural DEI Summit, which engaged professionals in the government, nonprofits, academia and the private industry to discuss how to amplify impact and advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in cybersecurity.
  • We reassured the marketplace about the profession's ability to secure AI and we raised our voices about the safe and ethical use of AI.

To support a growing community and foster new connections and collaborations, we worked to extend our reach geographically. Whether that was through chapter engagements, professional development training, virtual events and conferences, ISC2 members had the opportunity to engage and unite around some of the greatest challenges impacting the industry while discussing ways to drive change in the profession. As your partner, ISC2 was there to help.

  • We launched new educational offerings, such as our Spotlight online event series and 43 Skill-Builder courses, to explore emerging topics and support your professional development.
  • We introduced a new series of ISC2 Workshops in major cities worldwide focusing on AI security for actionable strategies to strengthen your organization’s security posture and build cyber efficiencies by harnessing the power of AI.
  • We partnered with leaders in the field such as IBM/Coursera, Linux Foundation/Open Source Security Foundation, CREST and Tokio Marine dR to foster a more robust cybersecurity ecosystem.

Together, we have achieved remarkable success in 2023. We are confident that our collective efforts will continue to inspire progress and excellence in the years ahead. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to a safe and secure cyber world. You inspire us daily, and we are privileged to support you.

We are proud to have you as part of this community.

Jill Slay, CISSP

2023 ISC2 Board of Directors Chair

Clar Rosso, CC

ISC2 CEO