Information Systems Security Association
ISSA is a not-for-profit international professional association serving cybersecurity practitioners through tiered membership, the ISSA Journal, the CSCL career framework, Special Interest Groups, and 100+ chapters across 20+ countries, monetizing via dues, sponsorships, events, and educational partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Information Systems Security Association does
Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) is a not-for-profit international professional association founded circa 1985 and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, that serves individual cybersecurity practitioners across the career continuum from pre-professional through C-suite. The organization operates a tiered membership structure — General, Cyber Executive ($995/year plus chapter dues), Government, and Student — and delivers a portfolio of services including the monthly ISSA Journal, the registered Cyber Security Career Lifecycle (CSCL) framework, the AIM Program for apprenticeships/internships/mentorships, Special Interest Groups (Privacy, Cyber Resilience, Emerging Technologies, vCISO, CISSP, Women in Security, Board of Directors), the annual International Summit, quarterly Cyber Executive Forums, and a Fellows recognition program. ISSA conducts the annual Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals longitudinal workforce study, currently in partnership with Omdia (Volume VIII in 2026) with research support from Cloud Security Alliance and SANS Institute.
ISSA monetizes through four primary streams: recurring membership dues across four tiers, corporate sponsorship packages reaching cybersecurity decision-makers, event registration fees for summits and forums, and educational partner referral revenue from arrangements with MindEdge Learning, Infosec Institute, and AI CERTs. The association distributes services through 100+ local chapters in 20+ countries as its primary field channel, supplemented by the issa.org website for self-serve enrollment, the ISSA Job Board, and web conferences for virtual programming. The organization is governed by an elected International Board (President Jimmy Sanders, VP Laura Harder, COO/Secretary Lee Neely, CFO/Treasurer David Vaughn) and operated by a small full-time international team of approximately seven staff, reflecting a lean nonprofit association model that relies heavily on volunteer leadership and chapter-level activity.
Information Systems Security Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Information Systems Security Association
- Legal name
- Information Systems Security Association
- Website
- https://issa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ISSA is a not-for-profit international professional association serving cybersecurity practitioners through tiered membership, the ISSA Journal, the CSCL career framework, Special Interest Groups, and 100+ chapters across 20+ countries, monetizing via dues, sponsorships, events, and educational partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Information Systems Security Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Information Technology & Cybersecurity Certification Prep (CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, AWS, ISC2/ISACA) (EDANAIAF)
Keywords
Where Information Systems Security Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Information Systems Security Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from General, Cyber Executive, Government, and Student membership tiers. Dues vary by membership level with Cyber Executive Membership at $995/year for individuals plus chapter dues.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship packages providing lead generation, speaking opportunities, thought leadership, content syndication, and branding/visibility for sponsors targeting cybersecurity professionals.
- Event Registration Fees: Registration fees for International Summits, Cyber Executive Forums, web conferences, and the annual Awards Gala. Cyber Executive Forums are free for Cyber Executive Members.
- Educational Partner Revenue: Revenue from partnership arrangements with educational providers like MindEdge Learning where ISSA members receive discounts on courses. ISSA receives referral/affiliate revenue from partner course enrollments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Cyber Executive Membership for senior-level cybersecurity executives and CISOs |
| Subscription | Annual | General Membership for cybersecurity professionals |
| Subscription | Annual | Government Membership for government agency employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Membership for students pursuing cybersecurity careers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels11 records
Information Systems Security Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ISSA is a not-for-profit international professional association that delivers tiered membership programs, professional education, peer networking, and career development resources to cybersecurity professionals. Its core offerings include General, Cyber Executive, Government, and Student memberships; the ISSA Journal; the Cyber Security Career Lifecycle (CSCL) framework; the AIM Program for apprenticeships and mentorship; annual International Summits, quarterly Cyber Executive Forums, and web conferences; Special Interest Groups; and the annual Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals research study.
Product overview
ISSA is a not-for-profit professional association providing a comprehensive portfolio of membership-based services for cybersecurity professionals at all career stages. The organization operates a tiered membership structure (General, Government, Student, Cyber Executive) and delivers professional development through the ISSA Journal, Web Conferences, and International Summits. Career development resources include the Cyber Security Career Lifecycle framework and AIM Program for apprenticeships and mentorship. Community engagement is facilitated through local chapters, Special Interest Groups, and the quarterly Cyber Executive Forum. The association recognizes excellence via its Awards Program and Fellows distinction. ISSA also produces the annual Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals research study in partnership with Omdia/ESG.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cyber Security Career Lifecycle (CSCL): A framework developed by ISSA to identify with its members at different career stages, from pre-professional to security leader, with services designed for each phase.
- AIM Program
- Cyber Executive Forum
- Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals
- ISSA Journal
Products and services
- General Membership Membership program for cybersecurity professionals providing access to the ISSA Journal, chapter meetings, web conferences, ISSA Job Board, Special Interest Groups participation, and CPE credits.
- Cyber Executive Membership
- Government Membership
- Student Membership
- ISSA Journal
- ISSA International Summit
- Cyber Executive Forum
- Web Conferences
- Corporate Sponsorship Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 55% of cybersecurity professionals say attending industry events advances their careers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Information Systems Security Association
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Information Systems Security Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Information Systems Security Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.
- OmdiacoreResearch partnership conducting the annual Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals study. Omdia, part of Informa TechTarget, conducts the survey of ISSA members and produces the industry's longest-running annual cybersecurity workforce study dating to 2016. The partnership produces Volume VIII in 2026 based on 380 global respondents.
- Cloud Security AllianceminorResearch initiative supporter for the Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals Volume VIII study. Cloud Security Alliance contributes to advancing the cybersecurity profession through this collaborative research effort.
- SANS InstituteminorResearch initiative supporter for the Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals Volume VIII study. SANS Institute's support contributes to ISSA's commitment to advancing the cybersecurity profession.
- Infosec InstitutesupportingStrategic partnership with Cengage Group company to provide ISSA members with access to comprehensive cybersecurity training resources at preferred rates. Aims to address cybersecurity skills gap and support professional development through discounted training and certification programs.
- AI CERTssupportingPartnership with global certification body for AI-powered professional training to advance AI education in cybersecurity. Provides ISSA members with specialized AI-focused certification opportunities in the cybersecurity domain.
- NightDragonminorISSA Experience partnership exploring the World of Cyber Venture Capital. Dorin Baniel, Principal and Head of EMEA at NightDragon (VC founded by former McAfee/FireEye CEO Dave DeWalt), leads webinars and articles covering venture capital topics including the Israeli cyber ecosystem and startup development. NightDragon is based in Tel Aviv.
- FAIR InstitutesupportingStrategic alliance expanding educational resources to the cyber and IT community. Partnership provides ISSA members with access to Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) methodology and resources for enterprise risk management.
- Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG)coreResearch partnership producing annual global studies of cybersecurity professionals including the Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals series. ESG, now part of TechTarget, has collaborated with ISSA since 2016 on comprehensive workforce research examining skills shortages, job satisfaction, and career development. Studies are published as free eBooks and press releases.
- MindEdge LearningsupportingEducational partnership providing ISSA members with 20% discount on MindEdge's catalog of online courses including CISSP exam prep, project management, cybersecurity, and business courses. All courses are mobile-enabled for access via desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Information Systems Security Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- (ISC)²: (ISC)² is the most direct peer—it's a global, member-driven nonprofit association for cybersecurity professionals and the owner of the CISSP credential, the same certification prominently tied to ISSA's membership (60% CISSP-certified) and CISSP SIG.
- ISACA: ISACA is a global nonprofit association serving IT governance, risk, and cybersecurity professionals through certifications (CISM, CISA, CRISC) and chapters—a direct peer to ISSA in mission, structure, and member services.
- SANS Institute: SANS is a closely comparable cybersecurity training and GIAC-certification body that partners with ISSA on workforce research. It competes with ISSA for CISOs' training budgets while overlapping on certification pathways and thought leadership.
- EC-Council: EC-Council is a global cybersecurity membership-and-certification organization (CEH, CHFI, etc.) competing with ISSA for cybersecurity professionals seeking credentials and continuing education.
- IAPP: IAPP is a global nonprofit membership association for privacy professionals with tiered membership, certifications (CIPP/CIPT/CIPM), and chapter-based community—a near-direct analog of ISSA operating in an adjacent cyber-adjacent vertical.
- Cloud Security Alliance: CSA is a global nonprofit organization serving cloud-security practitioners through credentials (CCSK, CCSP), research, and chapters. It is both a partner of ISSA on the Life and Times study and a direct peer for cybersecurity professional engagement.
Emerging players
- FAIR Institute: FAIR Institute is a non-profit professional association promoting the Factor Analysis of Information Risk methodology—an ISSA strategic alliance partner that competes for members interested in cyber risk quantification and certification.
- Infosec Institute: Infosec Institute is a commercial cybersecurity training provider that became an ISSA strategic partner in 2025, positioning it as both a partner and an adjacent emerging competitor for member training budgets.
Broad incumbents
- CompTIA: CompTIA is a large trade association issuing foundational IT and cybersecurity certifications (Security+, CySA+), overlapping with ISSA's entry-level member segment and competing for early-career certification mindshare.
- ASIS International: ASIS International is the broad-incumbent professional association for the wider security industry (CPP, PSP, PCI), overlapping with ISSA at the cybersecurity/physical security intersection and competing for security-leader membership.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Information Systems Security Association social profiles
Digital presenceInformation Systems Security Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Information Systems Security Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Information Systems Security Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Information Systems Security Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Information Systems Security Association
What does Information Systems Security Association do?
ISSA is a not-for-profit international professional association that delivers tiered membership programs, professional education, peer networking, and career development resources to cybersecurity professionals. Its core offerings include General, Cyber Executive, Government, and Student memberships; the ISSA Journal; the Cyber Security Career Lifecycle (CSCL) framework; the AIM Program for apprenticeships and mentorship; annual International Summits, quarterly Cyber Executive Forums, and web conferences; Special Interest Groups; and the annual Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals research study.
Is Information Systems Security Association a public or private company?
Information Systems Security Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Information Systems Security Association founded?
Information Systems Security Association was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Information Systems Security Association based?
Information Systems Security Association is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Information Systems Security Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships, event Registration Fees and educational Partner Revenue.
Who are Information Systems Security Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are (ISC)², ISACA, SANS Institute, EC-Council, IAPP and Cloud Security Alliance. Emerging players are FAIR Institute and Infosec Institute. Broad incumbents are CompTIA and ASIS International.
Does Information Systems Security Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Information Systems Security Association.
What industry is Information Systems Security Association in?
Information Systems Security Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAANAA, Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications, with a secondary code of EDANAIAF, Information Technology & Cybersecurity Certification Prep (CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, AWS, ISC2/ISACA). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.