Central Ohio ISSA

What Central Ohio ISSA does

Central Ohio ISSA (COISSA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association and local chapter of ISSA International, founded in 2004 to serve cybersecurity professionals in the Columbus/Central Ohio region. Headquartered in Hilliard/Dublin, Ohio, the organization operates with a 1–10 volunteer-staffed structure governed by a board led by President Robert Kinzer and including directors and deputy directors across operations, communications, speakers, education, sponsors, technology, scholarships, and membership. It reports 350+ active members, positioning itself as one of the largest and most active ISSA chapters in the nation with 20+ years of community-building history.

The association delivers a portfolio of community programs rather than technology products. Core offerings include monthly and quarterly chapter meetings (with technical, GRC, application security, and executive tracks), the annual Central Ohio InfoSec Summit (900+ attendees in 2025, scaling to 1,500+ for 2026 with 100+ expert speakers), the COISSA Connect virtual webinar series launched in 2025, CISSP training and certification preparation, a Career Center job board at careercenter.coissa.org, a Toastmasters speaking club (CB-28676676), and the COISSA Scholarship Foundation. Distribution occurs through in-person events at venues including COhatch and TekSystems Dublin, virtual webinars, and joint programming with ISACA Central Ohio (notably a Fall 2025 AI Workshop offering up to 16 CPE hours).

Revenue is generated through two streams: corporate sponsorship of events and membership dues collected via ISSA International. The sponsorship ladder is structured across eight tiers from $750 (Chapter Meeting Sponsor) to $20,000 (Titanium Sponsor), with multi-year contracts and visible sponsor logos spanning cybersecurity vendors (Varonis, Sophos, Fortinet, Splunk, Illumio, Darktrace, Cofense, Tines, Cribl, Dropzone, Torq, Obviam) and regional employers (JPMorgan Chase, Huntington Bank). Marketing channels include the centralohioissa.org website, email newsletters, and a multi-platform social media presence (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). Financial results are not publicly disclosed, consistent with 501(c)(6) non-profit status.

Name

Central Ohio ISSA

Legal name

Central Ohio ISSA

Website

https://centralohioissa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Central Ohio ISSA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association and ISSA International chapter serving 350+ cybersecurity professionals in Central Ohio through monthly meetings, the annual InfoSec Summit, certification training, webinars, and career resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud, DevOps & Software Engineering Certifications (EDAAANAH)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity association
• Information security membership
• Professional networking events
• Cybersecurity training programs
• InfoSec community

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors pay to support events and gain visibility with cybersecurity professionals. Tiers range from $750 for Chapter Meeting Sponsors to $20,000 for Titanium Sponsors. Includes booth space, speaking opportunities, and branding at the InfoSec Summit and chapter events.
2. Membership Dues: Members join through ISSA International (selecting 'USA: OH Central Ohio' during registration). Provides access to monthly meetings, trainings, CPE credits, and the annual InfoSec Summit.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Central Ohio ISSA (COISSA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional chapter of ISSA International that delivers membership-based community services to cybersecurity practitioners across Central Ohio. Its core offerings include monthly chapter meetings, an annual Central Ohio InfoSec Summit, the COISSA Connect webinar series, certification training (e.g., CISSP prep), a career center, a Toastmasters club, and a scholarship foundation.

Product overview

Central Ohio ISSA (COISSA) is a professional membership association for cybersecurity professionals, not a technology product company. The organization provides a portfolio of community programs and events including monthly chapter meetings, the annual Central Ohio InfoSec Summit (Ohio's premier cybersecurity conference), the COISSA Connect Series of webinars, CISSP training and certification prep, a Career Center job board, a Toastmasters speaking club, and scholarship programs. These offerings are interconnected programs designed to educate, connect, and support cybersecurity professionals at all career stages in Central Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISSA / COISSA Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ members in Central Ohio chapter
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISSA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral Ohio ISSA is a local chapter of ISSA International, the premier global association for cybersecurity professionals. This affiliation provides global network access, international event calendars, and organizational credibility to the local chapter.
• TekSystemsminorOthersTekSystems hosts Toastmasters meetings at their Dublin, Ohio location (4675 Lakehurst Court).
• ISACA Central OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISACA Central Ohio partners with COISSA for joint training events, including the Fall 2025 AI Workshop (October 29-30, 2025) offering up to 16 CPE hours.
• COISSA Scholarship FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent scholarship foundation supporting students in their cybersecurity studies and career transitions, connected to the chapter's mission.
• Toastmasters InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOISSA hosts a Toastmasters club (CB-28676676) helping members practice public speaking and leadership skills in a supportive setting.
• COhatchminorOthersQuarterly chapter meetings and networking events held at COhatch venues in Columbus area including Upper Arlington and Polaris locations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SANS Institute: Global cybersecurity training and certification provider. Competes with COISSA's CISSP prep and training programs at a much larger scale, while also drawing the same pool of security professionals for CPE and skill development.
• OWASP Foundation: Global open-source application security community with local chapters. Competes for the same cybersecurity professional mindshare, sponsorship dollars, and volunteer leadership in the Central Ohio region.
• ISSA International: Global parent association of which COISSA is a chapter. Operates the same membership-and-events model at worldwide scale, providing the structural framework and brand that COISSA extends locally.
• (ISC)²: Global nonprofit that administers the CISSP certification — the same credential COISSA helps members prepare for. Operates regional chapters and competes for the same professional community and CPE-credit engagement.

Emerging players

• WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity): Nonprofit organization advancing women in cybersecurity through community, scholarships, and events. Overlaps with COISSA's scholarship and community-development mission and competes for a portion of the same diverse cybersecurity talent pipeline.
• Cybersecurity Collaborative: Peer-to-peer cybersecurity executive community offering forums, benchmarking, and networking. Targets CISOs and senior practitioners — a segment COISSA also courts through its Executive track and senior leader programming.

Direct peers

• InfraGard: FBI-affiliated information sharing and analysis organization with local chapters. Targets a substantially overlapping audience of cybersecurity professionals in Central Ohio and competes for similar members and corporate sponsorships.
• ISSA Los Angeles Chapter: Another large, active ISSA chapter operating a similar model of monthly meetings, certification prep, and an annual summit. Useful benchmark for COISSA's programming, sponsorship strategy, and member engagement approach.
• BSides Columbus: Community-driven cybersecurity conference in Columbus following the global BSides format. Directly competes with the InfoSec Summit for cybersecurity attendees, speakers, and sponsors in the same regional market.
• ISACA Central Ohio: Sister cybersecurity/IT governance professional association serving the same Central Ohio market. Operates as both a partner (joint training events) and a competitor for members, sponsors, and CPE-eligible programming in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coissa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Ohio ISSA