Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a professional certification for Information Technology Audit professionals offered by ISACA. CISA is the top audit professional certification sponsored by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). In a world dependent on IT the value of IT security expertise is obvious. The purpose of the certification is to assist employers in hiring auditors who are skilled in measuring and assessing IT controls by affirming that a candidate possesses a baseline set of auditing skills. In order to receive the certification, applicants must pass an examination that includes sections on the following topics, among others:

• auditing practices and techniques
• gathering and preserving evidence in forensic investigations
• control objectives and reporting techniques

The CISA certification is for those who need to display knowledge of IT auditing, security, and control. Having a CISA certification helps to answer reasons like:

• Develop and maintain a tool that can be used to evaluate an individual's competency in conducting information system audits.
• To provide a motivational tool for information systems auditors to maintain their skills, and monitor the success of the maintenance programs organization wide.
• To provide a strong criteria to help management in the selection of personnel and development.

"IT professionals holding the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification earned the largest gains in premium bonus pay among 56 certifications surveyed by Foote Partners, LLC during 2003 and 2002."

The course and examination covers the current, official ISACA material in the following areas:

The Process of Auditing Information Systems

• IT Audit and Assurance Standards, Guidelines and Tools and Techniques, Code of Professional Ethics and other applicable standards
• Risk assessment concepts, tools and techniques in an audit context
• Control objectives and controls related to information systems
• Audit planning and audit project management techniques, including follow-up
• Fundamental business processes, including relevant IT
• Applicable laws and regulations which affect the scope, evidence collection and preservation, and frequency of audits
• Evidence collection techniques used to gather, protect and preserve audit evidence
• Sampling methodologies
• Reporting and communication techniques
• Audit quality assurance systems and frameworks

Governance and Management of IT

• IT governance, management, security and control frameworks, and related standards, guidelines, and practices
• The purpose of IT strategy, policies, standards and procedures for an organization and the essential elements of each
• Organizational structure, roles and responsibilities related to IT
• Processes for the development, implementation and maintenance of IT strategy, policies, standards and procedures
• Organization's technology direction and IT architecture and their implications for setting long-term strategic directions
• Relevant laws, regulations and industry standards affecting the organization
• Quality management systems
• Maturity models
• Process optimization techniques
• IT resource investment and allocation practices, including prioritization criteria
• IT supplier selection, contract management, relationship management and performance monitoring processes including third party outsourcing relationships
• Enterprise risk management
• Monitoring and reporting of IT performance
• IT human resources (personnel) management practices used to invoke the business continuity plan
• Business impact analysis (BIA) related to business continuity planning
• The standards and procedures for the development and maintenance of the business continuity plan and testing methods

Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation

• Benefits realisation practices
• Project governance mechanisms
• Project management control frameworks, practices and tools
• Risk management practices applied to projects
• IT architecture related to data, applications and technology
• Acquisition practices
• Analysis and management practices
• Project success criteria and risks
• Control objectives and techniques that ensure the completeness, accuracy, validity and authorization of transactions and data
• System development methodologies and tools including their strengths and weaknesses
• Testing methodologies and practices related to information systems development
• Configuration and release management relating to the development of information systems
• System migration and infrastructure deployment practices and data conversion tools, techniques and procedures.
• Post-implementation review objectives and practices

Information Systems Operations, Maintenance and Support

• Service level management practices and the components within a service level agreement
• Techniques for monitoring third party compliance with the organization's internal controls
• Operations and end-user procedures for managing scheduled and non-scheduled processes
• Technology concepts related to hardware and network components, system software and database management systems
• Control techniques that ensure the integrity of system interfaces
• Software licensing and inventory practices
• System resiliency tools and techniques
• Database administration practices
• Capacity planning and related monitoring tools and techniques
• Systems performance monitoring processes, tools and techniques
• Problem and incident management practices
• Processes, for managing scheduled and non-scheduled changes to the production systems and/or infrastructure including change, configuration, release and patch management practices
• Data backup, storage, maintenance, retention and restoration practices
• Regulatory, legal, contractual and insurance issues related to disaster recovery
• Business impact analysis (BIA) related to disaster recovery planning
• Development and maintenance of disaster recovery plans
• Alternate processing sites and methods used to monitor the contractual agreements
• Processes used to invoke the disaster recovery plans
• Disaster recovery testing methods

Protection of Information Assets

• Techniques for the design, implementation, and monitoring of security controls, including security awareness programs
• Processes related to monitoring and responding to security incidents
• Logical access controls for the identification, authentication and restriction of users to authorized functions and data
• Security controls related to hardware, system software, and database management systems.
• Risks and controls associated with virtualization of systems
• Configuration, implementation, operation and maintenance of network security controls
• Network and Internet security devices, protocols, and techniques
• Information system attack methods and techniques
• Detection tools and control techniques
• Security testing techniques
• Risks and controls associated with data leakage
• Encryption-related techniques
• Public key infrastructure (PKI) components and digital signature techniques
• Risks and controls associated with peer-to-peer computing, instant messaging, and web-based technologies
• Controls and risks associated with the use of mobile & wireless devices
• Voice communications security
• Evidence preservation techniques and processes followed in forensics investigations
• Data classification standards and supporting procedures
• Physical access controls for the identification, authentication and restriction of users to authorized facilities
• Environmental protection devices and supporting practices
• Processes and procedures used to store, retrieve, transport and dispose of confidential information assets

There is no work experience related eligibility criteria for taking up the CISA® examination. After successful completion of the exam, candidates are given a 5-year window to gain the required experience and apply for the certification.

The examination runs a multiple-choice format and consists of a four-hour long paper. The examination tests both a delegate's knowledge of IS audit principles and practices, as well as technical content areas.

The CISA exam covers one process and five content areas (domains) and those tasks that are routinely performed by a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

What is CISA®?
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA®) is an audit professional certification sponsored by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

How can I take CISA® exam?
Each participant can take the CISA® Exam by directly registering on the ISACA web site.

How ISACA scores candidates in CISA® exam?
ISACA uses and reports scores on a common scale from 200 to 800. For example, the scaled score of 800 represents a perfect score with all questions answered correctly; a scaled score of 200 is the lowest score possible and signifies that only a small number of questions were answered correctly. You need to achieve a score of 450 or higher to pass the CISA® Exam

How many PDUs do I earn after completing CISA® training course with KnowledgeHut?
You can earn 45 PDUs after completing CISA® training course with KnowledgeHut.

Will PMI accept PDUs provided by KnowledgeHut?
KnowledgeHut is a global PMI registered Education Provider (Global PMI REP ID 3757) and therefore PMI accepts PDUs provided by knowledgeHut.

 

 

"Will be updated at the earliest"

 

 

This course has been designed to intensively prepare delegates for the CISA examination as detailed by ISACA.

Suitable for:

• Internal and external auditors
• Finance/CPA professionals
• IT professionals
• Information Security professionals