commissum (http://www.commissum.com) is a specialist information security company based in Edinburgh, UK. Its clients include a wide range of organisations, from the public sector, private industry, and government agencies, based largely in the UK and Europe. A relatively high proportion of these clients are of long standing. Its expertise includes penetration testing, ISO 27001 gap analysis, source code inspection, mobile device security assessment, and wireless vulnerability assessment.
The Open University module on Information Security Management is a postgraduate course within the Computing department, and falls within the “Project Management” series of modules. It is a practice-based course based on an organisation familiar to the student, and includes project work on information security risk assessment and risk management. The Open University encourages links with industry, and sees the sponsorship of student awards as a highly relevant way of strengthening these links.
Martin Finch, Managing Director of commissum, likewise welcomes links between industry and academia, saying: “The ongoing growth in the field of information security has resulted in a great need for more trained and capable entrants to the field. Initiatives such as the student prize can help to identify the industry leaders of tomorrow, and may help them to gain that all-important first step on the ladder at the beginning of their career. As a leading specialist company, commissum is happy to be part of the continuing development of the information security industry”.
