CISA, or Certified Information System Auditor, is one of the renowned information certifications for IS audit control and security professionals. It is a cybersecurity certification issued by the Information System Audit and Control Association or ISACA for information systems' control, audit, and security.

It certifies individuals' competence in IT Audit, IT Security, Governance, and IT Risk Management. It further determines whether they can assess and measure IT controls and have auditing skills. However, this post will shed light on almost everything you need to know about CISA certification. Furthermore, it will help a beginner to understand what type of job they can expect after completing this course.

Introduction to CISA or Certified Information Systems Auditor

It is one of the well-recognized certifications for appraising an IT Auditor's expertise, knowledge, and skills in assessing vulnerabilities and establishing IT controls in an enterprise environment. ISACA issues the certification to those responsible for ensuring that an organization's IT and business systems are managed, monitored, and secured.

They will receive the certification after completing the comprehensive CISA Certification training. With the constant advancement in technology, the demand for this certification is rapidly increasing. Attaining the certification is beneficial because it accepts employers across the globe and sometimes requests for security information management and IT audit position.
It is an excellent opportunity for people interested in advancing or getting into this industry. In addition, the certification holder will get greater visibility throughout the job application process because most companies are looking for skilled IT auditors with a CISA certification.

Competencies of CISA Certification
A CISA certification mainly indicates the skills and expertise in the following work-related domains.
IT Governance and ManagementThe IT Governance and Management concentrate on an organization's structures, leadership, and processes. It makes sure that the technology and information are in the correct alignment. In addition, it helps the organization handle IT risks with proficiency and supports the objective and strategy of the organization.
• Information System Audit Process
It covers the whole IS or Information Security audit practice. In addition, it includes the methodology and procedures for an auditor to complete their work successfully.
• Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation
It is another domain of CISA certification that offers a critical overview of primary mythology and its processes. Organizations use this to create, change, or implement systems at application and infrastructure levels.
• Protection of Information Assets
It addresses the primary components that ensure integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the information assets. Therefore, it includes implementation, design, monitoring of logical and physical access control, treatment of information, classification procedures, network security, etc.
• Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
It guarantees the expected service level of the information system to the users and the organization's management. The SLA expectations entirely depend on the business objective of a company.

Perks of Taking Up the CISA Certification

There are many advantages to getting this cybersecurity certification which is also the reason behind its increasing popularity. However, if you are a beginner, you need to know the benefits this specific course offers. Therefore, below, we have given a list of the perks of taking this course.
• CISA certification confirms your experience and knowledge in information security.
• The significant benefit of taking this course is that it makes you a trustworthy candidate to hire. This course indicates your educational experience, theoretical achievements, and work experience.
• It also shows that you have maintained and gained the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the dynamic challenges in an organization.
• The course offers a competitive edge against your peers and helps you stand out.
• It gets you in the game to help you achieve high professional standards via ISACA for ethical conduct and continuing education.
• CISA certification validates proficiency in the security profession, control, and IS audit.
• Another advantage is it supports your experience and knowledge in the assigned area and demonstrates your ability to meet any challenges.
• All in all, it marks your experience, advanced knowledge, and excellence in IS audit.
How Can You Become A CISA Certified Professional?
If you wish to earn the CISA certification, you need to meet specific requirements to become eligible for the certification.
• The candidate must have work experience above 4000 hours. Additionally, he or she should be a working professional in any security department of the IT firm.
• If the applicant has not possessed the required work experience, he or she needs to have work experience of at least one year in security, control, or auditing with the same duration.
• If the candidate wishes to work as a trainer, the applicant should be an experienced controller, It auditor, and security professional.
If you meet the eligibility as mentioned above criteria, then you can register yourself to give CISA exam. However, you need to pay the online registration fee to register yourself.
After passing the examination, you must submit your application to get the certification. It is worth noting that you have to submit the application within 5 years of completing the examination.
Brief Information About CISA Exam
The CISA examination is open for every individual interested in control, IS auditing, and security. It is a four hours long examination that consists of 150 MCQs set around five work practice domains:
• Governance and Management of IT
• Information Systems Auditing Process
• Protection of Information Assets
• Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
• Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation
You must score at least 450 or above (graded on a scale of 200 to 800) to qualify for the pass. The authority takes the CISA exam remotely online or at any location globally. This specific examination is offered in French, English, Chinese Traditional, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin Specified, German, Korean, Italian, Turkish, and Spanish.
How Can You Prepare For the CISA Examination?
We all know that preparation is the key to ace the CISA Examination confidently. You can take advantage of ISACA's preparation study material on their website. Candidates should concentrate on their self-studies more and practice as many practices sets as possible to improve their speed and accuracy. Additionally, start learning everything as an accountant. Adopting the mindset of an accountant is helpful because after clearing the exam, most candidates either get a job as a financial advisor or accountant.
Hence, when you think like an accountant, it eventually helps you gain a greater understanding of the questions asked in the examination. As a result, you will understand the section weight for better preparation. You also can work on your weaker parts to master every individual topic. However, when you pass the examination with the required score, you can apply for the CISA certification.
Career Opportunities For the CISAs
The employment opportunities for the CISAs are vast because of the increasing demand for cybersecurity experts in different sectors. So, irrespective of the type of business, many organizations are looking for eligible candidates with proper cybersecurity certification. Companies generally hire the CISAs for positions such as-
• Internal Auditing Manager
• Junior or Senior IT Auditor
• Information System Auditor
• Information Technology Manager
• Audit Manager
• Information Security Manager or Auditor
• Internal Audit Director
Conclusion
The demand for CISA training in Saudi Arabia and all over the world is rapidly increasing because companies are hunting for cybersecurity professionals to run an error-free and smooth business. Apart from a steep career progression, it comes with a handsome salary, making it a more lucrative and demanding profession. With this certification, you can work in non-audit and audit capacities, including IT Compliance, IT Risk Management, and Control Analysis.