Wow! Here it is already May. Our chapter year is wrapping up soon, with our next two meetings on May 14 at the Crowne Plaza in Addison and June 11 at CityPlace in Dallas.

At our May 14 meeting, there will be several opportunities to secure CPE credits, so be sure to register for the various events.

Spring Seminar - 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM SharePoint: Audit, Security & Control Gary Geddes of Microsoft and John Dickson of Denim Group There will be a total of 7.5 CPE credits awarded -Come One - Come All. NOTE: There is no Pre-Luncheon meeting in May due to the Spring Seminar. Luncheon Session - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Auditing your UNIX and Linux Operating Systems Mike Schiller, CISA Mike is the co-author of 'IT Auditing: Using Controls to Protect Information Assets' and is the Manager IT Global Asset Management, Central Help Desk, and Desktop Services departments at Texas Instruments. Those attending Mike's presentation will have two (2) opportunities to win an autographed book from Mike. A total of 1.0 CPE credits will be awarded. Post Luncheon Session - 1:40 PM - 2:30 PM Payment Card Industry Security Standards - An Industry Update Eric A. Pulse, Director, and Mark Faske, Manager, both with RSM McGladrey, Inc. A total of 1.0 CPE credits will be awarded.

For details and to register, go to ISACA May 16, 2009 - Registration.

At our June 11, 2009 meeting, these are the outstanding speakers and also the celebration activities planned:

• Pre-Luncheon Meeting - Chris Leach, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Affiliated Computer Services, Inc on a topic to be determined. I can speak personally about Chris since I work with him at ACS, and we will be in for a treat. A total of 1.0 CPE credits will be awarded.
• Luncheon Meeting - Brian Rawson, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the State of Texas in Austin will present on a topic still to be determined. A total of 1.0 CPE credits will be awarded.
• Post-Luncheon Meeting Celebration - Diane Nelson of ISACA International will be our guest and will present our Chapter with the North America K. Wayne Snipes Award for 2007-08. All members and guests are encouraged to attend this gathering for pictures, celebration cake, and as an opportunity network with others until 2:30pm. All attendees will receive a special gift to help memorialize the event.

My tenure as your President ends as of June 30, 2009. However, there is still lots of work to do, starting with completion of planning for the June 11 chapter meeting. We also need to complete several items - the financial audit of our chapter’s accounting records, the chapter’s Annual Report, the ITGI Balanced Scorecard (BSC) report to document our Chapter 2008-09 accomplishments, and provide feedback to ISACA International on various other topics. It has been an honor for me to serve the chapter and I sure hope you enjoyed our meetings and events as much as I did.

I want to express my appreciation to each of you, as members, for your support, attendance and encouragement.
Also, my special thanks to the 2008-09 Board members, as volunteers, for their time, talent, and tremendous contributions that helps makes the ISACA North Texas Chapter something we are all proud of now and in the future.

Best wishes to the incoming 2009-2010 Board members and please let me know how I can help you be successful.

At each monthly meeting, we have a gift card drawing following the luncheon presentation, where we give away four $50 gift cards to popular merchants in the area. The most requested are Home Depot, Lowes, Macy's, Nordstrom and Best Buy.

To be eligible for the drawing, you must have checked in and paid at the registration table prior to the luncheon and be present at the time of drawing. Walk in's who have paid and registered are also included in the drawing. We let the speaker draw the names from the basket to ensure objectivity, and the lucky winners are subsequently photographed for posterity.

The next winner could be you!

April 2009 Winners

ISACA recently advised that 48 individuals in the DFW area had received the CISA, CISM and CGEIT certifications. At our recent April meeting, ISACA’s North Texas Chapter was able to publicly recognize 13 of those that had reached this major milestone.

The CISA, CISM and CGEIT designations are some of the most respected in the industry, and it's a very big deal for many people. Numerous career counselors, recruiters and international surveys document that the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM) are notable certifications sought out by companies and hiring individuals. Those of you who recently accomplished the new Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) designation will be assured of industry accreditation in the future as more and more industry professionals become aware of this certification.

To properly recognize this accomplishment for all those unable to attend the April meeting, we would like to identify all of the 48 that provided us an "OK" to post their achievement. Please note that this list does not include everyone - just those we were able to contact.

And the winners are . . .

If you have registered to take the CISA, CISM or CGEIT exams on June 13, you may also have signed up for our Spring CISA or CISM Review Courses, which began May 2 and run several weeks. No doubt, our great instructors will convey everything you need to know about the certification exam, along with appropriate study on your part, of course.

But have you thought about the CPE credits you will obtain as well? The CISA review offers 28 CPE hours for completion, and the CISM offers 24. On top of that, the rates are inexpensive - as low as $9 per CPE hour.

So excluding the certification review service offered by your local chapter, we frequently hear of individuals taking our courses for the CPE only, with no plans to take the exam. Still a bargain, and worth considering for the next round of exams later in 2009.

So when they ask if you are going for the training or the CPE, just tell them "Both".

ISACA's newest certification is the Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT). In 2008, ISACA offered 'grandfathering' opportunities for qualified individuals, and the North Texas Chapter has a substantial number of grandfathered individuals now holding the CGEIT certification.

In December, ISACA began offering CGEIT examinations concurrently with CISA and CISM examinations. Interest in the certification continues to grow in North Texas with several individuals registered to take the exam.

In keeping with a 20+-year tradition, the North Texas Chapter is offering a review and discussion session for individuals registered to take the CGEIT examination in June. The session will offer an opportunity for exam takers to discuss the material with colleagues. Austin Hutton of Hutton Consulting will moderate the session.

This initial review session will be a one-day overview of the CGEIT reference material. The session will be held at the UTD campus on May 23, 2009. Future review sessions will be driven by growth of the CGEIT credential and membership interest in a review course. For additional information on this and future review sessions, contact certification@isacantx.org

Your local ISACA Board recognizes that, with our economy where it is today and rising unemployment rates, we have members looking for the "Next Great Opportunity". At the same time, we recognize that there are firms and recruiters searching for the kind of talent available within our local Chapter.

So, to help bring jobs and job seekers together expeditiously, the Board has agreed to eliminate all monthly fees for the posting of positions, through the end of 2009. Members can then examine the available positions on the ISACANTX.ORG job board at http://www.isacantx.org/index.cfm/Job_Postings.

Our members already had the option of posting available job openings at no charge, but for the next few months, non-member organizations and job recruiters will have the same privilege - to post their relevant jobs FOR FREE. This is a win-win for all concerned – employers, recruiters, job candidates and our ISACA chapter. All we ask is that you put the system to work as quickly as possible – Get Those Jobs Posted.

All that is required to post a position available at your company is a quick email to jobs@isacantx.org. Just include a completed Job Posting Template. Each job posting will be displayed for one month and can be reposted again or removed at any time by request. Also, the posted job descriptions will be printed and available to interested members at the registration table at our monthly chapter meeting.

Interested in positions outside the DFW area – even world-wide? ISACA International maintains a Career Centre that hosts hundreds of available opportunities. Just select Career Centre from the left-hand menu options at www.isaca.org.

Did you know that ISACA International has created a new website area with you in mind? The site was established to help members navigate the difficult global economy. The content focuses on "keeping your competitive edge in your current job", "taking your next professional steps while in transition", and "ensuring the success of your enterprise".

Check it out at http://isaca.org . Look for the link on how to Learn About Resources to Succeed in Challenging Times.

The School of Management (SOM) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has started a new tradition and the North Texas Chapter of ISACA was proud to be a participant. On Wednesday, April 8, 2009, UTD held an Inaugural Scholarship Breakfast at the Westin Galleria to acknowledge and thank persons and organizations who contributed toward scholarships for their SOM students. ISACA sponsored a table with their $1000 donation, where students, SOM personnel and ISACA Board Members enjoyed a wonderful meal. The featured speaker was Gary Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of Southwest Airlines.

Our North Texas Chapter of ISACA takes great pride in supporting UTD through our scholarship program. Chapter attendees at the Breakfast were Sue Pagel, Donna Hutcheson, Cheryl McKay-Dorrell, Cynthia McPhaul, and Nicole Turner. We hope to continue providing scholarships to deserving SOM students at UTD in the future.

Though the efforts of Mr. Snipes and hundreds of other dedicated volunteers and professionals, ISACA has grown to 182 chapters worldwide. As of March 31, 2009, overall membership in ISACA is as follows:

• 23,861 - Asia
• 3,651 - Latin America
• 24, 501 - Europe/Africa
• 43,795 - North America
• 2,975 - Oceania (Australia and nearby)

Your North Texas Chapter rates 12th in the world for membership, with 1,650 members as of March 31. Only four North American chapters are larger:

• Chicago (1,744)
• Toronto (2,295)
• National Capital Area in D.C. (2,521)
• New Your City (2,793)

The largest ISACA chapter is actually in Tokyo, with 3,155 members.

So how many of our 1,650 members actually attend our monthly meetings? Between Sept 2008 and April 2009, attendees ranged from 122 – 216, with October 2008 taking the “prize” so far with 260. Average attendance to date is 152 per meeting. Imagine if all 1,650 attended each monthly meeting!