ISACA is an international professional association focused on IT (

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

) governance. On its IRS filings, it is known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, although ISACA now goes by its acronym only.
ISACA currently offers 8 certification programs, as well as other micro-certificates.

History

ISACA originated in United States in 1967, when a group of individuals working on auditing controls in computer systems started to become increasingly critical of the operations of their organizations. They identified a need for a centralized source of information and guidance in the field. In 1969, Stuart Tyrnauer, an employee of the (later)

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...

, incorporated the group as the EDP Auditors Association (EDPAA). Tyrnauer served as the body's founding chairman for the first three years. In 1976 the association formed an education foundation to undertake large-scale research efforts to expand the knowledge of and value accorded to the fields of governance and control of

. The association became the ''Information Systems Audit and Control Association'' in 1994. the organization had dropped its long title and branded itself as ''ISACA''. In March 2016, ISACA bought the CMMI Institute, which is behind the

Capability Maturity Model Integration Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process level improvement training and appraisal program. Administered by the CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of ISACA, it was developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It is required by many ...

. In January 2020, ISACA updated and refreshed its look and digital presence, introducing a new logo.

Current status

ISACA currently serves more than 170,000 constituents (members and professionals holding ISACA certifications) in more than 180 countries. The job titles of members are such as IS auditor, consultant, educator, IS security professional, regulator, chief information officer,

chief information security officer A chief information security officer (CISO) is a senior-level executive within an organization responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise vision, strategy, and program to ensure information assets and technologies are adequately p ...

and

internal audit Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach t ...

or. They work in nearly all industry categories. There is a network of ISACA chapters with more than 225 chapters established in over 180 countries. Chapters provide education, resource sharing, advocacy, networking and other benefits.

Major publications

COBIT ISACA Framework

Frameworks, Standards and Models
*
Blockchain Framework and Guidance
*
Risk IT Framework
*
IT Audit Framework - (ITAF™): A Professional Practices Framework for IT Audit, 4th Edition
*
Business Model for Information Systems (BMIS
*
Capability Maturity Model Integrated(CMMI
*
Information System Control Journal
'
Insights and Expertise
*
Audit Programs and tools
*
Publications - over 200 professional publications and Guidance on Audit & Assurance, Emerging Technology, Governance, Information Security, Information Technology, Privacy, Risk
Some of the topics include: *** Artificial Intelligence *** Blockchain *** Certification Exam Prep Guides for CISA, CRISC, CISM, CGEIT, CDPSE, CET and several Certificate Courses *** Cloud Computing *** COBIT *** Compliance *** Cybersecurity *** Data Governance *** Data Science *** Internet of Things *** Network Infrastructure *** Software Development *** Threats and Controls *** Vendor Management *** Young Professionals
White Papers - Over 200 white papers on a range of contemporary topics

News and Trends

Certifications

* Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA,1978)https://www.isaca50.org/files/images/ISACA50_Story_Gallery_Making_the_Mark-Importance_of_Certifications_website%20version.pdf * Certified Information Security Manager (CISM, 2002) * Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT, 2007) * Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC, 2010) * Cybersecurity Practitioner Certification (CSX-P, 2015) * Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE, 2020) * Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA, 2021) * Certified in Emerging Technology (CET, 2021) * Certified Cybersecurity Operations Analyst (CCOA, 2025) * AI Audit certification (Beta 2025) The CSX-P, ISACA's first cybersecurity certification, was introduced in the summer of 2015. It is one of the few certifications that require the individual to work in a live environment, with real problems, to obtain a certification. Specifically, the exam puts test takers in a live network with a real incident taking place. The student's efforts to respond to the incident and fix the problem results in the type of score awarded.

Certificates

* IT Audit Fundamentals Certificate * IT Risk Fundamentals Certificate * Certificate of Cloud Auditing Knowledge * Cybersecurity Audit Certificate * Computing Fundamentals Certificate * Networks and Infrastructure Fundamentals Certificate * Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate * Software Development Fundamentals Certificate * Data Science Fundamentals Certificate * Cloud Fundamentals Certificate * Blockchain Fundamentals Certificate * IoT Fundamentals Certificate * Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals Certificate * COBIT Design and Implementation * Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework Using COBIT 2019 * COBIT Foundation * COBIT 5 Certificates

References

External links

ISACA official webpage

Official ISACA CSX webpage

Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning
)(Framework) {{DEFAULTSORT:Information Systems Audit And Control Association Information technology organizations Computer security organizations Auditing organizations Organizations established in 1967 Professional accounting bodies