All About PMITS (Project Management in IT security) Exam

PMITS (Project Management in IT Security) – If you look back into the past almost 4 decades of the computer systems we use today, you will see the evolution of great IT security awareness taking place side by side. Over these years, threat to information has gained precedence as information and data are slowly turning into valuable entities in the dynamic and pulsated world we live in. With a vast majority of our work and money being done and earned via these machines, they are subjected to the same level of threat and badgering as we are in a dark alleyway to our lives.

From simple computer security against malware, viruses, and worms to increasing levels of sophistication against cracking, spoofing, scarring, www attacks, computer security has evolved to become IT security, with a view to securing large amounts of data and information for businesses, corporate structures, governments, and more.

Large- and small-scale industries and organizations are ever on a race to getting innovative systems out in the market to safeguard their data and information against a long list of cybercrimes and infiltration. With more than 99% of all their important transactions taking place electronically and using the medium of the Internet, the need for maintaining and implementing IT security processes and procedures is on an increase. A mix of hardware, software, and wetware, companies find a need for project management to take over the IT security scene and bring about new sophistication in the world of IT security.

When Project Management meets IT Security

When does an organization include IT security into their overall company workflow? It can either incorporate these into the project management processes or create a firefighting or reaction situation when information security has failed or information has been damaged or worse, lost. With increasing levels of sophistication in every sphere of systems and operations, it comes up as necessary and extremely important that projects on IT securities are conducted with a project management team in place to ensure data is safeguarded and protected at all times.

Security requirements are needed and it is up to project management processes to ensure that they come up with stable security devices, systems, applications, and supporting infrastructure for the organization to flourish.

If you were to set up a system without the project management processes overseeing and guiding it, you can find yourself with software errors and miscalculations cropping up as there are no methods in place. These software errors can be considered as the Achilles’ heels among all the systems and processes in the organization, posing a direct threat to your data and information from cyber-attacks and cyber terrorism.

What is PMITS?

We know more about IT security and we know how project management came in as the perfect installer of an IT security framework, now we’ll look into the Project Management in Information Technology Security (PMITS) certification course.

PMITS is an EC-Council, e-Business certification project. This certification enables professionals to be trained to efficiently and effective manage IT security projects undertaken by the organization. PMITS training implements the various tools and techniques needed by an IT manager to get all the success they can achieve within their IT projects.

PMITS ensures that the knowledge imparted is standardized and of optimum quality and provides for a suitable knowledge base for IT managers throughout the world. With professionals implementing and incorporating industrial level best practices, PMITS allows all IT managers enrolled to complete the course with expert level experience.

PMITS provides to IT managerial professionals a fully-equipped operational framework to design their own project plan when it comes to IT security within the organization. These IT managers can then have their knowledge pertaining to IT project management reinforced and can provide for a clear-cut stairway for their future implementation plans. From a project managerial education perspective, PMITS is your best bet at understanding the entire paradigm of managing projects that would set up the IT security systems and processes in an organization.

This certification course encourages IT managers and professionals to simulate the outcomes of their projects and help them with adequate information on the various components of planning IT security and maintaining it, while adhering to standard and legal practices.

PMITS doesn’t only keep a professional in shape to manage standardized IT security concerns and issues but also all the unique requirements that come up during the functioning of an organization.

In order to be eligible for the certification in PMITS, the IT manager/professional is required to have at least 2 years’ experience in an organization’s IT department and should have an education qualification in the field of security. If these criteria aren’t met or aren’t possessed by the candidate, they can also opt for the EC Council Training Program that they can take up before the PMITS exam.

Why Do You Need PMITS?

Whether you’re planning a long road trip or you’re planning to raise a little elevation in your backyard, project management skills can come into use just about anywhere. Whenever you find yourself organizing or arranging stuff, it’s important that you know that unconsciously you’re performing the little ways of project management. For an office environment though, you might require a little more than just intuition and the feeling of being organized. You will have to actually set about with the 5 phases of project management: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing.

So, now that you’ve established the importance of project management within every department of an organization and life, it’s time that you establish the fact as to why you need PMITS. This certification as a credential has the potential of deeming you fit to be able to successfully steer the project pertaining to securing information and data within the business. You will need PMITS for the following reasons:

• The PMITS credential
• Advanced training in handle IT security projects
• Complete understanding of concepts and techniques to be implementing while handling such projects
• Understanding of the meeting points of project management principles and IT security requirements
• Knowing the importance of the big picture and contributing immensely to the success rate of the project
• A roadmap for successful implementation of the project plan
• International standards of project management in IT security

Contents of the Course

Once you make through the PMITS exam, you will see yourself as a Certified e-Business Professional. The training and the program takes place within duration of 2 interactive days. The course looks forward to the following components:

• Components of PMITS
• Organizing or initiating the IT security project
• Setting up the IT security project team
• Planning the IT security project
• Managing the IT security project
• Implementing quality into the IT security project
• Closing the IT security project
• Defining a monitoring and controlling system for the IT project implementation
• Generalized IT security plans
• Operational IT security plans

Within these components are distinctive tasks and activities that need to be conducted by a PMITS candidate for the purpose of completing the training and gaining the required calibre for success in the field of project management in IT security. Now, we will look at these components in brief:

1. Components of PMITS

• Define the project
• Determine what role network security plays
• Brainstorm various security solutions
• Determine the limitations of these solutions
• Draft a corporate security project plan
• Prepare the success metrics
• Determine the limitations of the project
• Check the business strategy and that of IT security
• Check feasibility of IT security project implementation with work culture and policies

2. Organizing or initiating the IT security project

• List the stakeholders in PMITS
• Evaluate and summarize the team development plan
• Determine the requirements specification for the IT security project
• Determine the objectives
• Determine the processes
• Check and determine the issue tracking and management systems
• Understand the approval filters and processes

3. Setting up the IT security project team

• Determine the PMITS team requirements
• Determine the skill set needed to execute the IT security project
• Determine the roles and responsibilities of the individual team members
• Check the reporting structure needed
• Check for the budget and policies when it comes to recruiting for the team
• Identify the limitation involved in staffing for the IT security project
• Chalk out the process of hiring (with HR)
• Determine how you will develop the IT team

4. Planning the IT security project

• Determine the amount and magnitude of the work to be carried out in PMITS
• Check the scope of the project defined
• Break down the activities to be conducted in smaller tasks and sub-tasks
• Put up descriptions for each task and sub-task
• Determine the quality and value adding stream and the value depreciating stream
• Check adherence to government rules and regulations
• Determine the risks, budget, schedule, and communication plans before commencing

5. Managing the IT security project

• Start the project with a bang
• Determine how to calculate piece by piece of success
• Determine how to organize and present data on success
• Check for the documentation and guidelines necessary for the IT security project
• Indulge in risk management
• Determine how change management will take place with PMITS
• Determine the testing units and sessions

6. Implementing quality into the IT security project

• Determine the level of quality needed by the business
• Determine the gap between current process quality and optimum or ideal process quality
• Put in place quality metrics
• Enforce standard operational quality for the IT security project
• Put in place systems to measure and flag quality milestones
• Enforce quality control and assurance parameters

7. Closing the IT security project

• Determine what slates the IT security project as completed with regard to PMITS
• Brainstorm how to close or pending, open issues and requests for changes
• Prepare a closure statement and report
• Prepare for deployment/implementation of the success of the IT security project
• Handover the reins to operation managers to carry out the change implemented
• Prepare a solid compliance report

8. Defining a monitoring and controlling system for the IT project implementation

• Define a continuous monitoring strategy for the project
• Clearly check for all legal adherences and feasibilities
• Understand laws pertaining to unauthorized access
• Understand penetration testing and security auditing
• Know the reasons for security breaches
• Know the factors compromising corporate IT data security
• Understand IT infrastructure security assessment
• Determine the mitigations strategies and risks involved
• Understand the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 195 Sarbanes-Oxley Act

9. Generalized IT security plans

Generalized IT security planning would include many generic actions that are needed as key actions for the successful completion and implementation of the IT security project as the PMITS. These would include the following:

• Stages of auditing
• The role that security assessment and auditing carried out during the length of the project
• The resources that need these set of audits
• Risk assessment processes such as penetration testing and scanning for vulnerability
• Authentication and access control
• Entries within reports to different stakeholders and executives
• Project parameters and metrics
• Work breakdown structure (WBS)
• Assessment and audit reports
• Impact analysis of the IT security project plan
• Constraints of the set project plan
• Guidelines for all processes
• Guidelines for wireless audits
• Wireless threats and solutions

10. Operational IT security plans

• The role of operational security assessment and auditing carried out during the length of the project
• Set up incident reporting and response processes
• Build a response team for operational security
• Understand all regulatory issues
• Understand all operational security policies
• Determine disaster recovery processes for IT operational security
• Explain the different IT operational security parameters
• Risks and mitigation strategies to be employed
• Constraints that can hamper the operational security and assumptions that need to be made
• Determine the impact of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and Sarbanes-Oxley Act on IT operational security

Prerequisites for PMITS

• Computer knowledge is extremely essential (at least one year of Windows/Linux/Unix system knowledge and skills)
• Network and security know-how and service rendition
• Management experience of individuals pertaining to IT teams: system admins, desktop engineers, network server admins, security planning executives, risk assessment executives and professionals
• At least 2 years of real-time project management experience
• A distinctive knack for learning

Here’s everything you need to know about PMITS and its certification. If you have any tidbits that you have to share, do mention them in the comments section and if you liked the blog, do go directly to the Share button. Happy IT security!