I have gotten a lot out of my involvement with the National Information Security Group- as a member, presenter, chapter chair and board member. Since making the decision to move from a single regional group to a chapter-based organization, NAISG has grown to five chapters and is continuing to expand. Brad Dinerman, (the founder, President and all-around great guy) has recently launched an effort to continue the expansion, asking the members of the NAISG mail lists and Linkedin group to consider starting a chapter in their area. It is a great idea, if you are interested please visit the Start a Chapter page of the NAISG site and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
I think NAISG a great organization which fills a unique space in the IT security world, and that leads to a question which occasionally comes up: do we really need more NAISG chapters when there are already a proliferation of other security groups and associations- ISACA, ISSA, InfraGard, and many more?
Yes, we do. The other security groups are outstanding organizations, but they are not NAISG- they tend to cater to security professionals and focus on the enterprise. NAISG is an open and approachable group, with no membership fees or pre-requisites except for an interest in security. NAISG encourages anyone with an interest in security to join, regardless of their experience. We present a variety of topics of varying technical levels throughout the year so that members at all skill and experience levels will be rewarded for their involvement. And, we focus on the technology and ideas, not the products- there are plenty of places to hear a vendor's sales pitch, but NAISG is not one of them. (We do offer vendors the opportunity to gain exposure through technology and concept-centric presentations and, of course, through sponsorships).
So, yes, we do need more NAISG chapters...Jack
