GRAND RAPIDS – Many thanks to the instructors and to Aphrodite (Apple) Jones and the rest of the team at Davenport University for their support in expanding its CISSP training from the Grand Rapids campus to Davenport campuses in Dearborn and Lansing. It is by far one of the most significant security offerings in the Midwest area.

This six week series will focus on introducing attendees to the discipline of the CISSP ten Common Bodies of Knowledge (CBK?s). While it would help to have had some exposure to some of these CBK?s prior to attending, it is not mandatory. The purpose of the class is to give present/future security professionals a broad overall view of what they will need to know from the physical, IT, and HR side in order to better secure the organizations they will/do represent.

Instructors for this course are some of the most experienced people in the industry ranging from security trainers like Shon Harris (whose text will be followed for the series) to authors of security text?s like Alticor?s Tim Crothers to leaders of large multinational enterprise?s security practices like JCI?s Tom Greco (PhD). Each of the instructors has a great level of experience from which to draw and share with the class. It is doubtful that anything like this series has been presented in the past in Michigan, and certainly not for the paltry price of $25 per session, or $250 for the complete series. We hope you can join us for the event.

Once again, information on registration for the class can be found at: DavenportUniversity.Edu

Text books can be purchased at a discount from:

Kathy Conlon – Logical Security (Texas): (972) 347-1233

It is also available through book stores locally.

In other business, the InfraGard Michigan Member?s Alliance (IMA) chapter will be hosting in October the first InfraGard Midwest Regional Conference since last June?s Congress in Washington DC. This conference is significant in its purpose: to assist security individuals in the seven state region to better communicate and respond to the needs of their individual chapters locally.

It is expected that there will be upwards of 20 plus individuals (presidents and delegates of the 14 chapters in the region) joining us for this one day event. Among the items on the agenda will be to improve internal InfraGard communications nationally, to build tighter relationships across the region between both private side stakeholders as well as between them and their public side (ie: FBI) counterparts in the region.

Locally, Michigan InfraGard held its Board of Directors meeting at the FBI?s Detroit headquarters last week. Board members had the pleasure of meeting and sharing with Michigan?s new lead for the FBI, Special Agent in Charge, Dan Roberts. Roberts shared with us how he had worked with several other InfraGard chapters while serving in various positions across the country for the FBI. Board members shared with Roberts ideas of how the organizations might work closer together to build a stronger relationship in the months ahead and effectively leverage the bylaw changes instituted in DC in June.

In addition to getting to know Michigan?s new FBI lead a little better, Michigan InfraGard also had the pleasure of accepting a $10,000 gift from General Motors in support of Michigan InfraGard?s efforts. Rod Kinghorn of GM presented the check to John Sheridan (MI IG?s President) and the photo op included Roberts signifying the importance of the two organizations working together to leverage the relationship.

Finally, nominations for new Board members will be taken in the months ahead. The Board will vote on replacing two retiring members as well as two retiring officers. If you have any suggestions, please notify one of the existing Board members via email.

Next month we will follow up on the progress of the CISSP series at Davenport. Hope you have the opportunity to join us for that series. It promises to be a winner.

This article was written by Larry Shattuck, Midwest Regional Council, InfraGard. Infragard members are solely responsible for the content of their articles. Nothing in this publication necessarily expresses the views of Michigan Infragard or any federal agency.