International Association of Security Awareness Professionals Names PhishMe Inc. as Exclusive "Founding Sponsor"

CHANTILLY, Va., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Association of Security Awareness Professionals (IASAP), the world's leading association of computer security training and awareness program administrators, today announced the appointment of PhishMe Inc. as its exclusive founding sponsor.

PhishMe Inc., a provider of phishing awareness training for employees of government agencies, universities, and large enterprises has successfully trained over 3.1 million users to protect themselves from social engineering strategies and sophisticated online tactics utilized by today's cyber criminals. With PhishMe, employees are immersed in a real-world spear phishing experience that provides object lessons in e-mail security without endangering live data or generating negative backlash from employees.

As part of this agreement, PhishMe Inc. will help fund the non-profit and will present at meetings, but member discussions will remain private and independent of the sponsorship. Through their collaboration, PhishMe and IASAP will assist organizations in improving their security awareness and education programs by:

• Measuring the effectiveness of awareness programs
• Integrating the security message into the organization's culture
• Providing guidance on how to push the security message up to executives
• Aiding in the implementation of project management processes for awareness programs
• Offering advice on how awareness programs can keep a fresh message

"We are delighted and grateful to be chosen as the sponsor for one of the most positive and effective security awareness organizations in the world," said Rohyt Belani, CEO and Co-Founder, PhishMe Inc. "Because security awareness training is key to cyber-safety, PhishMe and IASAP will work together to educate employees and users alike to protect themselves from cyber and phishing attacks exposing themselves and their organization's sensitive data."

"Security executives in IASAP member companies recognize that security awareness belongs in the strategy mix," says IASAP Executive Board President, Dee Hand of Visa, Inc., "but clear guidance and best practices have not been as available for employee behaviors as they have been for technology solutions. Awareness professionals recognized this gap and formed IASAP to get granular. We draw from our combined experience across industries and disciplines—technology trends, adult learning strategies, communication styles and media options—to form workable business plans that fit our individual corporate cultures."

IASAP's first official meeting will be held in the New York City area on November 13-14, 2012.

Please contact IASAP's Pam Salaway for more information: [email protected]    
http://www.iasapgroup.org//

About IASAP

Previously organized as the CSI Security Awareness Peer Group, the group of security awareness professionals has been meeting since 2003. When CSI discontinued the group in 2011, members were determined to continue the group's proven deliverables, and worked to form IASAP as an independent non-profit association. 

Formed in 2012, the International Association of Security Awareness Professionals is an independent 501(c)6 non-profit association comprised of corporate members. Member participants are professionals who manage information security awareness programs for their organizations, and are responsible for everyday awareness operations.

IASAP is governed by a member-elected, four-person Executive Board. IASAP's Association Coordinator and meeting facilitator is Pam Salaway, former Manager of Awareness, Training and Education at CSI. While IASAP accepts corporate sponsorships, the majority of its revenue is derived from membership fees.

About PhishMe

PhishMe provides organizations the ability to train their employees and customers about the risks of spear phishing with just a few simple clicks. With over 3.1 million individuals trained since its launch in 2008, PhishMe provides a cost effective way to mitigate this challenge. The company has proven that its training can reduce the threat of employees and customers falling victim to phishing attacks by up to 85 percent.

PhishMe is a leader in anti-phishing training and focuses on educating users on how to best protect themselves from the latest scams. Using PhishMe's built-in templates and simple functionality, companies can emulate real phishing attacks against their employees within minutes. PhishMe facilitates and automates the execution of mock phishing exercises against the employees and provides clear and accurate reporting on user behavior. Most importantly companies are able to focus their training efforts on the most susceptible employees by providing immediate feedback to anyone that falls victim to these exercises. Additionally, PhishMe adds customizable interactive games to the suite of training modules enterprises can deliver to their staff and customers. PhishMe works with Federal Agencies and Fortune 1000 companies across multiple vertical market sectors including financial services, healthcare, higher education and defense. For additional information, please visit: www.phishme.com.

SOURCE PhishMe