Your company has been invited to participate in a business round table discussion at a regional Cybersecurity conference hosted by a local community college. The Chief Operating Officer has asked your group of Cybersecurity interns to perform background research and then assist in writing a briefing statement that he will present at the round table. The topic for his presentation is: What is the business value of Cybersecurity certifications?

For this activity you must prepare a 3 to 5 paragraph briefing statement which answers the following questions.

• What are professional certifications?
• What are the benefits of professional certifications to businesses and other organizations?
• What are the benefits of professional certifications to individuals?
• Who certifies the certifiers and why is this important? (ISO/IEC Standard 17024)
• How do certifications contribute to risk reduction in the field of cybersecurity? (Identify and discuss 3 or more risks that can be mitigated by requiring certifications of Cybersecurity staff members.)

Provide in-text citations and references for 3 or more authoritative sources.