Information Security Officer: Job profile, necessary qualifications, and awareness raising explained in a practical way

The Federal Academy of Public Administration within the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community (BAköV) has been working with the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) since 2007 to train and certify IT security officers (IT-SO) for public administration. This successful concept has so far been adopted by only a few universities as part of their training and further edu-cation program. This is probably because the concept and certification relate to public administra-tion, and to federal administration in particular. Under my leadership, the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (TH Wildau), where administrative courses have been an established part of the curriculum since 1997, adopted this certification concept in 2010 and focused on its successful implementation in an appropriate form. From the start, the aim was to make a significant contribu-tion to the quality of information security in the Brandenburg region and beyond. After attaining recognition as a BAköV qualification body, I have since expanded this training for students from a wide variety of courses and for external employees. The course’s content and methodology have been continuously updated. Having integrated information security in the different courses, espe-cially in non-technical contexts, TH Wildau is undoubtedly a pioneer in the field. The certification of students at TH Wildau was funded by the Horst Görtz Foundation (HGS) in the period 2018 to 2020. With almost 3,700 students, TH Wildau is the largest (technical) University of Applied Sciences in the state of Brandenburg. Its attractive range of courses currently comprises forty-one bachelor’s and master’s courses in science and engineering as well as in economic, administrative, and legal disci-plines. Another special feature of the university is its internationality. Some 25 percent of the stu-dents come from more than sixty countries. Partnership agreements and student and lecturer ex-changes connect the TH Wildau with over 140 academic educational institutions worldwide. The university has had a top position in applied research nationwide for years and has a recognized rep-utation as a center of excellence for important scientific disciplines. We are pleased to have a pro-ductive ongoing cooperation with the BAköV and the BSI that provides education and training in information security and helps raise awareness of the topic.