ASIS International announced this week that it had received accreditation from ANSI (American National Standards Institute), a move that recognizes ASIS's certification programs as meeting strict professional standards.
ANSI is the U.S. member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the accreditation ensures that the ASIS certifications meet ISO/IEC 17024, a voluntary standard for certification programs.
ASIS International started offering certification programs for security professionals in 1977 and added new programs in 2002. Notably, the organization offers the Certified Protection Professional (CPP), the Professional Certified Investigator (PCI), and the Physical Security Professional (PSP).
As part of ongoing accreditation, the ASIS certificate programs will now be faced with annual assessments and audits.
The announcement follows news that the ASIS certification program was awarded a SAFETY Act designation by the Department of Homeland Security. The SAFETY Act grants liability protection from terrorist acts.
The SAFETY Act designation also has been provided to a number of manufacturers' technical security products in use to protect business and organizations, and the act applies not only to the U.S., but also to foreign locations where terrorism may occur.
