

- How would you describe Mr. Avinash Kadam as a person?
Perennial student
- Sir, could you brief the readers about your journey in the field you are currently in and what inspired you to do so?
After graduation, I got selected at Bhabha Atomic Research Center. After the one year mandatory training, I was placed in the newly opened Computer Division of BARC. Computers then were only known to the scientific community and no one had anticipated the type of developments, including microprocessors and Internet. It has been great working with cutting edge technologies throughout my career. When I was at peak of my career in IT management, I realized that there is a serious lack of good practices and standards in IT management as well as IT security. I came across ISACA being an association of IS professionals and IS auditors deeply concerned about creation and adoption of good practices and frameworks. I got involved with ISACA and worked at every opportunity to evangelize IT management and governance good practices as well as creating awareness and developing skills for IT security. It has been a very satisfying journey.
- What inspires and motivates you to be a part of ISACA?
ISACA’s tag line – trust in and value from, information systems is something that inspires and motivates me to be part of ISACA.
- How do you feel to have ISACA’s first Indian Student group established and functioning since last year?
It is indeed heartening to see young students imbibing the value and culture that ISACA promotes. ISACA as a nonprofit, volunteer driven organization has made great contributions to the field of Information Systems, Information Security, IS Audit and IT Governance. I observed the same volunteering spirit among the students of SCIT and it assures me that they will continue doing great collaborative work and enrich the society.
- What are your views about SCIT ISG and what are your expectations from it being the first and most active ISG in India? How can students of SCIT therefore, leverage ISACA and ISG?
ISACA believes in sharing knowledge of good practices in the field of IT and IT security. SCIT ISG students can greatly benefit from internalizing these good practices. The employers will be greatly benefitted by the knowledge the students already possess. The students should also promote the awareness of good practices among the student community by writing blogs, participating in debates, presentations, social media interactions and so on.
- What do you feel about ISACA- SCIT academic relations in terms of syllabus orientation?
I feel positive that there may not be many gaps in the SCIT syllabus and a systematic gap analysis against ISACA model curriculum will help to bring the syllabus up-to-date and get recognition from ISACA.
- Anything else you want to share?
Keep up the good work. We at ISACA will always support you.
- Rapid Fire:
- Your favorite hangout place in Pune>
I am from Mumbai. My usual hangout places are electronics or book shops.
- Any book you strongly recommend for information security professionals>
‘The Cuckoo’s Egg’ by Cliff Stoll. It is the story about how a cyber spy was tracked down. The trigger was a 0.75 cents error in computer usages accounting.
- Your favorite movie>
Sound of Music
- A must visit website for tech geeks>
NIST , SANS Reading Room , Bruce Schneier blogs
- Had you not been in the field you are in you would be…>
Science teacher