About

A community-first, governance-disciplined chapter, affiliated with ISC2 Global.

Identity

Who we are, and are not

We are

  • A community of certified and aspiring cybersecurity professionals
  • Affiliated with ISC2 Global through the chartering process
  • Independent: no vendor, no political affiliation, no single company controls us
  • National in scope, anchored in Northern Portugal
  • Governance-disciplined: every decision documented, every meeting minuted
  • Ethical: Code of Conduct binds members and officers alike
  • Inclusive across certification levels, career stages, and geography

We are not

  • A vendor platform: commercial pitching disguised as content is not allowed
  • A personal initiative or a single-company project
  • A regional or city-bound organisation: our reach is national, our base is in the North
  • Officially chartered yet: we are still in the chartering application phase
  • A substitute for ISC2 (Global) membership: we complement it locally
  • Affiliated with any political party or movement
  • In the business of promising what we cannot deliver: we are honest about chartering phase
Governance

How we govern

Transparency

Every meeting minuted. Every decision documented. Member-facing communications clear about what we know and what we don't.

Ethics

Code of Conduct binding on officers, members, and partners. ISC2 Code of Ethics underpins everything we do.

No vendor capture

No single company, sponsor, or individual controls the chapter. Officers are required to declare commercial interests.

No political alignment

We do not endorse parties or candidates. We engage with institutions on policy matters when relevant to cybersecurity.

Community-first

Members come before sponsors. We will say no to commercial relationships that compromise the community's trust.

Nationally inclusive

We are nationally inclusive by design. Geographic representation matters in our communications and events.

Bylaws under legal review will codify these principles.

Academic Engagement

Focused on technical and professional schools, where the next generation of certified practitioners is being trained

Why this matters

  • Technical and professional schools train students with practical, job-ready cybersecurity skills
  • Many of these students are pursuing a second professional opportunity, with the maturity and discipline that comes with it
  • Student membership is free, removing the financial barrier to community participation
  • Our role is to facilitate protocols with companies, so these students can complete curricular internships (estágio curricular) within real cybersecurity teams
  • The volunteer ecosystem for chapter events comes naturally from the student body

Institutional partnerships

  • We want to foster partnerships with technical and professional schools across Portugal
  • Our goal is to enable curricular internships in cybersecurity through chapter-mediated company protocols
  • Open to working with universities, polytechnics, vocational training providers, and professional schools
  • We welcome proposals from any recognised academic body, including those outside the traditional higher-education path
  • Specific institutional partnerships will be announced as they are formalised