What does the Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) primarily do?

The primary role of an Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) involves the implementation of security measures to protect an organization's information systems. This entails designing and deploying security configurations and technologies that mitigate potential vulnerabilities and threats. ISSEs ensure that security is integrated into every phase of the system lifecycle, from requirements gathering through system design, deployment, and maintenance. They utilize their technical expertise to establish a secure framework that aligns with security policies and compliance requirements.

While overseeing information security strategy and assessing security controls are essential components of an overall information security program, these tasks are often carried out by security managers or analysts rather than the ISSE specifically. Categorizing the system is more related to risk management processes that determine the security requirements based on the system's classification, which also deviates from the direct implementation focus of the ISSE role. Hence, the emphasis on the ISSE’s responsibility revolves primarily around the implementation of security measures in the systems they engineer.