Today, ISACA and The IIA saw the culmination of a meeting long in the planning. The three-hour meeting, hosted by ISACA at its International Headquarters office, was a unique opportunity for ISACA’s and T​he IIA’s senior management staff to sit around the table and talk about shared challenges and opportunities. Given the similar — but not same — nature of ISACA’s and The IIA’s professional areas, it is not surprising that the organizations have faced many of the same situations over the past several years.

The free-flowing discussion covered a wide variety of topics: IT, website, and operational issues; the strongly felt obligation to provide constituents educational events that will enable them to perform their professional roles more capably; enhanced communication with the professional community and with each other; and the firm commitment to working together for the benefit of those the associations serve — most especially the members, many of whom belong to both organizations.

Many ISACA and IIA chapters worldwide interact regularly on a local/regional basis. Their members atten​d each other’s meetings, they co-host educational events, they share speakers, and they enjoy social gatherings. Both organizations benefit from the interaction. What some members of each association may not realize, however, is that a similar type of interaction takes place at the international level. Past joint activities have resulted in co-sponsored research publications, mutual recognition of certifications, shared adoption of guidelines for the profession, representation on each other’s volunteer bodies and co-hosting of conferences. Even a general “meeting of the minds” like we enjoyed is not the first of its kind.

No organization operates in a vacuum. We are all connected through shared interests, concerns, activities, and constituents — ISACA and The IIA perhaps more than most. Both associations believe strongly in the benefits that can be gained as a result of open communication and targeted collaboration with each other and with other organizations dealing with topics pertinent to our professional areas of focus. That belief was borne out by our meeting. We were pleased to have had this chance to share time and ideas, and we look forward to other opportunities in the future.