Customer Reviews

Information Security Management Handbook, Fifth Edition

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an excellent example of compilation of dozens of good works on IT Security. The quality of articles and the different points of view whereupon are treated turn to it an essential work. It only has a failure: such amount of information has been packed in only a volume that has forced the publisher to reduce both the font and the thickness of the paper to the maximum. Very bad for that no longer we have twenty years and in addition we were used to mark the most interesting paragraphs with a pencil.

Excellent very extensive security book. A very good reminder for the preparation of the CISSP exam. (is one of the official recommended books).

I passed my CISSP exam, because of this book.

Jako Boonekamp
CISSP #97956
The Netherlands

I am reading the fifth edition of this book. In the earlier editions the book was published in three or four volumes. The fifth edition is a combination of all volumes. So that is good.

The book is a dense read. But the content is excellent. There are 163 chapters in this book. Each chapter written by different authors - experts in respective areas. So the book provides a best of breed treatment to various assorted topics. However, not all chapters are good (but most are). I'd say about 20 or so are of filler kind of chapters. Nothing really special in them. But the book is worth for the rest of the matter.

The chapters are also written to provoke further thought into each area. Kind of "first principles" approach - which I like compared to the CISSP guide approach of "here is the information, now devour it for the exam". However this book is not an exam guide (and I knew that before hand). I bought this book for the matter in it and I am very satisfied.

If you are the kind of person who want to quickly assimilate and regurgitate the matter for CISSP, then dont even bother. I am kind of person who loves to read things from the basics slowly, getting the concepts and ideas all clear in my mind and hence I plan to finish this book before reading CISSP exam guide (which by the way is also sitting on my bookshelf).

However I have a major complaint againg the publishers. Having charged One hundred thirty dollars for a 2000 page book, I'd expect the quality of paper is decent. The paper is so thin, I invariably turn two pages when I am thiking it is one page. It is so thin, even turning the page carefully damages the paper. I agree that the content is specialized and most authors hold at least two or more certifications (CISSP, CISA, SSCP etc.), but that does not warrant printing the book on really wafer thin transparent paper. Sure, the publishers need to make money, but not by compromising the quality of the paper SO MUCH.

And you'd expect this kind of book to live on your shelf for a long long time than "Teach yourself crap in 24 hours" books, but the quality of paper will make that unlikely. Hence I am giving 4 stars to a book which otherwise would deserve 6 stars