| Information technology (IT) certifiers evaluate risk and develop mitigations ensuring IT infrastructures remain protected within acceptable levels of operation, which if not properly maintained can potentially result in loss of life within Department of Defense (DoD) and federal environments. This qualitative phenomenological exploratory study used Moustakas' modified van Kaam method to obtain insight into areas affecting IT certifier abilities to evaluate federal and DoD IT infrastructures. Collected lived perspectives of 18 federal and DoD certifiers within the DC, Maryland, and Virginia regions occurred through an open-ended interview questionnaire using the web-based SurveyMonkeyTM data collection instrument. Data analysis was through use of the QSR NVivo8TM qualitative software. The study provided insight into multiple aspects of IT certification complexity, enabled the development of a theoretical framework, and produced leadership recommendations for DoD and federal certification improvements. Key results included proposed modeled approaches for an integrated joint DoD and federal IT certification approach and establishment of an IT certification career knowledge and advancement guideline. |
