CISSP Study Plan – Day 16 of 55 | Job Rotation & Mandatory Vacations
- Luke Ahmed
- Sep 22
- 2 min read
"There should be a CISSP soundtrack to just these songs! Many have asked for it Mr. Yani!"– Luke Ahmed
Today is Day 16 of Yihenew’s CISSP study plan, focusing on Job Rotation and Mandatory Vacations — two classic administrative controls that go beyond HR policies and directly support security governance.
Key Areas Covered:
Job Rotation — periodically moving employees through different roles to reduce fraud risk, broaden skills, and improve resilience.
Mandatory Vacations — forcing employees to step away so others can spot irregularities or hidden activities.
Separation of Duties vs. Rotation — separation prevents conflict of interest; rotation helps uncover hidden risks and build redundancy.
Fraud Detection — both controls are designed to expose long-term irregularities like ghost accounts or unauthorized financial activity.
Operational Benefits — creates cross-training opportunities and strengthens business continuity.
CISSP Exam Tie-In — these aren’t “nice-to-haves”; they are core preventative and detective controls in risk management frameworks.
In this CISSP study plan session, Yihenew highlighted that the exam wants you to connect these controls to reducing insider threats. They’re not just about catching fraud, but about ensuring no single employee has unchecked control for too long.
Quick CISSP Practice Question
What is the primary purpose of mandatory vacations in information security?
A. To reduce employee stress
B. To expose potential fraud or irregular activities
C. To improve productivity after rest
D. To comply with labor laws
✅ Correct Answer: B. To expose potential fraud or irregular activities
Explanation:Mandatory vacations disrupt continuity and allow other employees or auditors to notice anomalies. Many fraud schemes require continuous presence; forcing someone to step away often uncovers hidden issues.
Think Like a Manager: From a business perspective, managers don’t justify mandatory vacations by “helping employees rest” — they justify it by ensuring operational integrity and accountability. On the CISSP exam, frame your mindset around governance: what policy best reduces long-term insider risk while maintaining compliance? Mandatory vacations and job rotation are about building resilience into people processes, just like redundancy in systems.
👉 Can you take the Yani Challenge?
55 days of consistent CISSP prep, tackling one domain at a time, using only the resources below:
Course
Luke's CISSP Course (2 months access, $89.98)
One-to-one Zoom sessions with Luke Ahmed (2 weeks before exam)
Books, Notes, and Practice Questions
All-In-One Study Guide by Shon Harris (Around $45)
Sybex 10th Edition (Around $52.55)
Total Cost: approxiamately $250 depending on your geographic location. Yani is located in East Africa.
📚 Study Plan (55 Days of Dedication):
- Weekdays: 2–3 hours of focused study—late nights and early mornings (5 AM).
- Weekends: 5–6 hours of deep study sessions.
Pass CISSP in first attempt within 100 questions.
Yani's biggest expense was his time, committment, consistency, and dedication! It was worth it because he passed first attempt in 100 questions using the above resources only.
If Yihenew could do it, so can you.
All the best Future CISSP. You can feel free to contact me anytime as well.
Thank you.
