How to Earn Your Cyber Security Certification
Cyberattacks are a regular part of living in our electronic age. If there is data to steal, company secrets to hack, identities to falsify or financial transactions to be intercepted and stolen, there are hackers already working on making that happen.
This constant negative, illegal presence ensures there is a growing market for cyber security experts in the word of IT. To become part of the pack of these professionals who work to keep organizational data and assets secure, cyber security certification credentials must be earned to ensure an employee has the required information, background and credibility in their knowledge base.
What Certifications Are the Best Choice?
There are many cyber security certification options available and all are designed to assist you with proving your knowledge in this growing realm of security. We have found that two of the most recognized and valued cyber security certifications currently are CISSP certification and CCSP certification provided by (ISC)2, an international non-profit organization that is an information security membership association complete with learning opportunities. These learning options are generally provided through official education partners like TechnoEdge Learning and will enable you to be better prepared to write the exams and earn CISSP certification and CCSP certification.
These are not easy exams. They aren’t elitist by any means, but they are challenging in that they ensure CISSP certification and CCSP certification prove an advanced level of application and understanding in the cyber security field.
Taking a CCSP course – Certified Cloud Security Professional – is for those who are ready to gain all of the knowledge at the leading edge of cloud-based security. These individuals have experience with establishing cloud-based security systems, identifying operational protocols and monitoring the ongoing use. The CCSP prep course will guide students through the six security domains of: cloud concepts and architecture and design; cloud data security; cloud platform and infrastructure security; cloud application security; cloud security operations; and legal risk and compliance.
Taking a CISSP course – Certified Information Systems Security Professional – is for IT professionals who want to enhance their existing knowledge and application of IS in an organization’s cyber security with the most advanced information. With their hands-on IS background, these individuals will have had exposure to and expertise in at least two of the eight course domains: security and risk management; asset security; security architecture and engineering; communication and network security; identify and access management; security assessment and testing; security operations; and software development security.
Where to Start in Taking a CISSP Course of CCSP Course
As noted above, there is generally a requirement of work experience in the field prior to taking prep courses or exams to earn certification.
For CCSP certification, candidates must have a minimum of five years paid work experience in IT (with at least three years in IS) and a minimum of one year experience in one of the six domains. Part time work internships and other designations can help meet the requirements and those who don’t meet the complete requirements now can still take the exam and earn an Associate designation as they work towards fulfilling their work experience. Find out more at https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CCSP/experience-requirements.
For CISSP certification, candidates need a minimum of five years of paid work experience in at least two of the eight domains. Like the CCSP, it is possible to earn an Associate designation if you pass the exam and later work towards the work experience component.
Now that you’re ready to take one of the certification exams, look into a prep course that will assist with learning all of the elements that are included on the exams. TechnoEdge Learning and other authorized (ISC)2 education partners deliver classroom-based training environments. These are generally offered as a boot camp style training to allow students a single block of time to learn all the concepts before taking the exam. The training from an authorized partner will have the most up-to-date information available from (ISC)2 so will reflect the concepts presented on the exam.
You may also find online education options provided by authorized education partners that can help deliver some flexibility in the learning experience with it being 100 per cent computer delivered. It’s also important to note that all authorized training partners make use of professional instructors who are trained and certified to teach the latest course content provided by (ISC)2. You can find out more about authorized training partners and instructors that teach the courses on the (ISC)2 website.
For those who prefer to learn at their own pace, by their own means, there are a variety of tools available through the (ISC)2 site including instructional videos and electronic resources like books and flashcards. If you are someone who gets the best studying experience on your own, this may be the right option.
Specific Study Materials that Can Help
(ISC)2 wants to see potential candidates succeed and has created a wide range of flexible multi-purpose tools to help assist with the learning process. Always make sure you are using official (ISC)2 study materials as other providers are unlikely to have the current information.
(ISC)2 offers tools like study guides, guides to the Common Body of Knowledge, approved “dummies” guides and flash cards. It may not be necessary to use all of these materials, but it is important to consider each and determine the best study materials for your needs and the way you learn.
You’ll also find that (ISC)2 has an active online community you can connect through. Because it is filled with members and other security experts, it’s a great resource to gain answers for concepts you need assistance with, or simply someone to reach out to in order to share your studying experiences.
The length of study time required is up to you. Some people will take longer if they are self-studying and have work and life commitments that prevent large volumes of study time. Other individuals may be able to establish large focused blocks of time to work through the information faster. As soon as you feel you understand the information well enough to take the exam and pass, you are likely to be ready to register for the exam. If you feel uncertain about your knowledge, keep studying until it comes more naturally to you.
Earning your CISSP certification or CCSP certification can be a great boost to your IT career in cyber security. Make sure you consider the options before deciding on your certifications and find the ones that will best reflect your future career goals