Tag: Cybersecurity career

  • 5 Cybersecurity Certifications That Can Boost A Career

    5 Cybersecurity Certifications That Can Boost A Career

    Cybersecurity certificates are not essential for the job, but they can significantly improve the resumes of cyber professionals such as CISOs and CSOs, providing a career boost by demonstrating knowledge, increasing credibility, and opening up growth chances.

    They can also help senior cybersecurity experts stay up to date on emerging risks, facilitate networking, and demonstrate compliance and risk management expertise. “Certifications range from broad and covering all cybersecurity domains and capabilities — i.e., physical, technical, administrative, and operational — to being very tightly scoped to a specific hardware vendor or type of technology, such as ransomware,” says Rebecca Herold, an IEEE member and founder of The Privacy Professor consultancy.

    However, before you begin collecting credentials, she recommends that you first choose what type of cybersecurity activities you want to pursue. It makes no sense to pursue a certification that covers activities and needs knowledge of skills that you will never use in your profession.

    According to Herold, certifications can help you advance your career as a CISO in several ways, including:

    • Validate your cybersecurity skills, as they relate to the associated certifications.
    • Establish your professional credibility, showing that you’re committed to staying in the field and not just jumping around from one type of career to another. Employers like to invest their time and efforts in hiring and training employees who will be around for the long term, not until they change to a different career as soon as the next new thing comes along.
    • Help you advance your career more quickly, as many organizations give preferences to those who have taken the time to earn such certifications.
    • Provide recognition for your skills among others in the industry, which is important in maintaining a long and successful career.
    • Create a way for more networking opportunities, where you can obtain even more knowledge and find other future work opportunities.
    • Demonstrate that you know the standardized cybersecurity concepts that you learn through attaining each specific type of certification.
    • Demonstrate your commitment to ongoing learning, staying current, and maintaining professional development.
    • Help to support salary increases.

    Five cybersecurity certifications that can boost a career

    1. CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional

     

    According to William Wetherill, CISO at DefenseStorm, the CISSP, which is offered by ISC2, an international nonprofit membership association, is the most widely recognized certification designed for professionals who want to demonstrate a thorough understanding of information security concepts and best practices.

    “The certification covers a broad range of security topics, such as asset security, security engineering, and risk management,” Wetherill said. “The CISSP is held to a higher standard of certification because it requires security professionals to have extensive working experience with compensation and a recommendation from a reputable ISC2 CISSP holder.”

    According to Wetherill, having a CISSP certification provides valuable knowledge and abilities for building successful security plans and executing best practices in the job of CISO.

    “If you’re really looking to propel your career to the next level, the crème-de-la-crème certification would be the CISSP for those going the technical hands-on route,” says Jay Martin, security practice lead at Blue Mantis.

    According to Joe Evangelisto, CISO at NetSPI, the CISSP is a de facto industry standard and is still featured on all CISO job descriptions.

    Brian Neuhaus, Americas CTO at Vectra AI, feels that CISSP certification should be a high priority for CISOs. “Holding such a certificate indicates that a security professional is equipped with the knowledge and technical skills needed to implement and manage best-in-class security programs,” he said.

    While not an easy certificate to achieve, Neuhaus believes that the CISSP and other such certifications should be goals that security professionals strive for in order to progress their careers. “Additionally, the CISSP certification can help professionals attract the attention of employers during resume reviews – and for those already in the field – stand out among the pool of prospects who are being considered for promotions,” he said.

    To obtain this certification, you must pass the exam and have at least five years of cumulative, paid work experience in two or more of the eight domains of the ISC2 CISSP Common Body of Knowledge. Substitutions are permitted for the five-year work experience requirement.

    2. CCSP – Certified Cloud Security Professional

    Sanjay Raja, VP of product solutions at Gurucul, recommends the newer ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional certification, which is vendor-agnostic. The CCSP certification, which is recognized around the world, confirms that you have advanced technical expertise and understanding for efficiently building, managing, and protecting data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud.

    According to Nick Harrahill, director of support at Spin AI, as CISOs become more specialized, they may benefit from obtaining the CCSP certification. “It’s similar to the CISSP but is more focused on cloud security — a good fit for CISOs that support or heavily utilize cloud technologies,” Raja said.

    To be eligible for this cybersecurity certification, you must pass the exam and have at least five years of cumulative work experience in IT. Three years of information security experience are required, as well as one year in one or more of the ISC2 CCSP CBK’s six domains. Substitutions are permitted for the five-year work experience requirement.

    Cost: Varies based on location of exam administration. For example, Americas and Africa, $599; United Kingdom, £479; EMEA, €555.

    3. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

    ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager certification is ideal for CISOs who manage and oversee information security programs. It demonstrates management and leadership skills, according to Wetherill.

    “The CISM certification provides important information on how to develop and implement effective information security strategies that align with the overall objectives of your organization while covering a wide range of topics, such as risk management, incident management, and information security governance, all of which are critical to the CISO role,” Wetherill says in a statement.

    The certification gives the required skills and expertise to combine business operations with robust security measures, with a focus on management and leadership abilities, whereas the CISSP is more technical. “For CISOs, ISACA also offers a lot of good certifications, including CISM,” Raja said. “This certification provides a good set of tools and training for managing a program.

    Martin recommends ISACA’s CISM for CISOs who want to focus on governance, risk and compliance, or security management.

    To obtain this certification, you must pass the exam, apply for certification within five years after passing the exam, and have five years of information security work experience. You must have at least three years of expertise in information security management across three or more job practice analysis areas. Exceptions and substitutes are permitted in the five-year requirement.

    Cost: Exam fee of $575 for ISACA members and $760 for non-members. After passing the exam, candidates pay a one-time $50 application processing fee for their CISM certification.

    4. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

    ISACA offers the  Certified Information Systems Auditor certification for professionals who audit, monitor, and review their firms’ information security and business systems, according to Wetherill.

    “The CISA certification is worldwide recognized and highly valued in the IT sector. It demands professionals to [confirm] their knowledge and skill in information security auditing, control, and assurance,” Wetherill explains. “The CISA certification gives an in-depth grasp of how to detect, analyse, and evaluate information security vulnerabilities and risks.” These abilities are essential for a CISO to efficiently fulfill their duties and defend their organizations from cyberthreats.”

    Corey Nachreiner, CSO at WatchGuard Technologies, believes that some certifications, such as the CISA, are better suited to specialist security roles, such as auditors. If your position requires you to assess a company’s cybersecurity, ISACA’s CISA certification can help.

    Martin agrees, stating that for CISOs interested in becoming auditors or assessment experts, ISACA’s CISA is highly recommended.

    Furthermore, risk-based certifications, such as the CISA, assist CISOs in their primary tasks of recognizing and controlling IT risks to enterprises, says Sohail Iqbal, CISO of Veracode.

    To obtain this certification, you must pass the exam and apply for it within five years of passing the exam. You must also have at least five years of professional information system auditing, control, or security expertise. A minimum of two years must be spent in the CISA job practice areas. Exceptions and substitutes are permitted in the five-year requirement.

    Cost: Exam fee of $575 for ISACA members and $760 for non-members. After passing the exam, candidates pay a one-time $50 application processing fee for their CISA certification.

    5. GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT)

    The SANS Institute’s GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership certification validates your ability to create effective business-oriented strategic plans, according to Frank Kim, a fellow at the institute.

    “If you need to go beyond the technical details to more effectively communicate with senior leadership and the board, this certification shows that you know how to align with strategic objectives, create a roadmap, build a business case, create a security policy, and lead your team to success,” he said.

    To obtain this certification, you must pass the exam.

    Cost: GIAC certification attempt, $979.