Security Certification Programs
As anyone who pays attention to the news knows, the battle against computer crimes continues to rage on with hackers continuously developing new methods of infiltration. Highly skilled IT security personnel and Network Administrators are needed to stay ahead of these criminals. Companies hiring IT security personnel rely on certification as a way to assess the competency of potential hires. They also send existing personnel to certification training to ensure their existing staff is properly trained. After completing training, they must pass exams to obtain certification. Some certifications expire after a few years and require ongoing professional education or re-certification exams be passed to keep them current.
Security Certification Options
There are four main sources of industry-accepted certifications available for IT security personnel, although there are many other, less accepted, security certifications available. Each of these main four sources provides varying levels of certification as described below.
(ISC)2
The (ISC)2 is an international security certification consortium that offers various levels of security certification of which the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is the most commonly obtained. It is only available to security professionals with at least five years of experience in the field although other certifications are available for those at varying experience levels.
For more information about (ISC)2 certifications including the CISSP, read the BrainTrack article "Security Certifications: (ISC)2 / CISSP”.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems offers certifications specific to Cisco networks. The Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) is the most common certification. They also have Associate level (CCNA Security) and Expert level (CCIE Security) certifications. These certifications expire after three years if no action is taken.
Read more in BrainTrack's article "Security Certifications - Cisco".
CompTIA
CompTIA is a trade association that offers certifications across many IT areas including security. Their CompTIA Security+ certification is a vendor-neutral security certification that is a good starting certification for those relatively new to the industry. These certifications do not expire.
Get more information about CompTIA Security+ in BrainTrack’s article “Security Certifications - CompTIA”.
GIAC
The Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) has certified over 27,000 professionals. They offer certifications in the areas of Security Administration, Management, Legal, Audit and Software Security. The levels are broken down into Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced and Highly Advanced. Shorter, more focused courses, called GIAC Skills Test and Report (STAR) are also available. These certifications are not as well known as the others discussed above.
Certification Benefits
For any IT security professional, certification has become a necessary part of continued employment for the following reasons:
- Job Security – Certification shows an employer what skills and knowledge a person has. It also demonstrates that they are dedicated to continuing to enhance knowledge in their field.
- Job Performance – Certification ensures a person has the skills and knowledge to perform their job competently. Requirements for re-certification and ongoing training ensure that security professionals’ knowledge and skills are kept current.
- Job Opportunities – Many institutions, including the federal government, will only hire IT security candidates that have a security certification.
Choosing a Certification
No one wants to waste time working towards a certification that is not a good fit for their career. The following factors should be taken into consideration when choosing a certification to pursue:
- Employer preference
- Whether vendor-specific knowledge or general knowledge is more important
- Availability and cost of the training program
- Correlation between intensity of program and person’s level of commitment
As an example, an entry-level security employee who is not yet sure of their long-term career choice and is likely to change employer, may want to choose the vendor-neutral CompTIA Security+ certification. If this person later decides to stay in the security field, they may choose to work towards the (ISC)2’s CISSP certification. Regardless of which security certification is chose, obtaining any one will be of benefit to the certificate holder and their employer and is a smart career move.
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