Cyber security certifications are quite different to what are normally considered academic certificates. Academic certificates normally come in a pecking order beneath masters degrees, undergraduate degrees etc. Certificates are considered valid in their particular subject, but normally contain less academic content or experience in areas such as research projects.
Certificates in cyber security training are normally quite specialised, and focus on specific areas related to the practical world of cyber security, programming, information security, cloud security etc. It is worth checking out the cyber security career path post before signing up to any course.
Most certificates our highly regarded within the industry, especially those that carry the names of companies such as IBM, Google, Microsoft, AWS, Cisco etc. Many of the courses can be done online, and some can be done as a sort of Boot Camp in a residential setting, normally over one or two weeks.
Some certificates include a mix of academic and practical training, and may include some type of exam as proof of completion of the course. The exam aspect should be carefully considered before signing up any certificate, as the exam will normally be held in a physical location at certain times of the year, which will require a degree of forward planning.
It is also worth noting that some certificates may be included as part of a cyber security or computer science degree, which can maximise the benefit of obtaining both qualifications.
Below are some of the most common cyber security qualifications, with links through to more detailed information (as @August 2023)
CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional Review
CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor Review
CISM – Certified Information Security Manager Review
CompTIA Security+ Review
CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker Review
GSEC – GIAC Security Essentials Certification Review
SSCP – Systems Security Certified Practitioner Review
CASP – CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner Review
GCIH – GIAC Certified Incident Handler Review
OSCP – Offensive Security Certified Professional Review
CompTIA A+ Review
CCNA – Cisco Certified Network Associate Review
CompTIA Security Review
CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) Review
CompTIA Network+REview
GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) Review
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Review
Cloud Security Alliance: Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) Review
Best Cyber Security Certifications
What are considered the best cyber security certifications all depends to a large extent in the area of cyber security that someone wants to working – see cyber security career path. Once someone has identified their career path, then check out the relevant jobs on sites such as Indeed, Monster etc.
Be as targeted as possible in terms of job titles, and check out different parts of the country you are looking to work in, as well as different countries.
Job ads are normally very specific in terms of what training and qualifications are required, and this should indicate clearly which certificates are deemed most in demand for job candidates, and are either deemed as essential or desirable.
The more job ads that can be checked, the clearer it will come which certificates are of the most value, and time can be spent researching how to sign up them, either online or in a physical location.
