Which certification is best for cyber security?

1. CompTIA Security+

CompTIA Security+ is a base-level certification for IT professionals new to cybersecurity. You only need two years of IT experience to complete it. The CompTIA Security+ certification is regarded as a general cybersecurity certification because it doesn't focus on a single vendor product line.

In this course, you learn about broader IT security concepts, including:

• Network attack strategies and defenses
• Elements of effective security policies
• Network- and host-based security best practices
• Business continuity and disaster recovery
• Encryption standards and products

CompTIA Security+ is great for anyone looking to gain basic IT security knowledge. It helps build a solid foundation that you can enhance with other courses. The certification is so well-respected that the U.S. Department of Defense mandates it for all employees.

Because security applies to all levels and job roles, this course will also benefit application developers, PC support analysts and senior managers in accounting, sales and marketing roles. 

2. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

To stop a hacker, you must be able to think like one. It's an interesting balance between toeing the line of moral actions and processing the malicious thoughts the average cybercriminal would have. This kind of mentality isn't easy to come by, which is why the Certified Ethical Hacker course was created.

This class teaches the skills you need to think and act like a hacker.

Topics include:

• Hacking technologies that target cloud computing technology, mobile platforms and the latest operating systems
• Coverage of the latest vulnerabilities, malware and viruses
• Information security laws and standards

CEH students go through real-time scenarios where they are exposed to different ways hackers penetrate networks and steal information. Students learn how to scan, test and hack and protect their systems.

IT professionals who complete this course have many positions to choose from, the most notorious being penetration testing. Penetration testing jobs require you to hack into a network without actually stealing any data. This job function demands a high level of trust, which is well rewarded. Penetration tester salaries often top out at just over $130,000 annually.

The CEH certification benefits security officers, auditors, security professionals, site administrators and anyone concerned about network infrastructure security.

Earn Your CEH Certification

3. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

The Certified Information Security Manager certification is revered as one of the best cybersecurity courses out there, and for good reason. You need at least five years of experience in the field to even apply.

Over the course of this management-focused certification, you will learn about four sections of cybersecurity:

• Information security program development and management
• Information security management
• Information security incident management
• Information risk management and compliance

The exam is incredibly rigorous and demands a lot of time and knowledge, but the end result is worth it. Many CISM certification holders pursue a CISO title, a position that earns an average of $160,000 per year.

Any IT professional interested in managing enterprise information security can increase their earning potential by taking this course.

4. Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP)

Another popular certification for general cybersecurity knowledge is the Certified Information System Security Professional course. Many IT companies consider CISSP a base requirement for employees responsible for network security.

This course challenges you in various cybersecurity domains, including:

• Access Control
• Cryptography
• Telecommunications
• Networking

Like CompTIA Security+, this certification is not vendor-specific, so the knowledge can be applied to a variety of setups.

To take this exam, you need at least three to five years of field experience. The CISSP is considered the “crown jewel” of cybersecurity certifications, and passing the exam can lead to some incredibly lucrative positions. Security architects, for example, can make more than $150,000 annually.

The CISSP certification is a must-have for people looking to move into a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) role. But it’s also a salary-booster for analysts, systems engineers, 

5. Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Traditional IT security practices don’t transfer well to the cloud — 84 percent of organizations say traditional security solutions don’t work in a cloud environment.

The CCSP certification ensures that IT professionals have hands-on experience and a deep understanding of cloud security architecture, design, operations and services. It’s designed for security professionals with extensive experience in information technology, IT architecture, governance, cloud and web security engineering.

The certification covers a range of topics, including:

• Cloud architecture and design concepts
• Cloud data security
• Platform and infrastructure security
• Cloud operations
• Legal and compliance

It's an ideal certification for systems architects, systems engineers, security managers, security administrators and enterprise architects.

Candidates must have a minimum of five years’ experience of security-related work in a cloud-computing environment.

Simplilearn Program 

Simplilearn Cyber Security Expert Master’s Program provides cybersecurity professionals with foundational, intermediate, and advanced security skills through industry-leading certification courses, including CompTIA Security+, CEH, CISM, CISSP and CCSP. The program begins with introductory-level cybersecurity skills training, then progresses to advanced cybersecurity technologies such as reverse engineering, penetration testing techniques, and many more. This training program will enable you to: 

·         Implement technical strategies, tools, and techniques to secure data and information for your organization

·         Adhere to ethical security behaviour for risk analysis and mitigation

·         Understand security in cloud computing architecture in depth

·         Comprehend legal requirements, privacy issues and audit process methodologies within the cloud environment

·         Focus on IT compliance and the integrity of enterprise systems to establish a more secure enterprise IT framework

What are the career benefits of this training?

Cybersecurity experts must learn to develop a 360-degree view of the cybersecurity domain that now comprises a wide array of security components and technologies. Simplilearn has bundled all of these critical skillsets into this Cyber Security Expert Master’s certification program. The benefits are as follows:

·         Cybersecurity is vital for career roles such as penetration tester, cybersecurity analyst, network analyst, cybersecurity auditor, cybersecurity architect, forensics investigator, and many more.

·         There are 2000+ cybersecurity jobs in India and 40,000+ in the US (Indeed.com). Cybersecurity job roles are expected to rise to six million worldwide by 2019 (source: Forbes, January 2016)

·         The median salary for a cybersecurity analyst is INR 418,389 annually in India (source: Glassdoor) and $134,000 in the US.