Are you a cloud security professional looking for the best Cloud Security Certification? Here we cover the Top 5 Cloud Security Certifications that may help you boost your career!
Migrating to the cloud is a recent trend in almost every organization as it provides enough data space without dependency on hardware along with scalability, efficiency, and speed. However, as the cloud is an open solution, it has its own security threats. Hence, establishing a cloud security environment that will provide the solution for multi-layered protections, encryption, IAM (identity access management) and most importantly 24/7 monitoring is essential.
Recommended Reading: Beginner’s Guide to Cloud Security
Thus, recruiting IT professionals with the best cloud security certifications now comes under organization strategy which not only accredits the quality control of the company but also ensures its employee efficiency. Coupled with significant years of cloud experience and relevant cloud security certification, these professionals act as a weapon against possible data breaches for an organization’s cloud environment.
Importance of Cloud Security Certifications
As per the Gartner estimation, the growth rate of companies becomes 20% faster than others if they use the cloud. Hence, it is more likely that cloud adoption is expected to increase more in the near future. As per the market research, in an organization among all the applications average of 36 applications are cloud applications among which 9% are collaboration services, 16% are sharing services, and 13% are used as content sharing services.
Now 18.1% of all uploaded contents that belong to the cloud platform contain organization-specific sensitive information. Hence, protecting such confidential information is a major challenge for any organization. So, it is evident that securing the cloud environment is a need.
The reasons behind it are:
- For an organization it allows its users to store sensitive information in the cloud, but the information they are storing is beyond your knowledge.
- Making a cloud strategy is very important to find the loopholes of security features of the cloud infrastructure.
Furthermore, best cloud security certification whether it is vendor-specific, generic or vendor-neutral, pitch in the areas of cloud security along with their implementation processes. Hence, companies with the top cloud security certifications help as an asset for enterprises to determine the cloud strategy.
Top 5 Cloud Security Certifications List
There are many cloud security certifications available in the market which an IT professional can go with, and these come as either vendor-specific, vendor-neutral or general category. However, we should value the most rewarding ones. Hence, in this blog, we have shortlisted the top cloud security certifications. However, we have highlighted only vendor-neutral cloud security certifications as these are the most effective ones across the cloud platforms.
1. Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge
Provider: Cloud Security Alliance
Description: The Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge or CCSK certification is the first certificate launched by Cloud Security Alliance on 2010 which is widely accepted and practiced by IT professionals. It’s a rare IT certification and enlisted among Top Cloud Computing Certifications. This certification covers cloud security areas as per CSA Security Guidance and ENISA Report. The certification aims to validate the examinees’ technical knowledge in cloud security area along with the capability to develop a holistic program related to cloud security.
Exam Pattern:
- No of questions: 60
- Allocated time: 90 minutes
- Questions type: Multiple choices
Cost: 345 USD
Preparation Guide:
- Follow CSA Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing V3
- ENISA Report Cloud Computing: Benefits, Risks, and Recommendations for Information Security
- Preparation courses from Cloud Security Alliance. There are two courses, one is “foundation” course for fundamental knowledge sharing and “plus” course for hands-on applications.
Website: https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/education/ccsk/
ALSO Read: Certificate of Cloud Securiy Knowledge Preparation Guide
2. Certified Cloud Security Professional
Provider: Cloud Security Alliance and (ISC)2
Description: Certified Cloud Security Professional is one of the popular cloud security certifications from (ISC)2 providing a de facto standard of IT security certification. CCSP is a global certification and represents the highest standard for cloud security expertise. The certification is created by the combined effort of (ISC)² and the Cloud Security Alliance. The certification ensures that the professional has a deep understanding and hands-on experience with cloud security design, architecture, operations, and service orchestration.
Pre-requisite:
To pass the Certified Cloud Security Professional exam, one should qualify any of the below criteria:
- 5 years of full-time working experience in IT among which three years working experience in information security along with one year in architectural concepts and design requirements for the cloud platform, cloud data and application security, infrastructure security, operations, compliance and legal.
- 5 years of full-time experience in information technology among which three years working experience in information security and Cloud Security Alliance’s Certification of Cloud Security Knowledge.
- Must have earned the (ISC)2 CISSP accreditation.
Exam Pattern:
- No of questions: 125
- Allocated time: 4 hours
- Passing score: 700 out of 1000
- Questions types: Multiple Choice
Cost: 549 USD
Website: https://www.isc2.org/ccsp/default.aspx
3. Certified Cloud Security Specialist (CCSS)
Provider: Global Science and Technology Forum (GSTF)
Description: The CCSS is a 3-days classroom training program with project work component. It focuses on knowledge and skills related to cloud security risks along with risk assessment and its analysis. The participants of this certification also learn how to manage and mitigate the security issues in a cloud environment irrespective of the vendors.
The certification leverages the knowledge of cloud security features from the perspective of cloud architectural principals and design along with the architectural and technological security related taxonomy details. Besides that, the training also includes governance and process details related to cloud security. The topics in the certification course cover security as a service, risk and security management, perimeter cloud security administration and infrastructure defense process. Also, it uses industrial case studies to highlight key cloud security issues with their appropriate handling procedures.
Pre-requisite:
Participants must fulfill any of the below-mentioned criteria to take up CCSS certification.
1. A certification of GSTF Certified Cloud Computing Associate (CCCA)
2. A certification of GSTF certified Cloud Computing Specialist (CCCS)
3. An advanced certification of EXIN Cloud Technologies
Exam Pattern:
Component 1: Written Examination (MCQ)
- No of Questions: 30 Questions
- Allocated time: 45 Minutes
- Pattern: Closed Book and Multiple Choice
- Passing score: 65%
Component 2: Project Work Component (PWC)
- Individual project
- Allocated time: 2 weeks from course completion date
- Passing score: 65%
Website: https://globalstf.org/certified-cloud-security-specialist-ccss/
4. Professional Cloud Security Manager
Provider: Cloud Credential Council
Description: The Professional Cloud Security Manager certification aims to prepare IT professionals to manage cloud security, compliance issues risk as they are related to cloud computing. Specifically, the certification emphasizes the technical and business related challenges in an enterprise cloud computing environment. A certified PCSM professional is expected to do the following tasks:
- Secure cloud computing services and deployment models irrespective of vendors
- Define and implement best cloud security practices and principles to cloud infrastructures.
- Managing and controlling access to cloud computing
- Securing data, applications, operating systems, and the overall cloud computing infrastructure
Pre-requisite:
Technically there are no pre-requisites, but the applicant must be a full time IT professional.
Recommended experience:
- Five years of experience in enterprise security.
- Thorough knowledge of cloud computing services along with deployment models.
Exam Pattern:
- No of Questions: 40 Questions
- Allocated time: 60 Minutes
- Exam Pattern: Multiple choices
Cost: 305 USD
Website: http://www.cloudcredential.org/certifications/pcs/
5. Certified Integrator Secure Cloud Services
Provider: EXIN
Description: Certified Integrator Secure Cloud Services is the combination of the following three foundation certificates:
- IT service management
- Information security
- Cloud computing
Pre-requisite:
Foundational certificates
Exam Pattern:
- No of Questions: 40 Questions
- Allocated time: 60 Minutes
- Pattern: Multiple choices
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.exin.com/US/en/career-advice/certified-integrator
Are you an AWS Security professional? AWS Security Specialty certification recognizes and demonstrates your expertise in AWS Security. Plan now to validate your skills with the AWS Certified Security Speciality exam!
Benefits of Getting Certified in Cloud Security
No doubt, in this world where cloud adoption is increasing at a high rate, cloud security becomes equally important. More on, a cloud security certification can help professionals in several ways, let’s have a look.
- Most in-demand cloud security certifications make one cloud professional distinguishable from the crowd as they already have proven knowledge and skills against industry benchmarks.
- The certification acts as proof to your employer that you have the required cloud knowledge, skills, and expertise.
- A vendor-neutral certification gives you more elaborate and specific knowledge on the security aspects of that platform.
- Cloud security certifications for cloud professionals help in their career advancement with an eye-popping salary.
Final Words
To conclude, apart from the above-mentioned most demanded cloud security certifications there are many more cloud security certifications as well. Many Cloud providers offer product training, whereas some organizations build the custom program at the request of the customer. However, in the end, the flagship is the best cloud security certifications which give the professionals unquestionable market credibility.
Whizlabs is a pioneering cloud training provider industry for all reputed cloud platform certifications including the most popular cloud security certifications like Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) and AWS Certified Security Specialty certification.
Hence, if you are planning to sit for these exams, experience our practice test series on these certifications!
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