Top 6 It Security Certification Programs For Boost Your Career

By Author: Naveen
Total Articles: 7
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1.CISSP: (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
Sponsor: ISC2
Difficulty: 10
Respectability: 10
Requirements: Proctored exam, 250 Questions, 6 hours, 4 years’ experience.
Cost: $500 USD.

About: CISSP is offered by ISC2 and is available for Security Professionals who have deep understanding of Information Security and at least 4/5 years of relative experience.

Pros: It’s the first InfoSec cert to receive ISO recognition. It has a great demand in the industry and can guarantee you a high paying job. CISSP is globally recognised; even The US ISSEP has adopted this certification as a baseline for the NSA.

Cons: CISSP is sometime regarded as an Overprice Certificate as in every 3 years it needs to be renewed. Advanced level certification, not for individuals who are looking to kick start their career in Information Security.

2.CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
Sponsor: ISACA
Difficulty: 8
Respectability: 9
Requirements: Proctored exam, ...
... 200 Question, 4 Hours; 5 Years’ Experience
Cost: $475 USD
About: CISA is globally recognised Certification and is available for individual who are or looking to get into Security Auditing, or IT risk Management.
Pros: It is globally recognised. One can attract good salary by having this certification.
Cons: CISA can be easily replaced by CISSP. Require prior experience like CISSP. Advanced level certification, Not for individuals who are looking to kick start their career in Information Security.

3.SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner)
Sponsor: ISC2
Difficulty: 4
Respectability: 3
Requirements: Proctored exam, 125 Questions, 3 hours, 1 year experience
Cost: $350 USD.

About: SSCP is intermediate level certification program for individual who have at least 1 year of experience in IT security area. SSCP holders are qualified for security engineering, monitoring and implementation positions.

Pros: SSCP is from ISC2, so it carries some sort of respect like CISSP. It gives employers a view of your career prospective and can help you get the job easily.

Cons: sometimes it gets compared with CISSP, but there is a huge difficulty difference between the both of them. The main competitor for SSCP is Security+.

4.SWADLP (Secure Web Application Development Lifecycle Practitioner)
Sponsor: Hack2Secure
Difficulty: 7
Respectability: 4
Requirements: Proctored exam, 90 Questions, 150 minutes
Cost: $250 USD.

About: SWADLP is based on Secure SDLC Process. It evaluates your expertise in implementing Security in Application Development Process. It is available for anyone (Architect, Developers, Management, testers etc.), who have even a little knowledge in Application Security Testing.

Pros: SWADLP is available for all. Its subject matter is not restricted for any particular field. IT is accredited by Pearson VUE and can ensure you get the job with highest pay.
Cons: SWADLP is just launched in the market, hence will take time to get recognition.

5.GSEC (GIAC Security Essentials Certification)
Sponsor: GIAC
Difficulty: 5
Respectability: 7
Requirements: Proctored exam, two 100 questions, 5 hours, Open-book Exam.
Cost: $1250 USD.

About: GIAC certifications are treated as technical deep-dive oriented, for individual who possess the hands-on and long-time practical Security experience.

Pros: IT is highly recognised certificate across the globe. Any certificate from GIAC commands a decent degree of respect. This can be a good place to start possess no other cyber security certification and looking for a leap up in your career.

Cons: High Certification and Training Cost.

6.Security+
Sponsor: CompTIA
Difficulty: 2
Respectability: 2
Requirements: Proctored exam, +-100 Questions, 90 minutes, passing score is 750 out of 900.
Cost: $225 USD.

About: Security+ is an entry level Certification for individual who want to start their career in IT Security. It includes topics like risk management, cryptography, identity management etc.

Pros: This is comparatively easy Certificate and no prerequisites required.

Cons: its entry level and not meant for highly experienced professionals.

The above mentioned ratings are based on the overall self-judgement and popularity in the market. This may be wrong or right according to the experts. However this is very clear that a Certification can make a huge difference in an Individual career. But the point is whether you are choosing the right one or not? Be focus do some research before you come to a conclusion of deciding on any one certificate. This can take you career to the next level!!