In the modern world, data is one of the most important commodities being created at exponential rates. It is estimated that internet users create about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day.

Most of this data is stored in large data centres full of cloud servers. With this ever-increasing data usage growth, data security is one of the most critical issues in the present times. 

Organizations are looking to hire data security experts to help them secure their data to prevent financial looks or leakage of confidential data. 

Read on to learn more about Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification and its relevance in modern times.

What is CCSP Certification?

The Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification mainly focuses on cloud security. This certification is issued by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium or (ISC)2, a non-profit organization that coaches cybersecurity professionals and certifies them at the end of the course. The CCSP certification includes six major domains of data security:

• Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design,
• Cloud Data Security,
• Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security,
• Cloud Application Security,
• Cloud Security Operations, and
• Legal, Risk, and Compliance.

With the CCSP certification, you will learn: 

• How to maintain huge amounts of data and the significance of data security, 
• How to secure data assets of a company,
• Identification of principles, concepts, and data structures to secure company assets,
• Fundamentals of data architecture and data design included in cloud security,
• Principles of maintaining data infrastructure and ways to secure a cloud,
• Basics of the cloud and the latest data security tools and skills.

Prerequisites for a CCSP Certification

To be eligible to pursue a CCSP certification, a candidate must:

• Have five years of paid work experience in the IT industry (5 years cumulative)
• Have at least three years of experience in the Data Security
• Have at least one year of experience in one of the six domains of data security prompted by (ISC)2 

If you are eligible for the CCSP certification, you can also enroll yourself in a CCSP certification training to prepare you for the examination. After the training, clear the examination and receive the certificate. Every Certified Cloud Security professional must renew the certificate every three years. 

Even if you don’t have the required experience of 5 years and you still want to appear for the exam, do not worry. You can appear for the exam, and after clearing the exam, you will become an Associate of (ISC)2. In the next six years, the Associate of (ISC)2 can work to gain the required work experience and get the CCSP certificate.

Benefits of CCSP Certification

Below are the benefits of CCSP certification which make it worth your while:

• High Demand 

The growth of cloud computing is increasing every year, and now more organizations are using it than ever. And as a result of this, all businesses are looking to hire data experts who can help them protect their data. The companies are looking for technical employees who have expertise in cloud computing security.

To become CCSP certified, a candidate needs to demonstrate a high level of skills in data security. The CCSP is one of the most sought-after training certificates in the IT industry.

• Validates Proficiency

The CCSP certification is issued by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium or (ISC)2, which is a globally recognized, non-profit organization. The number of candidates pursuing CCSP certification has grown steadily since its launch in 2015. This is mainly because an increasing number of companies use cloud computing for their data requirements and these companies hire many qualified data security professionals to protect their interests. The CCSP certification validates and demonstrates your proficiency in the skills required to secure data.

• Better Salaries

From the above points, it is evident that obtaining a CCSP certification will advance your career in the domain of data security. Moreover, the CCSP will also improve your earning potential. Since the CCSP certification is in such high demand among employers, they are ready to pay higher salaries to employees with the certification.

• Sought by Most Industries

As discussed above, the CCSP certification validates your proficiency in the skills required to ensure data security. Any industry that stores its data in the ‘cloud’ and utilizes cloud computing tries to hire data security professionals with the CCSP certification. These industries hire CCSP certificate holders for positions like Cloud manager, Cloud engineer, Data Security Manager, etc.

• Application of CCSP Knowledge in Practical Situations

The CCSP learning is not completely theoretical, and you learn a lot of practical applications which can be used in various situations pertaining to data security. The questions asked during a CCSP certification examination are scenario-based rather than knowledge-based. 

• Complements Cloud Security Certifications Issued by Specific Vendors/Companies

Sometimes, candidates tend to pursue certifications issued by the cloud service provider that their prospective or current company uses. These vendor-specific certifications enable candidates to work in specific organizations that use the product distributed by the vendor. On the other hand, CCSP is not affiliated with any vendor. CCSP certification complements the certifications issued by these vendors rather than competing with them. 

• Provides Opportunities either as a Consultant to a Company or In-house 

After obtaining a CCSP certificate, you can provide cloud security services to a company by joining them, or you can work for the company as a consultant. Working as a consultant is beneficial because you get to work on different types of projects for different companies in different domains. In contrast, working for a company in-house trains the employee on all aspects of data security like building a cloud service, fixing issues, maintenance, etc.

• Applicable to Companies that Use Cloud Services from Multiple Vendors/Companies

CCSP is not affiliated with any vendor, and it focuses intensely on cloud security in general. Sometimes, a company uses cloud services from multiple vendors like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, etc., to meet all of their data requirements. Such companies hire CCSP certificate holders for their data security requirements.

Who Should Take CCSP Certification?

The CCSP certification is valid for all candidates who want to advance their knowledge in the field of data security. Some of the job position holders who should opt for CCSP certification are:

• Enterprise Architect
• Security Architect
• Security Administrator
• Security Engineer
• Security Consultant
• Security Manager
• Systems Architect
• Cloud Architect
• Systems Engineer
• Cloud Consultant
• Cloud Engineer
• Cloud Security Analyst
• Cloud Administrator
• Auditor of Cloud Computing Services
• Cloud Specialist
• Professional Cloud Developer

What are the Skills that You will Learn from CCSP Certification?

Some of the main skills that get developed during the CCSP certification course are:

• Cloud Infrastructure
• Cloud Design
• Cloud Architecture
• Cloud Data Security
• Enable Security Controls
• Security Operating Models
• Network Security
• Risk Management
• Cloud Security

Conclusion

The Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification is worth it. The certificate holds a lot of value in the data security domain and has many benefits discussed in the above section. 

The best CCSP certification training helps to gain expertise in cloud security and learn ways to implement your knowledge. Besides CCSP training, you can also look into other data security-related certification training like CEH certification training (Certified Ethical Hacking) and CISA certification training (Certified Information Systems Auditors) to boost your career as a Data Security Expert.

FAQs

1. What is the benefit of CCSP certification?

Some of the benefits of CCSP certification are:

• It complements cloud security certifications issued by specific vendors like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, etc.
• It opens doors to opportunities either as a consultant to a company or an in-house employee.
• It boosts your earning potential.
• Regardless of the type of industry, it is one of the most sought-after certifications in the data security domain.
• It validates and demonstrates a high level of skills in the data security domain.

2. What is a CCSP certification?

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification is issued by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium or (ISC)2. It helps in the development of real-world skills and in advancing your career in the field of Cloud Security. The CCSP certification includes six major domains of data security:

• Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design,
• Cloud Data Security,
• Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security,
• Cloud Application Security,
• Cloud Security Operations, and
• Legal, Risk, and Compliance.

3. What are the prerequisites of a CCSP?

To be eligible to pursue a CCSP certification, a candidate must:

• Have five years of paid work experience in the IT industry (5 years cumulative)
• Have at least three years of experience in the Data Security
• Have at least one year of experience in one of the six domains of data security prompted by (ISC)2 

If you don’t have the required experience of 5 years, you can still appear for the exam. After clearing the exam, you will become an Associate of (ISC)2. In the next six years, the Associate of (ISC)2 can work to gain the required work experience and get the CCSP certificate.