ISC2 stands for International Information System Security Certification Consortium and is a non-profit organization whose focus is on instituting a mature workforce for the cybersecurity arena. This organization is well-known for providing training and demanded vendor-neutral certifications for cybersecurity professionals. These certifications help thousands of professionals to verify their security skills and solidify their place in the industry.

Types of ISC2 Certifications

ISC2 maintains extensive certification portfolio and the most distinguished ones are illustrated underneath.

#1. CISSP

The CISSP certificate or Certified Information System Security Professional is the stepping stone for any aspiring security specialist. The certification curriculum is composed specifically to let the candidate traverse the nifty-gritty of cybersecurity strategy and its hands-on implementation. It’s the live proof of merit that IT pros have obtained in the designing, development, and management of the security of the enterprise.

Target Audience: CISSP is a game-changer for those who have explored the world of cybersecurity for five years. During the stint, one must have overtaken hands-on expertise in two or more eight domains named on the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK). Focusing on the job roles, this accreditation is a valuable instrument for security managers, security auditors, analysts and architects, and the like.

Exam Characteristics: The CISSP certification exam is globally accessible at ISC2 Authorized Personal Professional (PPC) and Pearson VUE authorized (PVTC) testing centers. It can be taken in CAT or Linear format.

In CAT format, the exam features a 100-150 inquiries and lasts for 3 hours. English is the only acceptable language in this case, and scoring of 700 out of 1000 is essential to come up with flying colors in the exam. When it comes to linear exam, it contains 250 questions to be answered in 6 hours and is available in as many as seven languages.

Career Prospects: As a CISSP certified professional, you’re all set to investigate the world because the certification is globally recognized. Such experts can earn as high as $125k annually.

Certification Path: CISSP paves the path for CISSP Concentrations. These certificates focus on certain expertise areas. The best bet after CISSP is CISSP ISSAP that covers developing, designing, and analysis of security solutions.

#2. CCSP

CCSP or Certified Cloud Security Professionals is what one should aim at to sharpen the cloud security architecture skills till completeness. Possessors of this certificate are at the vanguard of cloud security as they own a best-of-breed understanding of operations and service orchestration.

Target Audience: IT professionals who are managing the cloud consultation in the real-world as security consultants, security managers, or security engineers. Such professionals must have worked in the industry for a minimum of 5 years before conversing their focus on the CCSP accreditation.

Exam Characteristics: The CCSP exam lasts for 3 hours and features 125 multiple-choice items. The supported test language is English. Pearson VUE is handling the responsibility of conducting the exam at multiple global centers.

The applicants are required to score anything above 700 to get a pass status. To do this, they need to learn more about the key cloud concepts, cloud security principles, cloud platform & infrastructure security, application security, cloud security operations, and legal risks & compliances.

Career Prospects: Holding this certification means gaining an edge over others and earning $57k as an average salary. This certificate makes it more possible for you to get hired in the roles like security architect, systems engineer, enterprise architect, and others.

Certification Path: Moving ahead in the career realm will become easier if one keeps on polishing the inherited skills. After CCSP, SSCP can be a wise choice to make. It’s all about understanding the implementation, monitoring, and administering of the IT infrastructure with the help of information security.

#3. CAP

CAP or Certified Authorization Professional is a security certification dedicated to the Risk Management Framework (RMF). CAP certified IT pros are known as dependable employees who know how to ensure the upright implementation of RMF in a given system. This certificate is the biggest proof of excellence in assessing risks and the establishment of security documentation.

Target Audience: Anyone dealing with RMF in the actual world can aim at this certification. Still, the applicants should have a minimum of two years of work experience in one or more of the seven domains mentioned in the CAP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK).

Exam Characteristics: The CAP certification can be obtained after scoring 700 out of 1000 in the CAP exam which consists of 125 questions. These questions will be based on a multiple-choice format and need to be completed in 3 hours. Only the English version is available currently. $200 is the enrollment fee that the test-takers have to pay beforehand, in the form of an exam voucher.

The exam content is based on the information related to risk management, IS categorization, security controls selection, their implementation & assessment, IS authorization, and continual monitoring.

Career Prospects: The way CAP shapes the career of an IT professional is commendable. Bearers of this certification are all set to grab pivotal job roles like Information Systems Analyst, Information Technology Auditor, and the like. $62k annually would be your compensation of a CAP accredited individual, and this figure can even get higher. Thus, IS analysts earn about $84k per year, while IT auditors have an annual salary of $93k.

Certification Path: IT professionals willing to expand skills periphery a little further can go for CSSLP. This certification prepares one to handle the authentication, authorization, and auditing of security practices in the real world.

#4. CSSLP

CSSLP is geared towards IT pros who are playing a crucial role in software system development and are in dearth need of having access to unmatched programming skills. After completing the certification journey successfully, candidates verify their boasting technical skills related to authentication, authorization, and auditing using the SDLC. The best practices and policies of SDLC are covered extensively.

Target Audience: Gear yourself for earning CSSLP if you’re a working professional bearing the responsibility of software development and security at each phase of SDLC. Hopefuls are expected to have sound SDLC industry experience of four years or, more. The experience must have gained in one or more domains, as stated in the CSSLP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK).

Exam Characteristics: To tame the CSSLP beast, one has to pass the corresponding exam which is 3 hours long, features 125 multiple-choice questions, and demands 700 points or above as passing grades. The test is globally available and is administered by Pearson VUE.

Career Prospects: Being the CSSLP certification holder means standing out of crowd. Such experts are well-rounded at each stage of SDLC. A senior application security engineer is one of the most apt job roles wherein a CSSLP holder can get absorbed. In this profile, one can easily make $144k annually.

Certification Path: Earning the Associate of ISC² is the next smart move that any CSSLP holder can make. In no time, it will turn you into an asset that the cybersecurity industry can’t overlook.

*Note: The salary details are gathered from ZipRecruiter.

In Conclusion

In case you want to prove your expertise or overcome a mid-career crisis, ISC2 certifications will help you on this path. Chose the most suitable option from the given variety and check if you fulfill the requirements. Then, once you pass the associated exam, you will have all the career perks you’ve been dreaming of.