(upbeat music)
- Information security is the hottest specialty
in the IT marketplace.
As high profile security breaches make headlines,
organizations around the world are scrambling
to protect their information assets
and stay out of the news.
Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear from employers
bemoaning the difficulty of finding and hiring
qualified information security professionals.
Even a quick glance at IT salary studies bears this out.
IT security professionals
are among the most highly compensated staff
in any organization.
The CISSP certification is the premier credential
for information security professionals
and the gateway to a career in information security.
Serious accountants know that the CPA
is their ticket to professional advancement.
Physicians seeking to prove their worth
become board certified.
In the same way, the CISSP credential is a must have
for those serious about information security careers.
Earning your CISSP credential is a professional journey.
It won't happen overnight,
but it also doesn't need to take years
of arduous planning and preparation.
The CISSP certification launched in 1994 and quickly grew
alongside the then young information security field.
Sponsored by the International Information System
Security Certification Consortium, or ISC Squared,
the CISSP now occupies an elite position
among IT certification programs.
Today, employers and IT professionals around the world
recognize the CISSP as a premiere certification program
that allows candidates to demonstrate a breadth of knowledge
across the eight domains of information security:
security and risk management,
asset security,
security engineering,
communication and network security,
identity and access management,
security assessment and testing,
security operations,
and software development security.
Why is the CISSP so highly regarded?
Earning the credential requires a combination of passing
a rigorously administered exam and demonstrating experience
in at least two of the domains of information security.
There's also a strong base of certified professionals
filling the ranks of the information security profession.
Over a hundred thousand people have CISSP certificates
hanging on their walls and they use the credential
as a yardstick when assessing job candidate pools.
Most people attempting the CISSP exam have some experience
working in the information security field,
but it's not necessarily a requirement.
The important thing to understand
is that no matter where you are in your security career,
you can take and pass the CISSP exam.
Most candidates attempting the exam
do have gaps in their experience.
There simply aren't many jobs
that cover all eight of these domains.
If you already have four
or five years of information security experience,
you will have an easier time with the certification process.
Chances are that you've already built up your knowledge
in a few of the domains
and you have a leg up on your studying.
You'll also be ready to meet
the CISSP experience requirement
and move right on to certified status
after passing the exam.
Many people who take the CISSP exam
do so in an effort to make a career change.
If you're coming from another IT specialty
or even outside of the technology field,
you can still take the CISSP exam.
You might need to do a little more preparation
than currently practicing
information security professionals,
but many people who came before you
took and passed the exam without any experience.
If you're a newcomer to the field,
you won't immediately qualify for certification
after passing the exam
because you don't meet the five-year experience requirement.
While you're waiting, ISC Squared will award you
the Associate of ISC Squared designation.
Employers will know that you have the knowledge base
required to succeed in information security
and you'll stand out from the pack of job applicants.
You'll then have six years to log the required experience
and upgrade your certification to full CISSP status.
Excited? You should be.
You're about to begin one of the most important journeys
of your professional career.
The CISSP credential will be your stepping stone
to a successful career in an exciting rewarding field.
(upbeat music)