Everything about the IT security certifications you always wanted to know, but you are too afraid to ask pt.1

These exams are internationally recognized and well-known by everyone industry-wide. With this article we are going to deep dive into the realm of IT security certifications. 

So why get certified anyway? Answering that is way easier than you’d expect. There are three  obvious benefits to get a security certification:

• Demonstrate your commitment: You show that you have passion and knowledge! A certification is a telltale sign that you are determined to become a better professional. You invested time and effort to learn. This can work on the company level as well because the attention of your potential customers will be raised, if they realize your team has demonstrated expertise. Based on the fact that IT security is a sensitive field, the certified employees will represent your trustworthiness.
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• Help to get a job: Many employers set a specific certification as a base requirement. Some organizations demand these certifications as a must-have criteria. E.g. the US Department of Defense (a.k.a DOD) has prepared a list which certifications accepted for different positions and these certifications are mandatory for anyone who applies a job that  has any business with a US government-related vendor.
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• Increase your earning potential: Based on the survey made by (ISC)² certified individuals earn 16% more on average. However here in Hungary (and CEE) these salary differences can be even more significant.

I suspect that your next question would be “ok, but which certificates are the most important and most valuable?” To get a better overview let’s begin with Paul Jerimy prepared the “infamous” roadmap for IT security certifications. This very detailed map divides the security into sub-domains, and it shows what and how a certain certificate covers a part of this picture. For the first time, it will look chaotic: a bunch of 4 and 5 letter acronyms with some kind of a weird “united colors of Benetton” vibe. Looks awful, doesn’t it?  Trust me, at the end of this article you will get a basic understanding of it.

In nutshell the most recognized certifications are the followings:

• CISSP by (ISC)2
• CISA by ISACA
• CISM by ISACA
• Security+ by CompTIA
• CEH by EC-Council
• OSCP by Offensive Security

Contrary to our size at BB we boast a higher number of certified colleagues compared to the biggest domestic consultant companies.

We will delve deeper into the most known certs in a more detailed fashion in our upcoming article. 

Stay tuned!