The Top 5 Vendor-Neutral Cloud Security Certifications of 2023

All segments of the cloud market are predicted to see growth in 2023, according to research by Gartner. In an April Press Release, the firm forecasts that global spending on public cloud services will exceed 21% this year, totaling $597.3 billion overall in 2023. This is up over $100 billion from last year’s (mere) $491 billion.

“Organizations today view cloud as a highly strategic platform for digital transformation, which is requiring cloud providers to offer more sophisticated capabilities as the competition for digital services heats up,” notes Sid Nag, Vice President Analyst at Gartner.

Everything from digitized health records to generative AI is driving up cloud usage. In that same Press Release, Gartner predicted that by 2026, three out of four organizations will adopt a cloud-based digital transformation model. Demand is at an all-time high for both cloud services and the people who can run them.

That’s why organizations are intent on hiring professionals who are certified in cloud security. These accreditations ensure that new employees are qualified to properly configure their cloud servers and secure their data. Coupled with the proper amount of experience, certified employees can serve as a crucial resource towards helping organizations defend against a data breach.

There are plenty of cloud security certifications available on the market today. But which ones are worth looking into?

To answer that question, we have compiled a list of five cloud security certifications below. These programs are listed alphabetically and are not ranked. All are vendor-neutral.

1. Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK)

Provider: Cloud Security Alliance

Cost: $395 USD

Description: The Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) confirms that a recipient possesses and can demonstrate certain technical concepts in developing a holistic cloud security program. To help applicants prepare for the exam, which covers the CSA Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing V3 and the ENISA report Cloud Computing: Benefits, Risks and Recommendations for Information Security (PDF), Cloud Security Alliance offers two preparation courses. Its “foundations” course reviews cloud security fundamentals and prepares students for the certification exam, while its “plus” course uses hands-on activities and expanded materials to hone participants’ knowledge in applying key cloud security issues.

Website: https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/education/ccsk/

2. Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Provider: Cloud Security Alliance and (ISC)2

Cost: $599 USD

Description: The Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) accreditation signifies that you have the knowledge and advanced technical abilities to design, manage and secure data in the cloud. This includes cloud-based applications and infrastructure, and the certification requires you to know and use policies, procedures and best practices from (ISC)2 certified experts worldwide. The (ISC)2 Associate option is also available, allowing you to demonstrate competence by passing the CISSP exam while continuing to work towards getting CISSP certified.

To qualify for the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) exam, interested parties must have five years of experience working full-time in information technology. Three of those years must be in information security, and one year must relate to one of the six domains covered in the CCSP exam. (IT professionals can substitute the one-year requirement by earning Cloud Security Alliance’s Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge discussed above, or they can replace the entire five-year requirement by earning the (ISC)2 CISSP accreditation.) Certification recognizes that an individual possesses knowledge and skills of key cloud security issues, as set forth by two of the world’s leading organizations in cloud and information security.

Website: https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CCSP

3. Certified Integrator in Secure Cloud Services (CICSC)

Provider: EXIN

Cost: Free (with three foundational certificates as prerequisites)

Description: The Certified Integrator in Secure Cloud Services (CICSC) certification was created to give a broad range of background knowledge needed in the cloud security domain. This would be an ideal choice for professionals switching tracks and just starting out in their cloud security careers.

Those who become a Certified Integrator in Secure Cloud Services through EXIN, a Dutch certifier of IT professionals worldwide, do so free of cost by combining three other foundational certificates; one each in IT service management, cyber security and cloud computing. (Each certificate costs $243 USD.) Professionals have some flexibility when it comes to qualifying for this integrated certificate; there are eight different options for fulfilling the IT service management requirement, for instance. They are also free to replace EXIN cloud computing with a certificate offered by the Cloud Credential Council.

Website: https://www.exin.com/certifications/exin-certified-integrator-secure-cloud-services-exam

4. CompTIA Cloud+

Provider: CompTIA

Cost: $358 USD

Description: The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association, offers its globally recognized, accredited and ISO 17024-compliant Cloud+ certificate to practitioners who wish to validate their knowledge, skills and abilities in implementing and maintaining cloud technologies. The program teaches students key issues associated with the cloud including models, virtualization, infrastructure, resource management, business continuity and security. CompTIA recommends that those who register for the exam possess at least 2-3 years of experience in system administration as well as familiarity with at least one of the major hypervisor technologies for server virtualization.

Website: https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/cloud

5. Professional Cloud Security Manager (PCS)

Provider: Cloud Credential Council

Cost: $495 USD

Description: The Cloud Credential Council’s Professional Cloud Security Manager (PCS) course prepares IT professionals for security, risk and compliance issues as they relate to cloud computing. This program focuses on the intersection between business and technical security challenges in an enterprise’s cloud computing environment. Technically, there are no prerequisites for IT professionals to apply for the exam. However, the Cloud Credential Council recommends that interested parties have five years of working experience in enterprise security along with a deep understanding of cloud computing services and deployment models.

Website: https://www.cloudcredential.org/mock_exams/professional-cloud-security-manager-pcs/

To learn more about staying secure in the cloud, check out Tripwire’s cloud cybersecurity solutions.