Most people know that cybersecurity is a very important and in-demand field in today’s time. However, people may not realize how broad the field is – there are many different subareas of cybersecurity, each one forming a part of the complex web of security structures that companies and organizations depend on. If you want a career in one or more of these subareas, the CISSP certification process definitely worth your effort.
What Is CISSP Certification?
CISSP stands for Certified Information Systems Security Professional – it is a general (but highly respected) certification for all security-related areas of IT. Certification is awarded by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, known as (ISC)2. Since the (ISC)2 is international, the CISSP is a great certification if you are not sure where on the globe you will be working
The CISSP certification process includes two basic components: the exam and recorded job experience. Take note that passing the exam is not sufficient: the (ISC)2 has to see that you have put in the equivalent of 5 years of full-time job experience in two or more of the CISSP exam’s topics (known as domains). Thankfully, there are many ways to fulfill the 5-year requirement – academic degrees, internships, and jobs – see the (ISC)2 website for details.
The exam is now commonly available in computer-adaptive test (CAT) format. This exam takes 3 hours with 100 to 150 multiple choice questions. The passing grade is 700 out of 1000. The 8 domains are security and risk management, asset security, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management (IAM), security assessment and testing, security operations, and software development security.
Network security relies heavily on cryptography (methods to keep unauthorized persons from accessing an organization’s digital communications). Digital data and communications are assets that organizations want to protect; therefore, network security ultimately comes under the banner of risk management (finding ways to avoid undesirable outcomes and/or reduce damage should bad outcomes occur). As demonstrated by the CISSP domains listed above, cybersecurity encompasses a wide variety of jobs. There are the developers – architects/engineers – who develop cybersecurity structures and software.
On the other hand, there are the managers – network administrators and other network security personnel – who oversee everyday needs. Network security also encompasses many consulting, auditing, and forensic roles: There have to be methods to test whether a system is working as intended and to find what is wrong if it is not. Furthermore, physical security is a part of network security – keeping networks and communications safe from distant hackers is useless if robbers can walk right into digital storage spaces.
CISSP Certification Process: A Great Source of Preparation Material
Udemy is a great online education website for almost all studies – both academic and practical. Their courses are very reasonably priced – considerably less than you would pay for other test prep, college courses, or seminars – especially when you consider the price of transportation and the time and stress involved in getting to a classroom. Some of the top businesses in the world purchase Udemy for their employees so that they can both upskill and enrich their lives.
Like many online education sites, Udemy has a blog site. This is a great place to find inspiring and insightful articles about people who have found success as a result of taking Udemy courses, advice about navigating the job market, ways to advance one’s career in general, and tips to make it in a specific field. You can find even more information like this on the “Stories” page of the site.
Udemy also conducts and publishes research about the job market and what individuals and companies can do to improve their odds of success. If you want to get a sense of what skills are truly in-demand, find career hacks to prevent stagnation, or pinpoint ways to avoid common career mistakes – an evening or two spent exploring the Udemy site is the best gift you could give yourself.
Udemy’s education is made for truly anyone, anywhere: the site offers about 100,000 courses to 30 million students; furthermore, the site itself has 17 languages, but there are courses from around the globe, using over 50 languages in total. Udemy has offices in San Francisco, USA; Dublin, Ireland; Ankara, Turkey; São Paulo, Brazil; and Denver, Colorado. Furthermore, you can use Udemy not only on a computer with internet access but also on a mobile iOS (Apple) or Android device. On the app, you can watch previously downloaded courses, in case you end up offline. You also can watch Udemy courses on Chromecast or AppleTV.
Udemy originated with the experience of founder Eren Bali, whose initial experience with education was a one-room school in a small town in Turkey. Bali had the ambition to succeed in mathematics and chess competitions; he reached this goal by seeking resources and insights on the internet. Since he could see how much the internet helped him become who and what he wanted to be, he worked to help others do the same. He worked with two other founders to create Udemy, so that online learning would be even easier to obtain for future learners.
Udemy has CISSP exam preparation, along with other courses in related subjects. Conveniently, Udemy as such has a variety of online programs, that can truly be your one destination for personal enrichment and career advancement. You can prepare for your certification exam – all the while taking courses to make you better at your current job, to learn new hobbies, or to gain life skills.
Essential Courses for CISSP Prep
If you are looking for a course that will give an overview of the content a CISSP needs to know, take CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional on Udemy. This course does not give in-depth test prep; however, the CISSP exam is briefly described. Also, the course content does not coincide in a specific way with the exam domains, but it does give the beginner a sense of what of the network security world is like.
This course would make an excellent review or knowledge update for someone re-entering the workforce; alternatively, it could just serve as extra CISSP practice. It covers such basics as access control, risk management, security architecture, software development security, disaster recovery, and more.
To truly get you started on the CISSP certification process, look at CISSP Certification Introduction. Prepare for the exam right. This course includes lecture material on test-taking strategies specific to the CISSP exam and it goes into detail about why one should pursue CISSP certification (very high demand, relatively high pay, one of the best IT certifications possible, etc.). There is also 1 complete practice test included.
This course also includes an extensive section for those who want to maintain their certification with continuing professional education (CPE). The course also addresses more subjective issues: what to expect on test day, what to do if you fail, what to do next if you pass, etc. Note that this course could work as a sort of capstone course to the following four test prep boot camp courses presented below. In fact, all five of these are created by the same instructor.
To begin an in-depth CISSP exam preparation, start with CISSP Certification: CISSP Domain 1 & 2 Video Boot Camp 2019. As its name suggests, this course addresses the first two domains covered by the exam: Security and Risk Management, Asset Security. There are 30 practice questions and other supplementary test prep material for each domain, thorough lecture coverage of the material you need to know, and advice about how to think about the questions the way the (ISP)2 intends. This course (and those below as needed) could also be used to firm up weak areas for those who are almost ready for the exam – this is one benefit of the program being divided in four parts.
Next is CISSP Certification: CISSP Domain 3 & 4 Video Boot Camp 2019. This course continues to give the student IT knowledge from a management perspective, which is what the CISSP exam’s creators want. It covers needed knowledge and advice for domains 3 and 4: Security Architecture/Engineering, Communication and Network Security. Then, next in the series, there is CISSP Domain 5 & 6 Video Boot Camp 2019. It covers domains 5 and 6: Identity and Access Management, Security Assessment and Testing. Finally, 7 & 8 Video Boot Camp 2019 similarly covers the last two domains: Security Operations and Software Development Security.
CISSP: A Way into a Surprisingly Broad Field
There is tremendous demand for all of the roles for which CISSP certification qualifies you; while there are other possible IT certifications, the CISSP is one of the most elite. Therefore, if you want a higher-level job but do not want to force yourself into a traditional high-paying job that you do not like – consider and explore the wide variety of CISSP positions. Also, realize that these roles are in flux; there may be slightly different job roles needed in the next five years. CISSP certification brings you into an exciting and dynamic world of career opportunities.