The CCSP is a highly valued industry certification. Cloud Computing has transformed the technology landscape for the foreseeable future, making cloud security a critical concern.
However, securing cloud environments presents unique challenges. Each cloud provider—Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and others — does things differently and has different services and tools.
These providers also offer their own certification paths and training, which are highly specific to their platforms. For instance, Google Cloud has a variety of certifications that can be found here. Microsoft’s certifications are here, and AWS’s can be found here.
These vendor-specific certifications provide deep knowledge about one particular platform. While expertise in one platform can help in learning another, each comes with its own learning curve due to its unique approaches.
So going through these vendor training routes will teach you a lot of cloud knowledge about 1 specific vendor. This is referred to as vendor-specific training. Of course, learning the ins and outs of AWS will enable you to better pick up Microsoft Azure skills. But, there is still a learning curve because Microsoft does things slightly differently to AWS.
The CCSP bridges this gap as a vendor-neutral certification. Instead of focusing on the specifics of any one provider, it covers overarching concepts and best practices applicable across all cloud environments.
The main advantage of the CCSP is its vendor-neutral approach. It teaches best practices and security considerations that apply to any cloud environment. This makes it an excellent complement to vendor-specific training, offering a broader perspective on cloud security.
For full transparency, vendor-specific skills are still necessary. The CCSP does not replace the need for such training but rather enhances your overall understanding, making you more versatile and valuable in the job market.
The CCSP is created by the collaboration of (ISC)² and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), two respected organisations in the field. The CSA also offers the CCSK certification, a lighter version of the CCSP, but the CCSP is generally considered more challenging and valuable in the industry.
The CCSP certification demonstrates that professionals have advanced technical skills and knowledge to design, manage, and secure data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. It is ANAB accredited (ISO/IEC Standard 17024) and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD 8570.1).
This certification is ideal for IT, cybersecurity, information, and software security leaders responsible for applying best practices to cloud security architecture, design, operations, and service orchestration. Roles that benefit from CCSP include: