CISSP is an advanced certification program that tells that you can design, implement, and manage a cybersecurity program at the enterprise level. It stands for Certified Information Systems Security Professional; International Information System Security Certifications Consortium (ISC)2 provides this certification.
The certification has been around for about 20 years, and industries worldwide respect it. So it definitely can boost your Cyber security certification. A CISSP-certified professional should be competent across many technical and management areas. You also need relevant industry experience and specialized CISSP training to clear the exam.
This certification is not for beginners; it requires deep technical knowledge and work experience. This cyber security certification assesses your technical expertise and evaluates your management skills.
However, if you have the experience, this certification can further help you grow in cyber security.
CISSP cyber security course syllabus
The CISSP certification requires you to be an expert in each of the following eight domains.
- Security and Risk Management
- Asset Security
- Security architecture and engineering
- Communication and network security
- Identity and Access management
- Security assessment and testing
- Security operations
- Software Development Security
You can understand the various vital skills you need to get the certification from the above domains.
CISSP exam requirements
To get the certificate:
- You must have five years of Infosec experience in any two domains mentioned above.
- You need to pass the test.
For experience, you can include internships, part-time jobs, college education, or any other approved certification.
You also have to pay fees to get your certification or maintain your certification.
CISSP Exam
There are two types of questions in a CISSP exam. One is regular multiple-choice questions. The other is “Advanced innovative items.” Here, you drag and drop answers onto a specific area.
It uses Computerized Adaptive Testing, where the computer adjusts the questions based on your performance. However, this is only true for English language assessments. The test would be the same for other languages, no matter how you perform.
CISSP Preparation
As most infosec professionals will only be experts in one or two domains, a refreshing Cybersecurity course may be necessary. The amount of time you need to dedicate depends on your knowledge and study style. If you are learning from a cyber security online course, you may learn quicker because you get a structure. However, self-study is also possible, although it may require higher self-discipline.
There is an official CISSP study guide; however, there are also third-party courses and boot camps to help you ace the exam. These usually are instructor-led, therefore, more beneficial. In addition, you don’t have to worry about the Cyber security course eligibility; you only need to be a high school graduate (XII standard). Finally, ensure that the cyber security course syllabus covers all the CISSP domains.
A recommended training program would be CCISO, offered by the EC council. It covers all the domains of CISSP.
CISSP exam cost
The CISSP exam costs 699 USD in the US. It will be around that in other parts of the world.
Additionally, you need to pay 125 USD to maintain your CISSP certification. Although, you don’t have to pay multiple maintenance fees for each of your certifications.
As mentioned above, you need to have five years of work experience. Even if you don’t have that, you can take the exam, but you will only be an associate. And you still have to pay 50 USD to maintain that position until you gain the relevant experience.
Is the CISSP exam worth it?
Before considering a CISSP training program, you should read on to understand if the certification is worth it.
The statistics show that this costly certification is worth it because it gives you opportunities for much higher pay. For example, CISSP certificate holders earn about 125,000 USD per year (ZipRecruiter). Additionally, most job postings for this level require a CISSP certification.
In conclusion, CISSP is a reputed certificate provided by (ISC)2 that shows your expertise in various cyber security domains, such as Asset Security and Security Operations.
Furthermore, this certification further validates that you have more than five years of experience in two of the eight CISSP domains. This certification is not for beginners; however, if you want to improve your infosec career, CISSP is an excellent choice. The cost required to get CISSP certification is high. But considering the high salaries for the certificate holders and the fact that jobs require you to have this certification, it is worth it.
