CISSP Advanced Security Certification Can Lead to a Lucrative Career for the Committed Computer Security Professional

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Copyright © 2009 Frank Pines


When the movie Hackers, starring Angelina Jolie, came out in 1995, people had gotten the idea that being a hacker is cool and clever.

There were certain network attacks along the way that started putting people into the mindset that computer hackers weren't as cool as people had once thought. The viruses that infiltrated our desktops helped drive the point home that computer security was a very real issue and a very real concern.

Then 9/11 arrived, and cyber terrorism jumped to the front page of our local newspapers. All of a sudden, cyber terrorists were identified as hackers who spend their days and nights trying to crack open corporate and government computer networks to steal information and to cause havoc.

Within months of 9/11, computer security became one of the hottest career choices in Information Technology (IT) departments around the world.

CISSP is the abbreviation of Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and it is one of the more advanced security certifications available to IT professionals.

This is an exam, which forms the premier security certification that is designed or framed and administered by the International Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2.org).

This career field and computer security certification is one of the most extensive course studies provided in the IT field. Certified professionals at this level have the necessary skills and the proficiency to handle any situation that may pose a critical threat to the information systems of corporate or government entities. The holder of a CISSP certification generally provides unbeatable IT leadership capacity, in the formation and execution of enterprise security infrastructure.

The most essential core knowledge of CISSP professionals is the ability to effectively maintain System Access Control and Applications Security.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning is the next important role of a person who holds this certification.

Beyond the primary areas of education shown above, the CISSP professional is expected to have a solid understanding of Cryptography. If you are unfamiliar with this term, it relates to the security behind the movement of data from one point to another. Cryptography is developing systems that ensure the security of data between two computers, such as with sending and receiving email and when protecting private information within a computer network, such as credit card information of customers. During the Cryptography course work, a significant amount of time will be devoted to the prevention of illegal entry into a computer network and preventing the theft of important data in that network.

Other areas that will be covered in the CISSP course work includes:

Information Security and Risk Management;

Legal, Regulations, Compliance and Investigations;

Operations Security;

Physical (also called Environmental) Security;

Security Architecture and Design techniques; and

Telecommunications and Network Security.

This certification is one of the best-known and most-respected computer network security certifications.

Depending on where one might be seeking a job, people who bring a CISSP certification with them can expect to get a minimum starting salary in the range of $70 to $80,000 per year.

As the course work involved with this certification is quite extensive, one should not be surprised to learn that the actual test would take about six hours to complete.

As with any IT certification, one should take advantage of the practice tests to ensure that one will perform well on the real test on certification day. The test itself generally costs in the range of $ $550, so unless you simply have money to burn, one should be sure that he or she is able to pass the real test, before dropping the money to get the actual certification. As with anything in this life, practice makes perfect... And in this case, certification will ensure a good salary from your current or future employers.




About the Author:
Written by Frank Pines of CDI Communications Inc. - CDI Communications is a leader in implementation of instructional strategies for MCSE, AutoCAD, Sap, Skillsoft, CCNA, MCTS, Cisco, MCITP, MCTS, Microsoft Office, Oracle, Crystal Report, Knowledgenet, SAP, NetG, A+ Training and CISSP Certification. Visit CDI Communications Inc. at: http://www.netwind.com/ OR follow Frank on Twitter at: @cdicomp


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