Many candidates when they are starting in the field of CLoud Security have this doubt. What’s the difference between CCSK and CCSP? Is CCSK worth it? Is CCSP tough to crack? etc. We will discuss both CCSK and CCSP in detail to help you understand the differences and similarities between them. But if you are an experienced professional and wish to advance your career, then check out this CCSP Course which is designed by industry experts possessing several years of industry experience.
CCSK
CCSK or Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge if offered by Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). This certificate was one of the first few exams targeted to validate Cloud Security knowledge when it was released back in 2011. This certificate focuses on technical and business-driven cloud security aspects. CCSK covers risk management, Governance, and legal aspects.
It’s a certificate, which means it doesn’t need maintenance. Once you have acquired it, it’s yours. Comparatively speaking, CCSK is far easier to earn when compared to CCSP. If you are prepping up for the certificate, I recommend you go through the official website of CSA. That will suffice the basic preparation.
CCSK helps you understand data security in the cloud. It will help you cement your foundation for all your future additional cloud credentials suiting certain vendors or job functions.
Professionals working as Cybersecurity Analyst, Security Engineer, Security Architect, Security Admin, Enterprise Architect, Security Consultants, and CISOs could take up CCSK certification. And this certification complements credentials like CCSP, CISSP, CISA, and CCAK.
CCSP
(ISC)2 or (International Information System Security Certification Consortium) offers this certification for experienced professionals who have several years of experience in the Cloud Security domain.
(ISC)2 expects professionals who are certified with CCSP to be experts and proficient in matters concerning governance, Datacenter Security, and privacy. A CCSP certified professional is expected to be much more aware and knowledgeable than a CISSP certified professional.
CCSP demands a certain work experience from professionals taking up the certification. Every professional who is willing to take up the exam must possess five years of work experience in the field of IT, within which three years must be in the field of Information Security. One year or more could be any of the six domains listed in the CBK of CCSP.
There are several exceptions to this though, like acquiring CISSP will help you substitute a year of work experience for CCSP. And if you pass the CCSP exam and are yet to meet the work experience requirements, then you are granted six years within which you can earn five years of work experience by being an Associate of (ISC)2.
CCSP exam covers six domains like Cloud Architecture, Cloud Data Security, Cloud Security Operations, Cloud Application Security, Cloud Platform, and Infrastructure Security along with Legal, Risk, and Compliance. Once you earn this certification, you will become proficient in these domains and become capable enough to help organizations in securing their cloud architecture from malicious threats and intrusions. Read this CCSP Tutorial to know more.
Conclusion
CCSK is a foundational level certificate earning which will help you set your basics right for a career path in Cloud Security. CCSP, on the other hand, is a very renowned certification offered by a recognized organization, that helps you validate your technical expertise and command over domains.
