10 highest-paying Cyber Security certifications in 2019

Demand for Cyber Security professionals has been soaring for a while, with certified professionals landing some of the highest-paying jobs in the IT industry. This is largely due to an increasingly digitised and interconnected world, as businesses across the board migrate their data and processes to the Cloud.

In today’s world, keeping sensitive data secure from prying eyes and cyber-attacks can mean the difference between leading the market and bankruptcy.

Despite clear benefits such as availability across devices and geographies, granular control of access, and easily accessible data versioning, running a business via Cloud also entails risk, as data remains permanently exposed to online threats like hackers, data leaks, or DDoS attacks.

Because of this, cyber-attacks are now among the top threats to businesses and consumers worldwide, with increasingly common major security breaches such as the 2017 Equifax data breach and Facebook’s almost routine privacy mishaps. In the UK, more than half of British firms have reported some kind of cyber attack by mid-2019.

Cyber attacks are also increasingly costly, with annual losses in the trillions of dollars per year; see this report by Cybersecurity Ventures forecasting £5 trillion in global losses by 2021.

The cyber security skills gap has only widened. Research by (ISC)2 has put this gap at a whopping three million in October 2018. This means businesses need more security experts, fast. And to professionals, it means opportunities abound, with competition for certified experts driving salaries ever higher.

The question is, with so many options, what choice offers the best value, both for businesses and individuals? A good way of looking at it is by looking at market demand, and there’s no better way of gauging it than by average compensation.

Here are the 10 highest-paying Cyber Security certifications as measured by average salary.

1. EC-Council CCISO — £115,000

A Chief Information Security Officer is an executive with a wealth of experience in both business expertise and technical skills. It's one of the most senior roles in a company's IT career ladder. This managerial role oversees security engineers and a business’ incident response control.

As a certified CISO, you are required to have a minimum of 5 years’ experience in Cyber Security. It’s not an entry-level position you could just jump into, but taking a CCISO certification is definitely worthwhile for anyone contemplating a career upgrade.

According to ITJobsWatch, the average salary for a CCISO, as of 2019, is £115,000. In contrast, according to ITCareerFinder, CCISO salaries can range anywhere between £80,000 to over £400,000 per year. 

The urgency for CCISO professionals has increased since last year, having climbed over 51 positions in the ranking by ITJobsWatch. 

EC-Council is globally renowned for their IT certifications — for example, Certified Ethical Hacker, an industry standard today). It’s no surprise, then, that their CCISO certification takes the first place as the best salary in the cyber security field.

2. Cisco CCIE — £83,000

Cisco’s Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) attests the skills required of an expert-level Network Engineer to plan, operate, and troubleshoot complex network infrastructure.

With an average salary of £83,000 for 2019 and a substantial increase on the job market, the demand for CCIEs is on the rise.

Cisco plans a major overhaul of the structure of CCIE and other courses starting in February 2020.

3. (ISC)² CCSP — £74,000

As a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), you’ll have the advanced technical skills and knowledge to design, manage and secure data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. You’ll also implement best practices, policies, and procedures to establish Cyber Security for your business.

This certification is designed for senior-level professionals with at least five years of cumulative, paid work experience in Information Technology, of which three must be in Information Security.

(ISC)² is an international, non-profit membership association for Information Security leaders. A certification by such a heavyweight provider will without a doubt increase the value you add to any business, along with your salary.

This certification is in high demand. According to ITJobsWatch, there’s been a 6.67% increase year-on-year, with an average salary of over £74,000.

4. EC-Council CPENT — £67,500

EC-Council’s Certified Penetration Testing Professional levels up your expertise in penetration testing. This Cyber Security certification relies on hands-on and interactive knowledge. Penetration testing puts you in the shoes of a hacker, looking for exposed attack vectors so you can build a robust defence.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a penetration tester in the UK is around £67,500.

5. (ISC)2 CISSP — £65,000

A Certified Information Systems Security Professional is a senior-level IT expert responsible for a company's Information Security and in charge of the implementation and management of an Enterprise Security programme. 

The salary for a CISSP professional has increased by 4% since last year, averaging £65,000 in 2019.

This certification is ideal for security consultants, analysts, managers, auditors and architects. It also acts as a stepping stone in the direction of becoming a CISO.

6. ISACA CISM — £65,000

As a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), you’ll be responsible for the management and design of information security systems for your business. If you’re an information security manager looking to accelerate your career, then this certification is a perfect match.

Leading up to an average salary of £65,000 in 2019, it’s quite a valuable investment for professionals.

7. GIAC GSEC — £65,000

GIAC’s Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) is ideal for entry-level security professionals, operations personnel, and managers. In this certification, you’ll learn how to design and build network architecture, run Windows/Linux command line tools, and design an effective security policy for your organisation.

GIAC provides some of the most rigorous standards for security professionals. Taking into account that this certification is designed for entry-level professionals, an average salary of £65,00, shows how much value it can add to both businesses and individuals.

8. ISACA CRISC — £65,000

As a Certified Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), you’ll improve your understanding of IT risk management and its impact on your business. You’ll learn how best to design, implement, monitor and maintain risk-based, efficient and effective information systems controls. Finally, you’ll also understand what is systemic enterprise risk, and get familiar with various information systems controls to mitigate this risk. 

The CRISC certification is another example of a certification designed for entry-level positions. The change year-on-year has decreased by 7.69%, however in the last 6 months, professionals are seeing incomes of over £100,000 once certifying in CRISC. Average salaries are in the £65,000 range.

9. ISACA CISA — £65,000

As a Certified Information Security Analyst (CISA), you’ll be responsible for identifying risks and providing compliance reports within your business.

The certification is specifically designed to escalate your career into a managerial position, which can further be supported with a starting salary of £65,000.

10. EC-Council CEH — £60,000

Through EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) you’ll learn the techniques and strategies of a hacker, but use them for defending against attacks. You’ll be immersed in an interactive hacking environment, learning to scan, test, hack and secure your own systems.

The average salary for an EC-Council's CEH is around £60,000, but, depending on the sector, it can exceed £80,000.

Cyber Security, a rising trend

Cyber Security is slowly becoming the cornerstone of our modern economy. The world of today is online and, barring another giant meteor, there’s no going back.

In this world, bank heists happen online and security professionals don’t carry guns. The best (and best-paid) defenders of the 21st century will pack a solid body of knowledge, flexibility, and the will to always be learning to try and stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Get certified fast with Firebrand

For the past twelve years in a row, we’ve been named one of the Top 20 IT Training Companies in the World. At Firebrand, we take Cyber Security very seriously, making it a core component of our accelerated courses, Apprenticeships, and Skills Bootcamps.

Perhaps one of them is right for you? See all our Cyber Security and Cyber Crime courses.