CCSP or CISSP — Which is better?

The ISC2 CISSP and CCSP certifications go hand in hand and often there is confusion between the two. Although both are founded by the non-profit organisation ISC2, both are IT courses, and both concern Cyber Security, there are several differences between the two that will take you on different career paths.

The following is an in-depth exploration of the two certifications to help you decide which one is best for you.

ISC2 CISSP

The ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification establishes your expertise in designing, implementing, and managing a top-tier Cyber Security program.

This certification is aimed at experienced security practitioners, including managers and executives, who are interested in developing their skillset and advancing their Cyber Security careers.

CISSP has maintained its reputation as the best IT security certification in the world for the last 30 years. It has proven to be the most reliable and up-to-date certification in the rapidly advancing IT industry.

CISSP certification is expected for jobs such as CISO, CIO, Director of Security, IT Director, IT Manager, Security Analyst, and Security Manager. The average salary of a professional with a CISSP certification starts at £62,500.

These jobs require at least 5 years of work experience in at least 2 of the 8 CISSP Common Body of Knowledge domains.

If you want to improve your knowledge across a broad range of security principles and practices and achieve senior roles in information security, then the CISSP is ideal for you. Check out the accelerated course.

ISC2 CCSP

On the other hand, the ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) proves your technical ability to design, manage, and secure data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud.

The CCSP is aimed at IT and Cyber Security leaders responsible for applying best practice to security architecture, design, and applications. If you are a Cloud Security professional looking to develop and boost your technical skills, then the CCSP is ideal for you.

The CCSP is an internationally respected certification that compliments and builds from the knowledge taught by CISSP. In fact, if you have the CISSP, you are qualified to sit the CCSP exam. Alternatively, professionals must have a minimum of 5 years of experience in IT, of which 1 year must be spent dealing with the 6 domains of the CCSP Common Body of Knowledge.

CCSP was created by the two prestigious non-profit organisations ISC2 and CSA. The information gained from this course can be used across numerous cloud platforms.

Professionals who are likely to take the CCSP include Enterprise Architects, Security Administrators, Security Consultants, Systems Engineers, and Systems Architects. The average salary for somebody with a CCSP is approximately £67,500 per year. Check out our accelerated CCSP course.

CISSP vs CCSP — Which one should you choose?

At Firebrand, we would recommend that you start your Cyber Security journey with CISSP. It provides foundational knowledge about designing, implementing, and managing Cyber Security programmes, which is a prerequisite for CCSP. CCSP builds on CISSP knowledge and uses best practices, policies, and procedures established by cloud security experts at ISC2 to make sure it is the most useful and applicable cloud security certification available today.

Fundamentally, CCSP is an extension of the CISSP because it covers domains that CISSP doesn’t, such as Cloud Data Security, Cloud Platform Infrastructure Security, and Cloud Application Security.

If you already have CISSP and these domains sound relevant to your job, CCSP is the perfect next step.

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.

We offer accelerated courses and training solutions for all stages of your career, enabling you to get CISSP- or CCSP-certified in just 6 days.

Could one of them be right for you?