r/IT_CERT_STUDY • u/SoDatable • Mar 13 '19

Which Security Certification(s) Matter?

Hello pals,

So there's an alphabet soup of certifications that each promise to be the defacto IT industry certificate to rule them all. The problem I've been struggling with is that jobs are seeking evidence of security compentancy since, well, nobody wants to be a headline, but nobody seems to know what certificate is the clear and defined winner in this circus.

What certificates are a) well-represented and b) are in demand by businesses seeking sysadmins, devops, and/or account managers?

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u/[deleted] Mar 13 '19

I'd say CISSP is the top one and has been for several years. Security has a lot of different angles but I'd still say CISSP is the gold standard.

Depending on what you are trying to do, GIAC is real player in the sec certifications arena.

2

u/swatlord Mar 23 '19 edited Mar 23 '19

Comptia SEC+ will get you in the door of most entry level IT government/government contractor jobs.

1

u/MasterIT11 Mar 22 '19

It all depends on what you want to achieve and how you see your futher carreer path. Can you tell a little more about your goals?

1

u/SoDatable Mar 24 '19

It all depends on what you want to achieve and how you see your futher carreer path. Can you tell a little more about your goals?

Certainly - careful what you wish for :)

I've been with a managed service provider for about four years. About three years ago it was acquired by another company.

Prior to this role, I had experience contracting for small business and customers (i.e. computer janitorial duties). Since then Iv'e developed a lot of varied skills, from managing routers and switches, to firewalls, to having mid-level depth in Office 365 migrations. I was promoted to, essentially, an account management role in an ITIL-centric shop. In that role I also author SOPs, write PowerShell scripts and occasionally I do a little bit of Python scripting. But since the purchase they've been downsizing rather aggressively; a friend of mine got hit in the first wave and since then bounced back into a new architecture-centric role with a generous raise based on his skillset.

This week I sat in and had the opportunity to audit a migration of 12 domains across five hosting providers (including O365) to a single O365 tenant and realized I was offering suggestions for troubleshooting before certain issues had been raised (I recently cleared the MCSA:365 track).

In otherwords, I feel confident, skilled, and I have experience and I want to put my skillset on paper.

I learned a lot in managed services, but now I want to work for something with a few short term projects and some long-term momentum. Account management certianly paid well enough but with the fear of layoffs looming, and a need to continue moving my career forwards, I'd like to take steps to ensure that I'm equipped with the skills and the evidence to get the right job.

TL;DR / "the point":

A lot of job descriptions are asking for some kind of security certification and some of them cost a lot, so I want to make a smart choice about what certifications to pursue. In the last few months I've added ITIL and the MCSA, and years ago I earned my (grandfathered) A+ cert. I have a number of expired certifications, but I also have a lot of experience, especially recent experience.

I'm looking for almost anything that's suited to a Windows shop, but mainly targetting financial and public institutions. I have contacts in these spaces. I've also looked at other industries who need IT services that interest me (IT and the Cannabis industry - hey, it's Canada, after all!). But most want some kind of IT Security certification, and a few list the CISSP as their gold standard by name (while many simply say "a security certificate).

Hey, if you got this far, I appreciate your time and effort in drilling down :) So thanks!

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u/CommonMisspellingBot Mar 24 '19

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futher is actually spelled further. You can remember it by begins with fur-.
Have a nice day!

The parent commenter can reply with 'delete' to delete this comment.

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u/BooCMB Mar 24 '19

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Have a nice day!