CISSP, an acronym for Certified Systems Security Professional, is a professional certification made for IT professionals. The International System Security Consortium created the exam to test security specialists on their ability to develop, design, implement, and manage a top-notch cybersecurity program. Acing it will not only showcase your expertise, but also grant you membership to the International System Security Consortium and its educational resources and peer-to-peer networking. The CISSP currently consists of eight parts — security and risk management, asset security, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, security operations, and software development security. The sections do change periodically based on global industry trends, so you may want to check out a Udemy course to get a better idea of today's security landscape.

There are many unique and exciting IT career paths you can take once you’ve earned this award-winning certification. A few roles that use CISSP are an IT Security Manager who ensures everything cybersecurity-wise is running smoothly, an Ethical Hacker who works with the IT team to test for vulnerabilities, and a Penetration Tester whose job it is to test the integrity of a company’s current systems. Additional CISSP job titles to explore include those involving forensics, analysis, engineering, and information assurance.

Whereas CISSP certification is the standard for IT professionals pursuing managerial and upper-level IT careers, you might wonder if there are alternatives available to prove your IT knowledge and abilities. One of CISSP’s top contenders is the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification, which achieves the same goal of validating your ability to manage enterprise cybersecurity teams. Another alternative is the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner CASP+ examination that provides certification of authoritative knowledge in the information security field.