14 Must Have Cybersecurity Certifications

Have you noticed gaps in the expertise or technical skills of your cybersecurity teams? There’s a cost-effective solution: certifications.  

We recently covered the importance of your cybersecurity plan in a recession. No matter the state of the economy, cyberthreats and other security risks to your organization’s network aren’t going anywhere. So even if your team isn’t in the position to bring on new cybersecurity experts, it may be time to upskill or reskill existing talent.  

Why Certifications?

Continued education—like the certifications on this list—is a great tool for ensuring your network and sensitive data remain safe. As an added bonus, investing in your teams will help your business in the long run. 

Not only will the investment help grow your employees professionally, it will save you money in hiring and onboarding costs. 

Replacing talent can cost a company six to nine months of an employee’s salary. And with high cybersecurity salaries, that could add up quickly. Sponsoring certifications, however, is much more affordable—costing between $150 and $760 on average per certification. Offering these upskilling opportunities can also be an effective pitch toward recruiting and retaining talent. 

We’ve compiled a list of 14 must-have certifications for your cybersecurity teams, from beginner to advanced.  

5 Certifications for Foundational Knowledge

We understand that a lot of businesses are electing to labor hoard and/or reorganize talent to avoid hiring new people or laying off existing employees. While it’s a great strategy for minimizing layoffs, some of those individuals could be reskilled with basic cybersecurity training if that’s what your company needs. Here are some certifications to bring them up to speed: 

Microsoft Technology Associate IT Infrastructure (MTA)

MTA hosts several certifications, covering networking, popular programming languages, and security fundamentals. This will help your teams develop skills in a range of areas such as networking, databases, development, and security. 

CompTIA A+

In cybersecurity, it’s important to first conquer the fundamentals of how networks operate. This certification will provide foundational IT knowledge for your teams to build upon in the future.  

CompTIA Security+  

With a 93% pass rate, this certification is great for those looking to start a career in cyber security. It covers topics such as risk management, intrusion detection and prevention, cryptography, and access control. 

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)—Routing and Switching  

CCNA—Routing and Switching can develop the knowledge to install, monitor, and troubleshoot network infrastructure. The course covers mitigation of security threats and fundamental security implementation. CCNA is especially useful for those working with Cisco network solutions. 

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)—Security

This certification works on the technical skills needed to work in security operations. CCNA—Security covers topics like network access control, identity management, and threat protection mechanisms. 

9 Certifications for Skill Development

These certifications are geared toward employees with considerable cybersecurity experience that need to expand their skill sets or take on new responsibilities.  

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) 

This is one of the most popular cyber security certifications out there, and it’s perfect for those who want to understand how hackers think. With a focus on ethical hacking techniques as well as perimeter defense and intrusion detection, CEH will prepare your teams for defending the organization from cyberattacks.  

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) 

This is the ultimate cybersecurity certification for those who want to be at the forefront of information security. The CISSP content focuses on topics like security and risk management, disaster recovery, and cryptography.  

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) 

This one is great for those whose career involves auditing, controlling, and monitoring security vulnerabilities. CISA certification can prove mastery of information systems auditing processes, protection of information assets, information systems development and implementation, and more. 

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)  

If you need coverage on information security risk and incident management, this is a great certification. The CISM course also covers information security governance and program management. 

Microsoft Azure Security Technologies 

Microsoft Azure Security Technologies is a certification that’s designed to ensure your company remains secure when working with Microsoft’s cloud-based platform. Because it covers topics like identity and access management, threat detection, and other vital security analytics, it can help protect your organization in an ever-changing IT landscape. 

Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)  

This course examines penetration-testing methodologies, tools, and techniques. Penetration testing is essential to many cybersecurity roles, making OSCP a great option for ensuring your team is well-equipped to secure your organization’s network.  

CompTIA PenTest+ 

In line with the above, this certification is highly valuable for penetration testing and vulnerability management. PenTest+ will bolster your cybersecurity team’s ability to scope, manage, and fix weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your network. 

CompTIA CySA+ 

This certification boot camp builds off of industry experience as well as knowledge learned in CompTIA Security+ listed above. CySA+ teaches cybersecurity professionals how to use data analysis to find vulnerabilities and expose cyber threats.  

CompTIA Security Practitioner (CASP+) 

The CASP+ certification is an advanced-level course designed for senior cybersecurity professionals like security architects or engineers. This is great for employees who need to understand enterprise-wide solutions, compliance, mobile infrastructure, and other advanced concepts.   

Use Certifications to Develop Your Teams 

Rather than let the fact that there are less cybersecurity professionals than open cybersecurity positions negatively affect your network security—try upskilling and reskilling your cybersecurity teams.  

If you need to improve the level of technical skills and cybersecurity knowledge within your organization, consider the certifications in this list.  

And if you are hiring professionals in cybersecurity, check out the form below!