High-profile hacks and data breaches are happening on an increasingly regular basis. It’s safe to say that cyber security is a boom industry right now. A shortage of talented IT security professionals has led to higher salaries and greater demand.

According to a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) in December 2017,  81 per cent of recruitment businesses think the UK workforce is unlikely to meet demand in cyber security over the next 12 months. In comparison, only 16 per cent think it is likely that demand will be met.

The shortage of candidates to fill the increasing number of roles in cyber security means employers will push up pay. 94 per cent of recruiters predict pay for cyber security staff will increase over the next year, while the remaining six per cent think it will stay the same, according to REC.

If you’re looking to get into cybersecurity as a career, or even if you’re just looking to increase your skillset and add more value to your business, taking a training course in cyber security can be an excellent way to add a couple more weapons to your arsenal.

There are various different courses you can take, many of which will offer certification upon completion, proving that you’re a cyber security pro and giving you something with which to spice up your CV. There are courses which specialise in certain verticals and job roles, as well as those that focus on specific areas of security, like data protection or risk management.

Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned veteran looking to brush up on your skills, here are the top cyber security training courses to hone your abilities.

Responsible for Information training

The government is making a concerted effort to encourage more small businesses to proactively engage with cyber security. As part of this, it’s offering a free online training course for small, medium and micro-businesses to teach staff the basics of IT security, as well as how to guard against fraud and other security risks.

The course takes less than two hours and can be freely downloaded from the Gov.UK website. It’s no substitute for the in-depth training provided by other courses and certifications, but for businesses who want a basic grasp of cybersecurity without committing to a deep-dive, it can be an excellent start.

Security training for HR, procurement and legal & accounting

For workers in larger companies, the government also offers more specialised courses for employees in specific roles. If you work in HR, procurement or legal and accounting, there are dedicated courses you can take to educate yourself about the cyber security issues that may affect you as part of your work.

Much like the government’s cyber security course for SMBs, these training modules are freely available online and are all short enough to be completed over the course of a lunch break. They’re no substitute for proper, company-wide cyber security education, but can be useful for anyone looking to gain a deeper insight into how security affects their role.

Certified Information Systems Auditor

The Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification is offered by ISACA. It’s aimed at IT professionals with an interest in information systems audit, control and security.

Professionals with the CISA certification are recognised internationally as professionals with the knowledge, skills, experience and credibility to leverage standards, manage vulnerabilities, ensure compliance, offer solutions, institute controls and deliver value to the enterprise.

Certified Information Security Manager

The Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification is also offered by ISACA. IT security professionals with this certificate can demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between an information security program and broader business goals and objectives.

It shows prospective employers the professional has not only information security expertise but also knowledge and experience in the development and management of an information security program.

Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control

The third ISACA qualification on our list, CRISC certified professionals can help enterprises understand business risk and have the technical knowledge to implement appropriate IS controls.

CRISC certified employees can build a better understanding of the impact of IT risk and how it relates to the overall organisation.

CompTIA Security+

This certification from CompTIA covers network security, compliance and operation security, threats and vulnerabilities as well as application, data and host security. Also included are access control, identity management, and cryptography.

Systems Security Certified Practitioner

The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, known as (ISC)2, offers the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) certification is aimed at IT professionals with proven technical skills and practical security knowledge in hands-on operational IT roles.

It indicates a practitioner’s technical ability to tackle the operational demands and responsibilities of security practitioners, including authentication, security testing, intrusion detection/prevention, incident response and recovery, attacks and countermeasures, cryptography, malicious code countermeasures, and more.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional

Another certification from (ISC)2, the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is great for professionals with proven deep technical and managerial competence, skills, experience and credibility to design, engineer, implement and manage their overall information security program to protect organisations from sophisticated attacks.

GDPR training

While not strictly cybersecurity, GDPR is the biggest overhaul of data protection legislation in the UK and EU for nearly 30 years. The guidelines are rigid and the potential penalties for non-compliance are very high – up to four per cent of annual global turnover or €20 million, whichever is greater – meaning that while the ultimate responsibility may lie with the board, cybersecurity professionals should very much be aware of what is expected as well. After all, they are the ones who will be tasked with day-to-day management of data protection.

One company offering GDPR training is Assuredata. The introductory courses, which are endorsed by both the Cloud Industry Forum and the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST), aim to raise awareness of GDPR requirements and remove confusion, particularly with regard to those in the cloud industry. More information can be found here.

Source

http://www.itpro.co.uk/careers/28212/a-guide-to-cyber-security-certification-and-training-4