Elucidation of the Comparison between CISSP and CCSP

 The best way to polish your skills as an IT aspirant and to open the gate of opportunities is by acquiring an IT certification. With the variety of certifications offered by top-rated vendors, it has become difficult for candidates to decide which certification suits their goals best in shaping their future careers. If you are one of these and are looking forward to acquire cyber security certification then CISSP and CCSP offered by (ISC)² are the best options for you. CISSP certification expands its area and takes management into account while CCSP sticks to the technicalities of cyber security. Apart from this, there are other features that serve as the deciding factor among these two. Some people go for both the certifications to polish their relevant skills. In this case, it is usually advised to take CISSP earlier than the CCSP.  If you are planning to choose one of these two certifications then this article is a thorough guide for you. Let’s begin the ride.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Recognized in 2015, the CISSP certification is popular as a broader certification as it not only boosts your skill level and career but also helps you in becoming the designing, implementing and managing expert of the cyber security program. To avail of the opportunity to learn all the focused expertise, a candidate is required to have five years of working experience in any two Common Body of Knowledge CISSP domains. Acquiring this certification along with past experience will make you fit for any position as a cyber security expert. The CISSP certification is prepared by experts by keeping in view the target audience incorporating the interests of the cyber security aspirants. The target audience for the certification is Director and chief information security officer, IT director, IT manager, Security System Engineer, Analyst, consultant, auditor and architect, and network architect. Since its recognition, the certification has become popular among people as a survey shows that the salary of the employees who have acquired CISSP certification is more than those who have not. The point is justified as this certification makes you an expert at planning, implementing and maintaining reliable and good quality security programs.

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) was introduced in 1994 and is popular among its audience because it polishes and assesses the skills of the candidate in architecture, design and implementation of cloud security. Like CISSP certification, CCSP also requires five years of experience in the domains of the Common Body of Knowledge domains of CCSP. The defined target audience for the concerned certification defines its nature well and includes security, architect, security administrator, system engineer, enterprise architects, security consultants, and security engineers and system architects. The CCSP represents your eligibility with respect to these defined goals and helps you prepare the required skills. By getting an in-depth understanding of the system’s vulnerabilities and threats and by designing strategies to cope with these threats, you can get your hands on any job position you want in cyber security.

Comparison of CISSP and CCSP

Basics	CISSP	CCSP
Introduced in	1994	2015
Focus	Cybersecurity, IT Security	Safe Cloud Infrastructure
Roles	Chief Information Security Officer Chief Information Officer Director of Security IT Director/Manager Security Systems Engineer Security Analyst Security Manager Security Auditor Security Architect Security Consultant Network Architect	Cloud Architect Cloud Engineer Cloud Consultant Cloud Administrator Cloud Security Analyst Cloud Specialist Auditor of Cloud Computing Services Professional Cloud Developer
Domains	Security and Risk Management Asset Security Security Architecture and Engineering Communication and Network Security Identity and Access Management (IAM) Security Assessment and Testing Security Operations Software Development Security	Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design Cloud Data Security Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security Cloud Application Security Cloud Security Operations Legal, Risk and Compliance
Experience Required	5 years hands-on experience in any domain of CCSP CBK	5 years experience in IT and 3 years hands-on experience in any domain of CCSP CBK
Exam Details	Time: 3 hours No of Questions: 100-150 Passing Score: 700 out of 1000 Exam Format: Multiple Choice	Time: 3 hours No of Questions: 125 Passing Score: 700 out of 1000 Exam Format: Multiple Choice
Exam Fees	$749	$599
Maintenance	(ISC)² certified members pay an AMF of U.S. $125 each year  Associates of (ISC)² pay an AMF of U.S. $50 each year	(ISC)² certified members pay an AMF of U.S. $125 each year Associates of (ISC)² pay an AMF of U.S. $50 each year
Average Salary	$92,639	$80,717

Which one is better – CISSP or CCSP?

No matter what kind of IT certification we look at, every one of them focuses on the skill development of the candidate to help him/her in his career. The same goes for CISSP and CCSP certification offered by (ISC)². If you are wondering which certification you should choose for now then you should follow your area of interest. If you are still facing difficulty in deciding then here is the complete guide to help you with the confusion. Based on the following features it can be decided that which certification is best to construct a road to a successful career.

Introduction of certifications

CISSP was introduced in 1994 and was updated as a certification that assesses both the designing and managing skills of candidates in cyber security programs whereas CCSP was introduced in 2015. CCSP aims to assess the candidate’s skills in designing and implementing cloud security programs. Though both the certifications offer the best of the domains to support the skill area but CISSP works in a broader context than CCSP.

Required experience

CISSP requires the candidate’s five years of experience in any two domains of CISSP CBK (Common Body of Knowledge) which are a total of eight in number. Whereas CCSP requires five years’ experience including three years in information security and two years in any one domain of CCSP CBK (Common Body of Knowledge). From an experience point of view, both certifications are quite the same except for CISSP demands more focused experience as a prerequisite.

Pattern of the exam

Both certifications require candidates to take an exam that assesses their skill level. As the far syllabus of the exam is concerned, the syllabus of the CISSP is more detailed following its diverse domains than CSSP. The paper pattern of both exams is the same and a candidate is required to score 700 marks out of 1000 to pass the exam. CCSP exam includes 125 questions that a candidate is required to answer in the time span of three hours whereas CISSP requires you to answer 100 to 150 exam questions in the same time period.

Exam Fee

The exam fee of CISSP is higher than CCSP. CISSP costs $699 USD whereas CCSP costs $599 USD. That makes CCSP more affordable than CISSP but with all the basic coverage of skills that CISSP provides, it is worth spending money. 

Maintaining the certification

Both the certifications have a validity of three years and require renewal after three years. But CISSP requires 120 CPEs for maintenance i.e. 40 every year while CCSP requires 90 CPEs for maintenance i.e. 30 each year.

Salary and Job opportunities

Certifications validate your skills when it comes to the job opening and prove your fitness at that time. The same goes for the most popular certifications i.e. CISSP and CCSP. A candidate acquiring CISSP certification has career opportunities as CIO, CISO, Director of Security, IT Director and Manager, Security Analyst and Security Manager, etc. whereas CCSP offers opportunities as an Enterprise Architect, Security consultant, Security Administrator, System Architect and Engineer. As far as salaries are concerned, the salary of CCSP acquiring employees is higher than the one with CISSP. The average salary of a CCSP owner is $133,820 whereas the salary of a CCSP owner is $109,965

Demand-based feasibility

It would not be wrong to say that CCSP focuses on practice-based skills and makes sure that the candidate has on-hand experience of the knowledge he has. Also, CCSP offers candidate information and skills which are not tied to a specific employer like AWS, Azure etc. whereas certifications offered to the cloud security professional by these vendors have demands in the relevant employer industries only. In this way, CCSP enhances the area of opportunities for you.

If we talk about the CISSP certification then it boosts the career potential of the candidate as the demand for CISSP holder employees is relatively higher in the market. The study conducted by (ISC)² shows that there is a shortage of 2.9 million people when it comes to the cyber workforce. The shortage in the market shows the green signal for the aspirants to avail the opportunity by acquiring the certification. Not only this but acquiring the CISSP certification will help you in securing your job on the go without any further wait.

Employer-based feasibility

As far the employer feasibility is concerned, both CISSP and CCSP work for all employers. Though cloud security certifications offered by many vendors are restricted to specific employers like AWS but CCSP offers the certification applicable for all clouds and relevant employers. This means acquiring these certifications will provide you opportunities in nearly all firms. So now enjoy unlimited opportunities from nearly all the employers by availing the CISSP and CCSP offered by (ISC)².

Popularity on the basis of the nature of the certification

CISSP has proved its fitness as the best IT certification in past and has maintained its nature for more than 30 years. The certification focuses on cyber security in detail to make the candidate a cyber-security expert whereas CCSP is an extension of CISSP which helps the candidate to polish his skills in cloud data and platform security. This extension i.e. CCSP takes the knowledge of the CISSP further to the next level and focuses on the domains which are not included in CISSP. CISSP focuses on information security and expands your area of expertise by polishing and representing your skills in efficient management. This helps you in representing your profile fit for both implementation and management at a time. While CCSP remains technical throughout its domains and focuses on the skills associated with cloud-based security. Keeping in view the area of skills of both certifications CISSP is found to be more popular among people. If you are an InfoSec professional and want to reach the peak of your career you can avail both certifications. In usual circumstances, it is advised to take CCSP after you have acquired the CISSP certification as CCSP  is considered to be the extension of CISSP offered by (ISC)². Furthermore, as CCSP covers the fields which are not included in CISSP, it will help you to expand your area of expertise.

Conclusion

When it comes to IT certifications, every one of these serves the purpose and helps IT beginners and experts acquire some efficient and useful skills. If you are a cyber security aspirant and want to acquire some functional skills then CISSP and CCSP offered by (ISC)² are good options for you because these are not employer-specific and hence open gates of opportunities for you. for a person who is aiming to choose one of these certifications, the decision can be tough but it is suggested that you acquire CISSP certification. As mentioned above, there is an increased demand for CISSP holders in the market serving you with a lot of great opportunities. Also, CISSP focuses covers all the basics of cybersecurity along with the management side. As the CCSP is considered to be the extension of the CISSP, you can always go for it once you acquire CISSP. Acquiring CISSP fulfils all the prerequisites of experience which further paves the way for you. To acquire the CISSP certification and boost the efficiency of your career in a blink!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is CCSP harder than CISSP?

As rated by the exam takers i.e. candidates for both exams, CISSP is harder than CCSP with its diverse syllabus and respective domains. Not only has this but CISSP required more stamina and effort to prepare also. You can take help from Dumpsgate for your preparation as dumps gate is providing best exam dumps for all IT certifications. 

2. Should I take the CCSP before the CISSP?

Usually, it is recommended to take CISSP before the CCSP as CISSP serves the basics of cyber security while CCSP takes the mission forward in the form of an extension to help candidates with cloud security.

3. Is CCSP worth getting?

Acquiring CCSP will bless you with some good skills and will boost your presentation to ace your career effective. With good career opportunities, it offers you a handsome salary as the average salary of a CCSP holder is $109,965.

4. Is CCSP easy after CISSP?

CCSP is an extensive certification that requires you to pass a difficult exam. Acquiring CISSP is extensive too but acquiring this certification first will fulfill the experience prerequisites of the exam and will help you a lot.

5. How much does the CCSP exam cost?

CCSP exam costs $599 USD.

6. What is the difference between CCSP and CISSP?

CISSP focuses on the cyber security and the management of the information security in the enterprise whereas CCSP focuses on the technical side and takes the domain of the cloud security into account.

7. What certification is higher than a CISSP?

CISM offered by Information System Audit and Control Association known as ISACA is considered to be higher than CISSP in rank. This certification is an advanced certification that represents the candidate’s skills, expertise and knowledge in serving the development and management of the enterprise information security programs.