No organization has a conversation about cloud computing without considering security.
Since IT will be in the center of the fray on that front, the (ISC)2 and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), have announced that they will be developing an international cloud security certification.
Jim Reavis, co-founder and executive director of the Cloud Security Alliance, explained in a press release:
Businesses are moving vast amounts of data into the cloud, and consumers are gobbling up new, usually mobile services that emerge on a daily basis. It is incumbent upon us to make our collective experience as accessible as possible, and the further development of professional-level recognition is key to achieving this.
Currently, there is pent-up demand for cloud security know-how. “We debated going down this path for some time,” W. Hord Tipton, executive director for (ISC)2 told Enterprise Conversation in an interview. “So many buzz words come through the technical community that we resist until they become part of common vernacular.”
Clearly, cloud computing has become mainstream. In fact, cloud computing was identified as the top training priority for nearly 60 percent of the study’s more than 12,000 respondents, in the (ISC)2 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS). The vast majority, nearly three quarters, said that new skills were needed, and that deep technical knowledge and guidance about cloud security were key areas for them.
This partnership to create the new certification brings together impressive industry and technology expertise. The (ISC)2, which is the world’s largest not-for-profit information security professional body, administers the popular Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential.
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), another not-for-profit organization, promotes the use of best-practices for providing security assurance within cloud computing, and provides education on the use of cloud computing. The shared collaboration will allow the organizations to bring the new certification to reality in a matter of months, rather than years.
In fact, the (ISC)2 hopes to make the certification available by June 2014. “Creating a certification takes time, but it’s a lot easier when you have a partner like the CSA that already has infrastructure and connections has to draw from,” said Tipton. “We can create a robust body of knowledge quickly.” Working alone, (ISC)2 would have expected to spend three years doing research, conducting focus groups, sponsoring workshops, writing questions and making test pulls, he added.
The certification will address broad and detailed information. Said Tipton:
As organizations continue to adopt cloud computing at a rapid pace, there is a strong need to provide a body of knowledge that encompasses the evolving technology and risk landscape and that validates the skills of the professionals tasked with protecting those businesses. Our combined effort ensures the world’s knowledge leaders are put to the task.
The target of the new certification is broad, being aimed at those providing cloud services and infrastructure or those organizations that use cloud services as part of their business. In addition, the certification will be helpful to contracting managers who review service agreements and contracts from their cloud providers, Tipton said.
For more on why the world needs a cloud security certification, Cloudwards.net has written a piece on 5 reasons why cloud security is important for SMBs
Free Download: The Video Surveillance Report 2023
Discover the latest developments in the rapidly-evolving video surveillance sector by downloading the 2023 Video Surveillance Report. Over 500 responses to our survey, which come from integrators to consultants and heads of security, inform our analysis of the latest trends including AI, the state of the video surveillance market, uptake of the cloud, and the wider economic and geopolitical events impacting the sector!
Download for FREE to discover top industry insight around the latest innovations in video surveillance systems.
