Security certifications gaining value - good times are here
Posted by: Robert Westervelt
Information Security Careers
Companies are beginning to seek out more security talent in niche areas according to the latest job skill and certification research from Foote Partners LLC. Security certification premiums increased 2.2% over the last six months compared to other areas that are flat or losing ground, according to David Foote, president of the research firm. I interviewed Foote today to find out what niche areas may be highly coveted.
The premiums could be embedded into base pay or in addition to base pay in terms of bonus or variable pay. Among the certifications paying a premium: (There’s no big surprises here) certified information systems security professionals (CISSP), certified information systems auditor (CISA), certified information security manager (CISM). Some extensions doing well: CISSP - management and professional, architecture and professional, engineering professional. These are earning between 10-16% of base pay.
Foote said that on average, for one certification in information security, people are earning 9% of base pay. Out of 151 certifications that Foote Parnters surveys, overall the average individual certification is at 8% right now. Only 1% more than the average may not seem like much, but Foote said it is significant, because security certification premiums are surging while many of the other certifications have been declining over the last year.
Some security skills in high demand: Autocorrelation, incident response, forensics, packet-level network skills, applications network use and packet skills, identity management and LDAP, wireless security, VoIP security, and Legal compliance, audit and remediation.
Foote also said that small specialty security consultancies are having trouble filling positions. Although Foote’s survey has had a pretty good finger on the pulse of the job market, (he says he tracks over 67,000 IT worker salaries and IT skills pay), it’s still very hard to know exactly how the job market is doing since there’s so many factors involved. I’m curious as to what you’re seeing in the job market. Is it easy to get a security job today? How do you make yourself stand out to a prospective employer? Comment here or send me an email at rwestervelt [at] techtarget [dot] com.
Technorati Tags: security+jobs, job+market, security+certifications,
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