With each passing year, the cybersecurity industry is coming to play an increasingly central and important role within the world of modern business. Virtually every major business today relies on cybersecurity professionals to safeguard their information and protect their most sensitive data from malicious actors.
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis, furthermore, has underscored the necessity of cybersecurity like never before. Since the onset of the pandemic back in early 2020, serious cybersecurity incidents have been increasing at a breakneck pace across the United States. This unfortunate phenomenon has largely been the result of hackers who are able to exploit the confusion and chaos that has hung over private businesses like a dark cloud since the very beginning of the crisis. One popular phishing scam, for example, was designed to lure victims into a harmful (and fake) Zoom link that was embedded into a bogus job termination email.
Though the darkest days of the pandemic are (hopefully) behind us, the pandemic-era cybersecurity threat continues to loom large. The bottom line, then, is that cybersecurity has become a top priority for employers in 2021. This, in turn, means that IT job candidates who are seeking to get a leg up on the competition in the new year should absolutely resolve to sharpen their cybersecurity skills. Thankfully, there are tons of online training programs out there that can help IT job candidates to obtain the cybersecurity skills that they’ll need to excel in 2021.
In this article, we’ll highlight the top three cybersecurity certifications that modern IT professionals should pursue in the new year.
Here Are the Three Cybersecurity Certifications that You Should Pursue in 2021
Technology, as we all know, is continuing to evolve and improve by the day. At the same time, the strategies that are employed by malicious hackers to compromise and steal valuable data are also becoming increasingly sophisticated.
For both of these reasons, it’s crucial for any modern job candidate in the IT industry to continually educate themselves about the most recent developments happening within their field. In addition, it’s important for these candidates to routinely update their professional skill set, so that they can perform at their very best and retain an edge over the competition (which is, incidentally, another force that continues to grow by the day).
With those ideas in mind, here are the top three cybersecurity certifications that every IT professional should consider obtaining in 2021:
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Attaining the status of a CISSP is one of the most credible and effective ways to demonstrate your abilities as a cybersecurity professional to prospective employers. This certificate can serve as undeniable proof that you’re able to design and launch a sophisticated cybersecurity program. It will also prove that you can be relied on to oversee all of the various administrative functions required to keep such a system running smoothly into the future. Keep in mind, however, that before you’ll be allowed to receive this particular certificate, you’ll need to put in a minimum of five years in the cybersecurity industry.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
A bad actor or malicious hacker identifies the vulnerabilities in a network and then exploits those vulnerabilities for their personal gain. A certified ethical hacker, in contrast, is a professional cybersecurity expert who partners with organizations or individuals to identify those same vulnerabilities, and then repairs and protects them against a potential breach. Obtaining your certification as an ethical hacker is a reliable way to get yourself noticed by top IT employers in 2021. It can also enable you to climb up another rung on the income ladder.
Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT)
This particular certification is widely regarded by many cybersecurity experts to be the ultimate and most prestigious credential within the industry. It’s awarded by the EC Council to those professionals who are able to demonstrate an exceptional mastery in penetration testing.
As the EC Council’s website makes abundantly clear, the prerequisite exam that one must complete to receive the LPT certification is not for the faint of heart: “Unless you are bent on being nothing other than the best in penetration testing, don’t bother registering for this program as you are probably not cut out for it…Your pen-testing skills will be challenged against a multi-layered network architecture with defense-in-depth controls. You will be required to make decisions under immense pressure at critical stages while selecting your approach and exploits.”
If you think you have what it takes to become a Licensed Penetration Tester, we encourage you to put your skills to the test with the LPT exam in 2021!
Learn More About Boosting Your IT Career Search in 2021
At Patel Consultants, we’re passionate about helping candidates to identify and pursue the jobs that will allow them to bring their IT careers to the next level. Please contact us today to learn more about how we can accelerate your job search in the new year!
