Information security continues to be a vital sector within the IT field, with hacking incidents seemingly in the news on a daily basis. Security professionals are worth their weight in gold, so to speak, which has led to a variety of “white hat” hacking certifications to now be offered. The understanding is that knowing the techniques used by hackers helps to better secure networks and systems from their nefarious activity.
Does acquiring this certification make sense for your career? Depending on your IT specialization, it may — let’s take a closer look.
One Aspect of a Well-Rounded Information Security Professional
The world of information security is filled with a wide array of technologies, systems, and approaches. If you are currently working in network administration or IT security, learning hacking techniques might offer you additional insight when architecting or administrating systems at your current position.
Ultimately, earning a white hat hacking certification, like in other areas of technology, is a perfect way to announce to hiring managers that you are serious about IT security as a professional. You benefit from the added knowledge learned in the certification class, and hopefully you’ll get the chance to apply what you’ve learned in a real-world scenario.
Certifications Remain an Important Part of Any IT Career
There’s no denying that certifications remain an important aspect of any IT career. Philip Casesa, director of service operations at (ISC)2, a Florida-based nonprofit organization specializing in information security education and certification, agrees.
“Certifications are a calling card to say you’re committed to the industry, the profession, and lifelong learning. To maintain certification with us, you have to do education credits. You have to keep learning new technology, skills, threats and protections,” said Casesa. So, if you work in information security, you need to research companies offering ethical hacking certifications and sign up for a class.
If you are looking for advice on career development in IT, talk to the experts at APN Consulting. As one of the top technology staffing agencies in the Metropolitan New York area, they employ the recruiters with the right business insight to ensure your career stays on an upward trajectory.