Is The CISM Certification Worth It?

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is one of the premier advanced information security certifications offered by ISACA. What makes earning CISM certification worth it though?

A Quick Overview of the CISM Certification

Unless you are brand new to the InfoSec industry, then you may heard of the CISM certification before. If you aren’t familiar with it; the CISM certification validates that the holder is an expert-level information security manager. Candidates for the certification have worked as InfoSec managers for at least 3-5 years and are concerned with how information security will help deliver business objectives. The certification covers four job practice domains:

• Security Governance (24%)
• Risk Management (30%)
• Security Program Development and Management (27%)
• Security Incident Management (19%)

Is CISM Certification Worth It?

Earning the CISM certificate isn’t easy and with a multitude of certifications in information security, it makes sense to explore the benefits of earning specific certifications. The CISM certification worth can be different for each person, dependent on how they leverage their certifications in their industry. One thing is true though, the benefits of the CISM certification is likely to have a positive effect immediately in one of more of these areas:

• Job Benefits:
  • Career Growth- Growth within your chosen industry will become accelerated, whether finding a new job or looking for a promotion.
    • Common job titles of CISM holders: Chief Information Security Officer,  IT Security Architect, Director- Computing/Networking/IT Security, Information Security Analyst
  • Certification validates your knowledge in information security, not just the industry sector you currently work in, making finding a job in a new industry easier.
• Salary Benefits
  • Employees with the CISM Certification make on average $10,000 more a year than their peers holding a CISSP certification

• Global recognition of your expert InfoSec knowledge and skills
  • The CISM certification is accredited by ANSI under ISO/IEC 17024:2012
  • This ISO/IEC is an International Standard giving the CISM certification international acceptance
• Networking
  • You will join an elite group of professionals who have proven their knowledge and skills.

Moreover, the CISM certification sets you on a path of continued education. This continuing education is critical in the information security industry. The field is growing and changing on daily due to new strides in information and technology. Increased knowledge in any industry is valuable, earning the CISM certification is a stepping stone on your path of continued learning.

To make the CISM certification worth the effort you will need to put into preparing the exam, it would be in the candidates best interest to immerse themselves in all the CISM certification benefits.

The CISM Exam

The CISM exam is not easy. There is a lot of time and preparation that goes into passing the exam, especially on the first try. Taking a CISM training course will help get you on the right track to passing your exam. But what do you do after that? Studying, taking practice exams, reading the text can only get you so far. One thing you may want to think about is taking an exam prep course a week or two before you test. This course will put you in a position where you will be able to ask professionals any questions you may have regarding the exam domain concepts and necessary skills.