Looking for professional development in 2015? Our member and affiliate organizations offer a variety of opportunities for security professionals to advance their skills.

Providing education on the uses of cloud computing to help secure all other forms of computing is part of Cloud Security Alliance’s mission. They also believe in simplifying the certification process through their open certification framework.

Open Certification Framework

With an open certification framework, earning certificates becomes a flexible process; it’s for incremental and multi-layered cloud provider certification. This model is based on control objectives and continuous monitoring structure. This structure allows security professionals in any region to address compliance concerns and best practices with a global community.

Cloud Computing Security Knowledge (CCSK) training

If you want to brush up on cloud security or are interested in taking the CCSK v3.0 certification exam, CSA’s CCSK training has you covered. This one-day comprehensive review covers the cloud security fundamentals. CSA offers the CCSK Plus certificate as well, which builds on information offered in the training and includes hands-on activities and exercises to bring fictional organizations into the cloud. Learn more about CSA’s CCSK training.

Staying PCI compliant on the cloud

Cloud computing environments can create challenges for PCI compliance. This class is focused on how to implement cloud PCI DSS controls on the cloud. Expect facts about cloud computing, exploration of key scenarios where PCI and clouds actually cross paths in the real world. Learn to look at and assess cloud environments for PCI compliance.

Putting trust in the cloud

CSA’s Security and Assurance Registry (STAR) overview helps cloud providers gain trust and assurance. STAR training offers:

• Continuous monitoring-based certification
• 3^rd-party assessment-based certification
• Self assessment

As we immerse ourselves more and more in cloud computing, resolving to learn more about best practices and security tools is not a bad goal for the year.

What professional development goals have you made for 2015?