Cheng-yi ShihPartner Integration Analyst| DealertrackRoslyn, Ny, United States
CISSP is highly regarded in the information security space, and almost a requirement if you want to get into this field. There are very rigorous criteria for both earning the designation as well as maintaining it. It is a commitment and make sure you are up to it. For more information: https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP Saving Changes...
David FedorchakIT Specialist| Federal GovernmentVa, United States
CISSP may be overkill for some (many?) PM's. There is certainly value in having cyber security domain knowledge but CISSP is pretty extensive. To get this certification, the candidate should have practical experience and shouldn't expect to simply pass the test by taking one of those 'cram' courses. That's not to say people don't take the course and pass... but doing that really defeats the intent of the certification.
If we're just looking for PM's to have exposure and knowledge of the cyber security domain, there are better options than the CISSP. CompTIA's Security+ is a good option. SANS GSLC (Security Leadership) is another. A PM doesn't need to be an expert in everything (as we all know) and should rely on team members to provide this expertise. Saving Changes...
John TinsleyTAC Engineer III| Fortinet, Inc.Newark, Ca, United States
Thanks for the break down Rohit! Saving Changes...
RAJESH K LProject Manager, PMP| Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru, IndiaBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Hearing CISSP for the first time. Saving Changes...
Adeyemi JosephCell Site Access Manager (Remote)| Nokia Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
It's a good certification if your career is information security. It doesn't seem relevant if you're a project manager. Yes, project managers almost always benefit from having more domain knowledge, but project management is a profession in and of itself. Your role on the team should be to manage the project, not secure the network.
Every industry that employs project managers has industry-specific certifications. If that particular industry appeals to you, then by all means pursue additional education and certification. It can only help your career, and may open opportunities you didn't have as a project manager. But as a project manager, you're not going to see many positions calling for unrelated certifications, like PMP and CISSP. (They're out there, and you can certainly find examples of project managers who came up through and industry and later transitioned to the project management profession; I'm just trying to clearly distinguish the profession of project management from other career paths.) Saving Changes...
Good explanation on the value of a CISSP certification. Thanks Rohit.
Little side view .. PM are mini-CEO (look at Prince2 definition of a project) therefore remembering a guy who wrote book about VITO (Very Important Top Officer), a CEO has to catch all the area of his business .. eventually not at expert level but for communication (60 % of the unballanced Paretto Law) .. I mean a project is not paperwork but paperwork is essential. aka the end result is the ultimate value of the effort .. not the process Saving Changes...
I recently passed the CISSP exam, and as a project manager, I found the perspective on security and risk management particularly useful. It helped me communicate more confidently with security teams and understand the risks behind project decisions, rather than viewing security as a separate task. I used CertifyCerts CISSP practice questions during my preparation, which helped me stay focused on the exam topics. I would say the value largely depends on whether your projects regularly involve cybersecurity, compliance, or IT risk. Saving Changes...
