CSA’s Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) Is Now an Accepted Ohio TechCred® Credential

Ohio program allows employers to upskill their employees’ cloud security knowledge,
build a stronger, tech-savvy workforce

SEATTLE – March 11, 2020 – The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today announced that its award-winning Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) exam has been approved as a covered credential and certification under the Ohio TechCred program. TechCred is a state-run program that gives employers the chance to upskill current and future employees in today’s tech-infused economy by reimbursing them up to $2,000 per credential when current or prospective employees complete an eligible technology-focused credential.

The vendor-neutral CCSK, which was described by CIO.com as the "mother of all cloud computing certifications," tests for a broad foundation of cloud security knowledge, covering such topics as architecture, governance, compliance, operations, encryption, and virtualization and serves as the foundation for those seeking to demonstrate a deep-seated knowledge and competency with cyber, information, software and cloud computing infrastructure security.

“At a time when we are facing enormous skills gaps when it comes to securing data in the cloud, this partnership enables us to bring critical security knowledge to a broader segment of the information security industry,” said Jim Reavis, Co-founder and CEO, Cloud Security Alliance.

“The CCSK certificate is the natural next step for those wanting to learn how to best secure data in the cloud,” said Ryan Bergsma, training program director, Cloud Security Alliance. “Since its launch 10 years ago, thousands of security professionals have been able to enhance their training and boost their career trajectory through the CCSK.”

Among the benefits of earning the CCSK are:

• Proven competency in key cloud security issues through an organization that specializes in cloud research
• Increased employment opportunities by filling the skills-gap for cloud-certified professionals
• Demonstrated technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively use controls tailored to the cloud
• Ability to establish a baseline of security best practices when dealing with a broad array of responsibilities, from cloud governance to configuring technical security controls
• Serves as a complement to other credentials

The CCSK exam body of knowledge is the CSA Security Guidance v4, the CSA Cloud Control Matrix and the ENISA Cloud Computing Risk Assessment report. Those interested in taking the exam can take advantage of a variety of training programs available through CSA, from free self-study prep courses and self-paced online courses to in-person training sessions and instructor-led online classes.

Under the TechCred program, Ohio employers can request that unlisted credentials be added to the eligible list by submitting an application for the TechCred program. To be considered eligible, credentials must be:

• industry-recognized,
• technology-focused, and
• short-term, i.e. credentials must be certificates or certifications able to be completed in less than one calendar year in programs that are fewer than 900 clock hours or thirty (30) credit hours.

Credentials and certifications on the approved list have been recommended by the Technology Review of Educational Credentials (TECHREC) panel of experts and approved by the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

About Cloud Security Alliance

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. CSA harnesses the subject matter expertise of industry practitioners, associations, governments, and its corporate and individual members to offer cloud security-specific research, education, certification, events and products. CSA’s activities, knowledge and extensive network benefit the entire community impacted by cloud — from providers and customers, to governments, entrepreneurs and the assurance industry — and provide a forum through which diverse parties can work together to create and maintain a trusted cloud ecosystem. For further information, visit us at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org, and follow us on Twitter @cloudsa.