December 7, 2023 | Dennis Bailey
Cybersecurity certifications are a great way to protect the consumer of cybersecurity services. They ensure that your practitioner has attained a specific level of expertise in their profession, which provides you, the customer, with reassurance that you’re hiring the right people to secure your business.
There are a lot of certs to choose from. Here’s just a small sample
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- CompTIA® Security+
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
- CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
- GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
- GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
- Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
New to this list is the Exfil Certified certification. Exfil Certified is a modern, dynamic approach to certification that is unlike anything else in the security field.
Hacking vs. Securing
It’s pretty obvious that if you’re in the market for a cybersecurity professional, you need someone with top-notch cybersecurity skills. Compromising on that is simply not an option. So you need someone who understands not just how to hack, but how to increase operational security within a business environment – which is not the same thing at all.
Hacking is fundamentally adversarial. It’s about finding ways in, holes that need to be plugged, and code that can be infected, ripped apart, or redirected. But cybersecurity is the opposite of that. It’s patching the holes, eradicating the infections in a way they can never return, and creating better, stronger defenses so as to render any attempts to destroy, moot. From within a business, unless you’re into cyber espionage, you do not actually want hackers on the premises. You want cybersecurity professionals. Exfil Certified is focused on producing the next generation of these professionals.
What Makes a Professional?
Here at Exfil, we believe that the difference between a hacker and a professional is their level of business acumen. In order to understand how to build better defenses, a cybersecurity practitioner needs to understand how the business works, and what its technical limitations, defenses, and potentials, all look like. They can’t provide comprehensive solutions without a thorough understanding of the problem space. Which means that, beyond cybersecurity-specific training, your professional requires business knowledge. Exfil Certified gives them that.
Mentoring is the Secret
A pivotal component of the Exfil Certified Training Program is our dedicated mentoring and coaching approach. Each participant receives personal guidance from experienced industry veterans who not only contribute their time but also impart real-world, practical wisdom. This mentorship extends beyond enhancing communication skills; it provides invaluable insights into navigating the complexities of modern corporate cybersecurity environments.
Our mentors, drawing from their rich professional experiences, coach students not just in technical expertise, but also in the subtleties of corporate dynamics, strategic thinking, and career development within the cybersecurity field. This one-on-one mentorship ensures that our trainees are not only technically proficient but also well-prepared for the practical challenges of the cybersecurity industry.
Communication is Key
At Exfil, we believe one of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity isn’t hacker sophistication but the industry’s communication gap. Skilled experts must be able to articulate key issues effectively, including the nature of problems, actions taken, and next steps. Clear communication is key to making complex cybersecurity concepts understandable and actionable, ensuring our advanced solutions are accessible and clear for users.
For a really long time, our industry has been plagued by the image of the “hacker in a hoodie” – a dark, mysterious figure who swoops in, does incomprehensible things involving streaming green code on a terminal, and then swoops back out again like the Batman. It’s a supercool image – for a movie. Pretty terrible for your business, though. What did they do? What did they fix? How did they spend your money, and can you justify that to your superiors? Many engagements with old-school hackers end up with just these sorts of questions.
Exfil Certified is designed to end that paradigm, and replace it with one where your cybersecurity professional communicates regularly, thoroughly, competently, and concisely.
Building a Bridge
Exfil Certified embodies a unique philosophy: recognizing and bridging the critical gap between your current security posture and the level of security you aspire to achieve. Our confidence in our approach stems from decades of industry observation, underscoring our belief that we house some of the finest minds in the field.
However, we understand that technical prowess in information security is only part of the equation. The key to real progress lies in effectively engaging with corporate stakeholders. At Exfil Certified, we’re not just confident; we’re convinced that our approach transcends these challenges and fosters a more collaborative and productive relationship with our clients.
Check Us Out
Sound like an improvement from your current situation? Looking forward to having a partner in your security journey? Give us a call.