Average Cisco Certified Cyber Ops associate salary in 2021

There is a new certification in the Cisco certification roster: the Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate. This certification is intended for associate-level information security professionals working within a Security Operations Center, or SOC. 

Of course, the elephant in the room here is how much the average Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate makes in terms of salary. This article will explore the average Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate salary in 2020. We’ll look at the benefits of this certification and what the average Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate salary is by city/degree/and job role, as well as how you too can become Cisco Cyber Ops-certified.

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What are the benefits of earning the cisco cyber ops certification?

Before discussing the benefits of this certification, it’s important to see where it fits in the broad scheme of things. The Cisco Cyber Ops certification is really the repackaged Cisco CCNA Cyber Ops certification. It replaces the two exams for cert holders (SECOPS and SECFND) with 200-201 CBROPS. Cisco’s rationale for this change is that it streamlines the certification exam process and is expected to help ensure relevancy of certification in the information security realm of the next decade. CCNA Cyber Ops certification holders will be automatically granted a Cisco Cyber Ops Associate certification. 

Earning this certification will validate that you have the knowledge and skills of a cybersecurity analyst (associate level) working in or with a SOC. The functional benefits of this certification is that you will be able to identify, analyze and respond to cyber threats. This certification is being increasingly demanded by organizations hiring for related roles. 

What is the average cisco-certified cyber ops associate salary?

According to the ever-reputable IT related pay resource PayScale, Cisco Cyber Ops Associate certification holders can expect to earn an average salary of $82,778. This value represents the average of all Cisco Cyber Ops Associate certification holders, across all roles and all cities throughout the United States. This boils down to an average hourly pay of $30.49.

This may sound like an attractive amount of compensation, but we can narrow this average salary down to an even more accurate number based upon where you live, the degree you have earned and even the job role you work. 

Below we will take a look at how each of these factors plays into the average salary for those holding this certification.

What is the average cisco certified cyber ops associate salary by city?

Depending upon the city that you live in, your location can have some bearing on how much you will earn as a certification holder. Below is a list of different cities in the United States and how much Cisco-certified Cyber Ops Associates can expect to earn on average.

• Washington, D.C. $89, 246
• Atlanta, GA $78,452
• New York City $76,586
• Austin, TX $78,009
• Dallas, TX $73,250

What is the average cisco certified cyber ops associate salary by degree?

Certification holder variables such as the city you live in and the years of experience that you have can have a significant impact on how much they will earn. Another aspect that can have an impact on how much they make is what degree they have. The following shows how much each degree holder can expect to earn with this certification in hand.

• Master’s degree $86,790
• Bachelor of Technology $73,846
• Bachelor of Science $73,233
• Bachelor of Arts $68,851

What is the average cisco certified cyber ops associate salary by job role?

Another variable that can affect the average salary you make as a Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate is the job role you hold. It should come as no surprise that holders of this certification can ultimately work many different SOC positions throughout the lifespan of their career. Below is a list of different job roles and the average salary they pull home.

• Senior Network Engineer $103,000
• Information Security Engineer $100,000
• Cybersecurity Engineer $98,000
• Security Engineer $92,000
• Cyber Security Analyst $89,000
• Network Security Engineer $88,000
• Information Security Analyst $69,000

How can I become Cyber Ops-certified?

The Cisco-certified Cyber Ops certification is intended for associate-level cybersecurity professionals. With that said, part of this goal of this certification is to attract those that are entry level or near entry level, so there is no educational or work experience prerequisite. Instead, certification candidates are required to study for and pass the certification exam. The 200-201 CBROPS exam covers foundational skills within five domains:

• Security concepts
• Security monitoring
• Host-based analysis
• Network intrusion analysis
• Security policies and procedures

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Conclusion

It may seem like there is a new certification kid on the block with the advent of the Cisco Certified Cyber Ops Associate certification. This certification is actually the renamed CCNA Cyber Ops certification, which has been simplified down to one certification exam and better streamlined for relevancy by including the skills, knowledge and technology to carry us into the next decade and beyond. 

Just like the CCNA Cyber Ops certification, candidates will simply need to pass the certification exam to get the benefits that this certification will give you in your SOC-based career path.

Sources

• Cisco Retired the CCNA Cyber Ops, CBTNuggets
• Salary for Certification: Cisco Certified Network Associate Security, PayScale