CertNexus certification and career path overview

You can’t go deep into the IT and cybersecurity fields without hearing just how daunting the skills gaps are. With numbers like, “around 65% of organizations felt there was a shortfall of skilled cybersecurity staff,” and “the workforce has to grow 145% to meet the skills gap in IT security jobs,” there is clearly a lot of work to be done to train, upskill and cross-train professionals interested in a career in cybersecurity. 

To help those interested in cybersecurity and information technology develop the right skills and demonstrate their aptitude to potential employers, CertNexux offers a range of vendor-neutral certification programs focusing on topics that span from data ethics to the security of the internet of things (IoT).

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CertNexus overview

CertNexus’ mission is, “Narrowing the widening skills gap within emerging technology,” standing as a vendor-neutral certification body for emerging technology certifications and “micro-credentials” in those topics driving the business, software development, IT and cybersecurity fields. 

Their certification programs target careers in fields such as:

• Cybersecurity
• Data science
• Internet of things
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

CertNexus has worked with industry partners in the public and private sectors around the world to develop and confirm “the integrity and quality of each exam, with all exams following a rigorous development process.”

Two of their more prominent certifications, the CyberSec First Responder (CFR) and Certified Internet of Things Practitioner (CIoTP), are accredited under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024:2012 standard with many others having received approval by the U.S. 

Department of Defense (DoD) to fulfill Directive 8570/8140 requirements and the NIST NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, among others.

CertNexus cybersecurity certifications

CertNexus’ offers three cybersecurity-related certifications.

These include:

• CyberSAFE: offered in a self-paced online and in an instructor-led program, the CyberSAFE certification gives candidates the tools and skills needed “to identify the most common risks involved in using conventional, mobile, and cloud technologies, as well as how to protect themselves and organizations from cyber threats.” 

This certification is targeted at non-technical end-users that need to know how to use technology safely to keep organizational assets safe.

• Cyber Secure Coder (CSC): those with the CSC certification understand the common vulnerability types that can undermine software and application security as well as how to establish the necessary controls to remediate them within their project teams. 

In particular, CSCs will know how to deal with security defects, misconfigurations and the human element of software security throughout the software development lifecycle. This certification is targeted at developers, programmers and application testers.

• CyberSec First Responder (CFR): those with the CFR credential have a well-rounded understanding of the processes, controls and tools required to protect critical business information systems from constantly evolving threats. CRFs are able to demonstrate their ability to assess risks and vulnerabilities, before threat analysis and recommend incident and defect remediation actions. 

The CFR complies with ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standards and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to fulfill Directive 8570/8140 requirements. The CFR is targeted at professionals with three to five years of cybersecurity-related experience.

CertNexus internet-of-things (IoT) certifications

CertNexux offers three IoT-related certifications: the Certified Internet of Things Practitioner (CIoTP), the Certified Internet of Things Security Practitioner (CIoTSP) and the IoTBIZ credential.

The CIoTP demonstrates that a professional understands how IoT works with other enterprise systems, including the specific networking, cloud computing and integration aspects of their functionality. CIoTP also understands how to plan, design, implement and manage IoT systems within a sensor network. The CIoTP complies with ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standards.

The CIoTSP certification forms a similar foundation in IoT systems and technology but demonstrates that a professional understands how to securely operate and manage an IoT ecosystem.

The IoTBIZ micro-credential is for business professionals that want to learn how to make better decisions regarding how to use IoT technology, the technical considerations of using them, and the components that makeup IoT infrastructure.

CertNexus artificial intelligence certifications

Recognizing the growing role of artificial intelligence, CertNexus also offers two certification programs in this field.

The AIBIZ training program and credential is designed to help business operations professionals design and implement their own AI strategy, providing them with key AI concepts, methodologies and other fundamentals of AI, including business cases.

The Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (CAIP) training program is more focused on information technology practitioners beginning their artificial intelligence work, offering them the foundational knowledge they need for a wide variety of AI-related job functions.

CertNexus data science certifications

CertNexus also offers two data science certifications, one that is high-level for business professionals, DSBIZ and another for professionals in the field itself, the Certified Data Science Practitioner (CDSP).

The DSBIZ program includes a streamlined course that gives professionals the knowledge they need to “make decisions and drive organizational data science strategies.” On the other hand, the CDSP program deepens data scientists’ knowledge, helping them to acquire the skills required to answer operational questions by exploring data sets, applying statistical models and leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms. Content is provided on ways to present and communicate the findings.

CertNexus AI and data ethics certification

Finally, CertNexus offers the Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) credential, which was created for professionals looking for a cross-industry and multidisciplinary understanding of the intersection between ethics and applied technology. Professionals will be exposed to concepts that will aid them in navigating IT challenges with ethical integrity, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT) and data science.

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Take the next step

Ready to take the next step toward beginning a new technology career or enhancing your knowledge with a specialized credential program? Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone.

There are a lot of quality resources online available to help you when it fits your schedule and wherever you need to work. For example, you can read more about CertNexus and related technology learning paths via InfoSec Skills or find specific topics via the Infosec Blog here.

Sources

• Certification Programs, CertNexus