Average Annual Salary of a CISSP Certified Professional

What is CISSP?

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a necessary credential for information security professionals to validate their skill and competency in Cyber Security. Those with the CISSP Certification demonstrates that they can effectively design, engineer, deploy, and manage information security systems to protect an organization from potential cybersecurity threats. 

Introduced in 1994, CISSP is globally recognized as the gold standard in information security for a variety of reasons:

• It is sponsored by Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, the world’s leading non-profit organization that specializes in IT security
• The first  information security certification to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC Standard 17024
• Vendor-neutral standard providing  IT security professionals with hands-on experience and technical skills in security
• The exam is globally recognized and  available in 114 countries, 882 locations, and eight languages

What Does a CISSP Professional Do?

Successful information security programs must be integrated into every aspect of the environment. Integration must include responsibilities within an organizations environment, statements of work (SoW), and how these will be monitored and audited.

CISSP-certified professionals reinforce cutting-edge infosec systems by shielding data from unapproved infringement and access. They do this by surveying and investigating potential security threats, producing plans to manage such risks by setting up the right measures, examining and observing frameworks for irregular movement, executing remedial actions, gathering security metrics and creating security reports for real-time situational awareness and decision-making.

Why are CISSP Certified Professionals in High-Demand?

Organizations across the world are in constant fear of cybersecurity breaches and threats. The Annual Cyber Security Ventures report for 2019 predicts that cybercrime will cost the world over $6 trillion annually by 2021, double of that in 2015.

In contrast, The Global Information Security Workforce Survey (GISWS) for 2017 reported that the global staffing shortage for qualified InfoSec professionals would reach 1.5 million by 2020. These numbers, coupled with the fact that CISSP is still the highest IT paying certification, demonstrates the growing demand for CISSP.

Reasons to Enroll for the CISSP Certification Course

The CISSP standard not only has a long-standing tradition that spans over 20 years, but the certification also has industry-wide acceptance and global recognition. Furthermore, CISSP serves as an industry gauge for platform-agnostic competency in information security, which means that pursuing the certification is a big decision for those that want to further their careers.

One of the best ways to prepare for the CISSP exam is to register for a course. Some of the key reasons why IT professionals, especially those in the cybersecurity industry, should pursue a CISSP certification course include the following:

• Formal CISSP training provides comprehensive knowledge of the latest technologies, threats, practices, regulations, and standards in a well-organized format.
• The CISSP course from Simplilearn provides valuable career resources including knowledge and experience from peers, free subscription to the InfoSecurity Professional Magazine, webinars, digital badges, and discounts on (ISC)2 textbooks.
• A CISSP certification validates the skills and competence in the information security industry. It increases one’s credibility and allows the candidate to secure a better job and salary effortlessly.  

Salaries of Different CISSP Professionals in Top Countries

According to the 2019 IT skills and Salary Report by Global Knowledge, security-certified IT professionals earn 9% more than their non-certified counterparts in North America. Across other regions, the same applies to security professionals making 6% more in the Asia-Pacific region, 8% more in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and 12% more in Latin America.

Specifically, CISSP-certified IT professionals earn an average salary of $116,573, making it the third-highest salary for IT professionals globally. Below is an analysis of the average salaries of different CISSP professionals in some key countries across the world.

Figure 1: Highest-paying IT certifications

INDIA

Average CISSP Salary: Rs 2M

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

USA

Average CISSP Salary: $109K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

UK

Average CISSP Salary: £57K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

Canada

Average CISSP Salary: C$92K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

Australia

Average CISSP Salary: AU$126K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

Singapore

Average CISSP Salary: S$103K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

UAE

Average CISSP Salary: AED 301K

Average Salary of CISSP Professionals per Job Title and Years of Experience

Conclusion

CISSP certification was the first security certification to meet the stringent ISO/IEC 17024 standards. It’s, therefore, not a surprise that CISSP-certified professionals are trusted by organizations to define their security architecture, as well as to design, manage, and control it.

Experienced CISSP-certified professionals are often seen as the best experts needed to protect valuable information in an organization. The certification is not only frequently cited as a requirement for infosec positions in almost every industry. But the remuneration for CISSP-certified professionals is also among the highest in the IT industry worldwide.

Although the CISSP certification exam can be challenging, enrolling for a CISSP certification course is well worth it for candidates that want to start or enhance their careers in infosec.