Figuring Out ISACA Certifications for Cybersecurity Careers: ⑥ CGEIT
In this sixth piece of the “Figuring Out ISACA Certifications for Cybersecurity Careers”, I’m introducing the certificate titled Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT). You can skip towards the end for more information on prerequisites and salaries you can earn with CGEIT.
ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association®) is one of the world’s leading education and certification center for IT professions including cybersecurity. Started in 1967 by a small group of individuals, ISACA has become a “… centralized source of information and guidance in computer systems as well as an education foundation to undertake large-scale research efforts to expand the knowledge and value of the IT governance and control field.” Accepted widely across sectors, ISACA offers a myriad of education programs in addition to powerful certificates.
Here are eight cybersecurity certificates offered by ISACA, with some of the certifications being cumulative ‘composites’ of several certificates:
- Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA) (Read about it here)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) (Read about it here)
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) (Read about it here)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) (Read about it here)
- Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) (Read about it here)
- Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
- CSX Cybersecurity Practitioner (CSX-P)
- Certified in Emerging Technology (CET)
Let’s take a look at the sixth certificate on the list: Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT). According to the information provided by ISACA, the CGEIT is mostly for highly experienced strategic IT professionals who are in the role of advisors to upper management and the board.
CGEIT certification is a proof of expertise in governance of enterprise IT and IT resources, benefit realization as well as risk optimization. These domains of expertise are highly sought after by risk-averse companies around the world.
Having CGEIT is a step up for those aspiring for executive positions by allowing engagement with the governance of an entire organization. This means potentially becoming a C-level in the next step.
CGEIT holders bring the knowledge and experience needed to align IT with business strategies and goals, manage IT investments to maximize return on investment, and strive for excellence in IT operations and governance while minimizing risk. (ISACA 2022)
Having CGEIT in your resume will grant immense credibility in your interactions with internal stakeholders, regulators, external auditors, and customers. However, there is an experience requirement for taking up CGEIT. The applicant is expected to have more than 5 years of experience in IT governance, IT resources, benefits realization, and risk optimization. Also, having obtained the CISA, CRISC, and CISM certificates before starting is recommended. By obtaining the CGEIT certification, you can move up to these careers more easily:
- CTO(Average annual US base salary in 2022: $294,309)
- CSO (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $230,801)
- Information Security Compliance Manager (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $165,979)
- Senior IT Internal Auditor (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $115,660)
- Cybersecurity and Compliance (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $101,220)
- Security Risk and Compliance Specialist (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $95,000)
- Lead Analyst — IT Governance, Risk and Compliance (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $89,562)
- Governance Risk Consultant (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $75,012)
The training for the certificate is completely knowledge-based without any hands-on lab-based training, so the process can be done entirely online. Since senior IT professionals with 5+ years of experience can easily get a nice bump up in annual salaries with potential career switches to the C-levels, CGEIT is worth pursuing for many of us interested in cybersecurity careers.
Source: History of ISACA, ISACA Credentialing, Glassdoor, Payscale, Indeed, Talent.com
Note: Before enrolling in the certification program, I highly suggest reading more on ITCA, CISA, CRISC, CISM, and CDPSE.
