Coursera recently released an entry-level cybersecurity certificate program that teaches cloud security concepts, especially as they apply to Google Cloud. First announced in the Coursera blog last July 24, the “Google Cloud Cybersecurity Professional Certificate” is designed for people seeking to start a career in cloud security. Although the program only started less than two months ago, almost 6,700+ learners have already enrolled in it.
Cloud security-related skills are highly in-demand. As businesses increasingly migrate their workloads to cloud environments, those environments become more susceptible to various threats. Thus, there is a growing need to hire professionals who can secure cloud-based assets. That’s where cloud security professionals come in.
According to Glassdoor, the total annual pay of a cybersecurity professional in the United States currently ranges between $95K to $177K.
The completely-online program can be completed in 2 months if the learner dedicates 10 hours a week for it. This program consists of 5 courses:
- Introduction to Security Principles in Cloud Computing
- Strategies for Cloud Security Risk Management
- Cloud Security Risks: Identify and Protect Against Threats
- Detect, Respond, and Recover from Cloud Cybersecurity Attacks
- Put It All Together: Prepare for a Cloud Security Analyst Job
As indicated above, the final course prepares the learner for an entry-level cloud security analyst job. As to what a cloud security analyst is, that’s covered in the first course. The Introduction to Security Principles in Cloud Computing course includes discussions about the common roles and responsibilities of an entry-level cloud security analyst as well as the tools these analysts use.
Even though the program doesn’t require any prior experience, some background in cybersecurity fundamentals can streamline the learning process. Aspiring learners who want to build a strong foundation first may take the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program, which also happens to be offered on Coursera, before proceeding with the cloud security certificate.
Among the 3 major public cloud providers (i.e., AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud), only Google Cloud is currently offering a cloud security certificate program.