Digital Marketing and Its Strategy

What is Digital Marketing?

With more than 4.53 billion active users on the internet, it is changing the way businesses are conducted throughout the world. With people spending more and more time on the internet, it’s becoming the most potent place for marketing.

Traditionally, marketing techniques have varied vastly. From word of mouth, to print media ads and tele-ads, marketing has evolved dramatically. But the fundamental concept of marketing has remained unchanged, “Target the right audience, with the right content at the right place”. As more and more people are becoming active on various digital channels, the marketing techniques have evolved too.

Any marketing techniques that are utilized on any digital channel with the ultimate goal of generating higher revenue are Digital Marketing. Such marketing channels include Social Media, emails, mobile applications, and Search engines. To learn about these techniques you may check out uCertify CIW: Social Media Strategist 1D0-623 Course.

Why Digital marketing?

Traditional marketing channels are dying, a sad but realistic fact! The way people are spending more and more time on digital devices, billboards and newspaper ads are losing their charm. The only place businesses can find new prospects are one or another digital platform.

Digital marketing is becoming a vital tool to build a compelling digital presence of a business. Virtually, every business, irrespective of its domain, is trying to go online in some way. With Digital Marketing, there are endless possibilities to customize the way you advertise your product or service. 

Digital Marketing strategy

Every successful campaign demands a well-defined strategy. Same goes with digital marketing. If you want to build a successful online business using Digital Marketing, you need a robust Digital Marketing Strategy in place. These strategies will help you drive more traffic to your company and will improve the conversion ratio.

The first step of any digital marketing strategy is Defining your brand. You need a clear thought about what your brand can offer that others can’t, what is your USP(unique selling point) and what section of the internet users will you cater.

The second step is analyzing your target audience. Every product or service has a specific target audience. You can’t sell a car to a person who is looking for a bike loan. So it’s vital to define your audience before advertising. 

The third step is to define your budget. Depending on the nature of your business and your goals, your budget can vary drastically. So it’s essential to set aside a fixed budget for your digital marketing campaign.

The fourth step is choosing the right strategy. Every business needs a different approach to be successful in the market. Choose your strategy after a proper analysis of the impacts of these strategies on your business. 

The fifth and final step is to launch your campaign across every suitable channel to target the maximum audience. Do not forget to keep a track on the channel that generates maximum output. Focus more and spend more on those channels. 

There numerous ways to do Digital Marketing. For e.g. Social Media campaigns can target relevant audience through organic or paid marketing. Similarly, a content marketing campaign can drive more traffic using engaging articles and blogs. 

Selection of campaigns depends on the goal of doing digital marketing. 

Some important campaigns for digital marketing are :

  1. SEO campaigns (Search engine optimization)
  2. SEM campaigns(search engine Marketing)
  3. PPC campaigns(Pay per click)
  4. Content marketing
  5. Social Media Marketing 
  6. Email Marketing

SEO (Search engine optimization) in Digital Marketing

Ever tried searching for “Bus Ticket Booking” Give it a shot. You will always see, “RedBus” will be at the top of the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). There are hundreds of websites delivering the same service, but RedBus stays at the top. Wondered why? The answer is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). 

When a user enters some words or phrases (keywords) in Google or any other search engines, that search engine looks into its server and presents the website offering the same content on the top. There are numerous ways a website needs to be optimized to make it appear on the top of any search results. Such optimization of any website is called “Search Engine Optimization”. 

SEO is a well planned and well-executed strategy to help your website appear on the top results for the relevant keyword search. 

There are three ways you can create a compelling SEO strategy. 

Technical SEO: This SEO optimizes the backend of your website. It can improve your website’s loading speed, can reduce bounce rate and give a refreshing look to your site. This will keep visitors engaged for a longer duration, improving your chances for higher sales.

On-page SEO: This SEO generally deals with the on-page content that visitors see. Optimizing your website with relevant keywords can help you rank higher on Google searches.

Off-page SEO: This SEO includes tactics like building back links, writing guest articles on other websites, and connecting with other publishers can help you improve your website’s authority. With higher authority, comes higher traffic.

Why is SEO critical?

Have you ever bothered going to the second page of search results while searching for anything online? Never! A report suggests, around 70% of people click on the top 4 links that appear on a SERP. So if your website does not appear on the first page, your website is as useless as trash! It might seem a bit too harsh, but it’s a cold fact! 

Check out the benefits of SEO

  • If you are looking to generate traffic from your website, you need to perform strategic SEO. Employing SEO experts can help you optimize your page to bring in powerful and actionable leads. 
  • Apart from generating leads, SEO improves your website’s user experience. Websites that are user friendly tend to attract more visitors, enhancing your chance to make a sale. 
  • When your website appears on the top four or five results, your brand authority grows. Such authority commands more trust in your visitors. 
  • Sites with better SEO stand a higher chance to generate more revenue than its competitors. 

Digital marketing strategy is a very vast thing. There are enormous possibilities for growth with proper Digital Marketing campaigns. Numerous experts run Digital Marketing Courses to help people learn how to utilize digital marketing to its fullest potential.

IT Certifications: 5 New Realities

It’s no longer good enough for IT professionals to just “know computers”

Want to get a good idea of how the perceived value of certifications has changed over time? This is a line from our first IT Skills and Salary Report in 2008:

“There have been many articles and discussions regarding the value of certification, and in general, employer support for certification appears to be mixed.”

93% of IT decision-makers believe a certified team member brings added value above and beyond the cost of certification.

What a difference a decade makes. In our 2019 report, there are few mixed feelings—93% of IT decision-makers believe a certified team member brings added value above and beyond the cost of certification. Those values include increased productivity and faster troubleshooting, which are abilities that are vital in today’s tech world as skills gaps are steadily widening.

Certifications are considered the pinnacle of achievement in the tech industry. That’s a huge change in perspective from a decade ago when many IT professionals still didn’t understand the merit of certification.

Certification Value Has Skyrocketed

When you analyze survey responses from 12 years of our report, the data overwhelmingly illustrates a rise in demand for certification training.

  • In 2008, nine percent of respondents said the main reason they train is to prepare for certification. In 2019, that number has risen to 45%.
  • In 2008, just 38% of IT professionals held at least one certification. In 2019, 85% are certified.
  • In 2008, 42% of respondents said they plan to pursue a certification in the next year. In 2019, 66% will either pursue certification or are already in the process of becoming certified.

Currently, 69% of our survey respondents hold more than one IT certification. There’s a lot of competition in the tech industry, so professionals often have their eyes set on their next certifications years in advance.

Certifications Pay Off

It’s not just the employers who are benefiting from an increase in certification training. In 2019, certified IT professionals in the U.S. and Canada have an average salary of $111,334, which is seven percent more than non-certified professionals. As long as the training is career-relevant, it certainly pays to pursue certifications.

There has, however, been a slight shift in the top-paying certifications over the course of our reporting. In 2008, Project Management Professional (PMP®) was the top-paying certification at $101,698. PMP® is still a popular and lucrative certification, ranking second in the U.S. and seventh globally in terms of salary. But cloud and cybersecurity certifications have taken over the top spots on our highest-paying lists since 2014.

Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect is the top-paying certification this year in the U.S. and Canada with an average annual salary of $152,129. AWS certifications make a big splash in our top 10 as well, with AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate coming in fourth, AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate taking fifth, and AWS Developer – Associate ranking sixth in salary.

While cloud certifications didn’t appear in our rankings a decade ago, cloud salaries are the highest by job function (excluding executives) in the world.

ISACA’S Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified in Risk Systems and Control (CRISC) cracked our top 10 highest-paying certifications. CISM is second at $132,919 while CRISC is eighth at $128,556.

See our complete list of the 2019 top-paying U.S. certifications.

Cybersecurity, ITIL®, Cisco and Microsoft Are the Most Popular

One thing that hasn’t changed in 10 years is the popularity of certain certifications. In 2008, Microsoft certifications were dominant. Nearly 35% of respondents held a Microsoft certification. The next highest was Project Management at 16.3%.

Eleven years and 12 reports later, Microsoft is still popular—21% of respondents hold at least one Microsoft certification. This makes it the fourth most popular certification category, behind cybersecurity, ITIL and Cisco.

Thirty-one percent of global respondents hold a cybersecurity certification and the average global salary of those respondents is $96,308. ITIL and IT service management credentials are held by 21% of IT professionals, of which ITIL Foundation is by far the most popular and sought-after certification.

Nineteen percent of respondents hold a Cisco certification, the most popular of which is CCNA Routing and Switching, which is held by 11% of all respondents.

How Employers View IT

Management’s perspective on IT training has certainly shifted over the course of our reporting. In 2011, only 35% of decision-makers believed certifications led to a more effective staff. Today, managers are nearly unanimous in their support.

The additional skills that certified employees bring to the table are also a welcomed benefit in an industry that’s currently facing ever-widening skills gaps. When asked to estimate the economic benefit of a certified staff member versus a non-certified peer, 63% of IT decision-makers said it exceeds $10,000 annually. Twenty-two percent say that number is more than $30,000, which far exceeds the cost of the certification exam and prep fees.

The advantages of certification seem obvious now, but skepticism of its value and IT in general was rampant a few years ago. According to Daniel Cummins, Global Knowledge Technical Instructor of Networking and Security, organizations used to consider IT a necessary evil.

“Business owners didn’t understand it, but since they needed technology to do their jobs, they hired guys who ‘knew computers’ to handle support,” Cummins said.

Cummins says the increased frequency of major security breaches forced employers to take IT departments more seriously. The search for qualified and certified IT professionals became a driving force of many organizations.

“It was no longer good enough to ‘know computers,’” Cummins said. “Now, we are looking for experts.”

Holding a certification may not be enough anymore. Cummins says that a certification was once proof of expertise without the need for a full degree, but he’s seen a shift in recent years.

“I’m seeing a trend toward degrees and certifications now,” he said. “Employers want a four-year bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and expert-level certifications.”

More Experts Are Needed

Year after year, building new skills is the No. 1 reason why IT professionals train. Traditionally, preparing for a certification exam is second.

The two go hand in hand. Certification value remains high as experts with diverse skill sets are needed in every IT department. This trend is likely to continue as rapid innovation continues to impact the industry.

Certifications, especially in cybersecurity and cloud computing, have grown in popularity for a multitude of reasons. Security breaches are increasing in size and scope, and it’s no longer a matter of if companies will be using the cloud but when. Decision-makers are also struggling to hire qualified candidates for these two specific functional areas.

As for cloud computing, the rapid market advancement is creating new roles that force traditional IT pros to re-train and those looking to be hired learn new skills. Like cybersecurity, supply has yet to catch up with the demand for talent.

According to our report, 38% of IT decision-makers struggle to hire cybersecurity professionals while 34% can’t find the cloud talent they need. Nearly 70% total say that hiring in general is somewhat or extremely difficult.

Plan Your IT Certification Roadmap

Clearly the value of becoming certified has positive impacts on both the organization and one’s career. We have a collection of resources to help you navigate your own certification journey.

For those of you looking to start your certification journey, read “How to Select the Right Certification for You.”

If you’ve decided to get certified but want to ensure you select a proven certification with staying power, check out “18 Certifications Worth Having.”

Certification tracks

Certification tracks provide easy-to-follow roadmaps of the steps and courses you need to take as you pursue a certification. 

Certifications take a lot of time and energy, so before you embark on your journey, make sure you’re fully aware of the courses and exam prep available, and what’s required or optional. 

Certification prep guides 

These “How to Become a” certification prep guides highlight the critical knowledge, skills and abilities you need to achieve each certification. Download them for free.  

uCertify Recognized by SIIA as Winner in Three Categories At Education Technology CODiE Awards, 2020

uCertify LEARN and uCertify Lab earn prestigious industry recognition

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 19, 2020) – On May 19, uCertify, a leading developer of career and vocation training courses, was named the winner in the following Educational Technology categories of 2020 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards:

  • Best College & Career Readiness Solution 
  • Best Cross-Curricular Solution 
  • Best Virtual Learning Solution 

The prestigious CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative education technology products across the country and around the world.

uCertify LEARN, which won the Best College & Career Readiness Solution and Best Cross-Curricular Solution awards, offers highly engaging, flexible, cloud-based, and device-enabled learning platform and tools designed to meet the needs of both faculty and students. Training can be delivered in instructor-led, mentor guided, or self-paced mode.

uCertify Lab, which won the Best Virtual Learning Solution award, is computer hardware which is networked together and conveniently accessible via a web browser. It allows students to experiment and configure hardware such as a computer, server, switch or router in a risk-free environment.

With 28 CODiE awards in the past 7 years, including the coveted Best Education Solution Award in 2015 and 2017, uCertify has become one of the most awarded EdTech companies in history.

“Congratulations to the 2020 Edtech CODiE Award winners,” said SIIA President Jeff Joseph. “The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us of the importance of innovative Edtech products and services and this year’s class takes a special place among the many amazing products recognized across the 35-year history of the CODiE Awards.”

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, announced the full slate of CODiE winners during an online winner announcement earlier today in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

37 awards were given for products and services deployed specifically for education and learning professionals, including the top honor of the Best Overall Education Technology Solution.

A SIIA CODiE Award win is a prestigious honor, following rigorous reviews by expert judges including educators and administrators whose evaluations determined the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products, and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners.

More information about the Awards is available at http://www.siia.net/codie

Details about the winning products can be found at http://www.siia.net/codie/2020-Winners.

About the CODiE Awards

The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology’s finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence.  For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.

 About uCertify

uCertify offers an extensive library of 400+ Courses, Labs, and Test Prep in the fields of computer science, IT, business, and project management. These courses can be used off-the-shelf or customized based on your teaching needs. They come with virtual labs, simulations, and 60+ interactive item types and work well in all three modalities: traditional classrooms, online, or blended.  uCertify provides both depth and breadth in its course offerings in a hassle-free hosted environment with powerful and scalable infrastructure and 24/7 support. Learn more at www.uCertify.com/about.

My Experience of learning with uCertify CISSP course

Being an Information Security professional, it is essential for me to keep on learning new concepts, technologies, techniques so that I can improve my skill set. Recently, I have got the opportunity to access and review the contents of the uCertify ISC2 CISSP Course. Let me give you a brief idea about the CISSP certification.

This certification validates the working knowledge of information technology security of an IT professional. The exam covers the ten domains of knowledge, including access control, business continuity, and security architecture.

The course is designed in a very simple way that beginners can learn easily and pass the certification exam in their first attempt. The quizzes provide detailed answers and I am extremely impressed by their Labs.

The various interactive components like flashcards, pre and post assessments are added in the course that is strictly based on the ISC2 CISSP certification exam. The study resources in the course will help you have a great learning experience. I liked flashcards very much. I recommend this course to all the professionals seeking a career in this field.

How Traditional and Digital Marketing Work Together

Many businesses tend to notice the benefits of digital marketing only, which results in their neglect of traditional marketing techniques and the ultimate loss of revenue. And according to statistics, there was a slight increase in investments on traditional marketing in 2020. The apparition and development of digital marketing strategies were meant to broaden the horizons of marketing, as a whole, and not become its exclusive outlet.

Thus, traditional and digital marketing should not be considered polar opposites. While being two admittedly different parts of one whole, both of these strategies better be used in. So, what exactly do you need to know to make sure traditional and digital marketing work together in your campaign and not against one another?

Table of Contents

Benefits of Traditional Marketing

“No matter how many times you may have heard that nobody cares about old-school marketing strategies anymore, don’t believe the people who say so”, says Nicole Campinski Product and PR Manager, at 24 hour resume writing service. Regardless of the sphere of your business, a considerable part of your target audience will tend to traditional media outlets for information.

By sticking to traditional strategies, you will be able to engage with some of the core audience groups. Besides, traditional marketing has proven to be successful for multiple decades, which is why you shouldn’t give up on it altogether. Therefore, the key benefits of such techniques are effectiveness, accessibility, and a potentially great audience.

Benefits of Digital Marketing

When it comes to analyzing the benefits of digital marketing, the unquestionable one is its affordability, especially in comparison to traditional strategies. Despite the fact that the potential audience may not be as broad as that gained from radio, event descriptions or TV commercials, it will consist predominantly of people interested in the product or service you’re offering.

Adaptability, affordability, and niche are the most considerable benefits of digital marketing. Although the digital means of marketing have their potential, it may be too risky to rely exclusively on them and avoid traditional strategies altogether.To learn more about digital marketing get yourself enrolled with uCertify CIW 1D0-623 Social Media Strategist course.

Advantages of Using Both

Variety. When you choose to implement both traditional and digital marketing tools and techniques in your campaign, you can achieve some incredibly impressive results. From brand recognition to reputation improvement, there are a plethora of benefits to doing so. In the long run, efficiently developed cooperation between digital and traditional marketing maximize profits and minimize any potential losses. By tracking the efficiency of every chosen medium, you can actually adjust the chosen strategies to meet your objectives.

How to Make the Two Cooperate

When it comes to planning both traditional and digital marketing techniques within your campaign, the most critical issue is budgeting. In order to ensure the highest profit, you will have to implement collaborative work management principles into your business’s operations. Make sure that you analyze the target groups, their needs, and ratio in regard to the audience as a whole. Based on such information, you will be able to develop an appropriate budget for your marketing campaign.

Despite what people may think, there’s no reason to believe that one type of marketing is superior over the other. With this in mind, develop your campaign; for example, you should feel free to mention your company’s social media in print. Use traditional marketing to catch the interest and turn to digital to develop a meaningful connection.

Think of email marketing, for example. The strategy combines the best of both worlds and can greatly improve your business’s reputation, customer relationship, and in the long run, overall success. The email marketing can be improved by storytelling and better writing skills of your copywriters. By introducing your services to potential customers in the first place, you can catch their interest with your advantages; the appropriately developed content plan can build a meaningful connection with your customer base.

Both digital and traditional marketing has certain benefits and drawbacks, and that doesn’t necessarily make one better than the other. By finding the middle ground between the two and making them coexist within one campaign, you can give your business a chance to go through the roof. Combining digital and traditional marketing will allow you to target wide audiences, which would not be possible with only one of these strategies.

7 Reasons Why You Should Pursue CISSP Certification

The CISSP is one of the world’s most valued information technology and information security certifications. With a proven track record over 25 years in the making, the CISSP truly demonstrates that you are at the top of your cybersecurity game in terms of both knowledge and experience.

The enduring appeal of the CISSP is evidenced in the numbers. Today, there are more than 131,000 CISSPs in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. And demand for CISSP-certified professionals is at a record high, with numerous workforce studies showing that the demand for CISSP-certified professionals far outstrips the number of CISSP credential holders.

Why would you consider becoming CISSP-certified? Here are seven fantastic reasons why the CISSP could be the right certification for you.

  1. You will maximize your earning potential. The average CISSP earns US$131,030 a year. This reflects a number of aspects that are core to the CISSP, including extensive knowledge of cybersecurity, hands-on cybersecurity experience of at least four years’ paid employment in the industry and a commitment to a strong code of ethics. Employers value and respect the CISSP certification and, as a result, this commands a premium in terms of your salary.
  2. You will maximize your career potential. The demand for CISSP-qualified personnel is significantly higher than the number of credential holders. And with the (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study indicating a global cyber workforce shortage of over 2.9 million men and women, there is no better time to accelerate your career development with a CISSP. In addition, the CISSP concentrations (CISSP-ISSMP for Management, CISSP-ISSEP for Engineers and CISSP-ISSAP for Architects) allow you to continue building on the CISSP, further boosting your career prospects.
  3. You will stand tall among your peers. The CISSP is arduous and difficult to attain. Achieving the CISSP is a proud achievement and demonstrates to the industry and your peers that you are a consummate industry professional with depth of experience to provide effective cybersecurity leadership and direction for the organization you work for. In fact, the 2017 Cybersecurity Trends Spotlight Report illustrated that the CISSP is the Most Valued Credential Among Employers.
  4. You will understand all aspects of the cybersecurity landscape. The CISSP is often described as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Yet this enduring description is factually incorrect. The CISSP covers the fundamental elements of the entire cybersecurity field – from security and risk management to communication and network security to security testing and operations. It ensures that a certified professional understands all aspects of information security and, most critically, how the aspects of the information security environment they themselves work on will interact with the overall organizational ecosystem.
  5. You will have demonstrated years of hands-on cybersecurity experience. As part of your CISSP assessment, you must have paid, hands-on experience in cybersecurity. In fact, you need to demonstrate the equivalent of four years’ full-time work. In addition, you require the endorsement of an existing (ISC)² credential holder who can attest to your experience and good character. Finally, CISSP credential holders must complete a continuing professional education program of 120 credits over a three-year period to maintain the certification.
  6. You will stand out as the best of the best. Holding a CISSP is valuable because the certification itself is a product of years of development and research. The CISSP was the first information security credential to meet the strict conditions of the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standard. The CISSP also meets the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) 8570 IAM Level II/III, IAT Level III and IASAE Level I/II. In addition, the CISSP serves as a prerequisite to the CISSP-ISSAP and CISSP-ISSEP concentrations, which are the only accredited DoD 8570 IASAE Level III certifications that exist. The CISSP is also a prerequisite of the Australian Government Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP).
  7. You will become a member of the largest association of cybersecurity professionals in the world today. Achieving CISSP certification provides the added benefit of membership in (ISC)², the world’s largest nonprofit association of cybersecurity professionals. More than 140,000 members strong and growing, (ISC)² offers its members professional development courses through the Professional Development Institute (PDI), continuing professional education through industry events such as Secure Summits held around the world, technical webinars discussing areas of developing cybersecurity trends, and benefits such as Member Perks, the (ISC)² Community and the bimonthly InfoSecurity Professional magazine.

The CISSP wins industry accolades year after year. SC Magazine has named the CISSP as Best Professional Certification Program numerous times, and it consistently ranks in the Top 10 information technology certifications to achieve by publications including Certification Magazine, TechGig and PC Magazine.

To learn more, download your Ultimate Guide to the CISSP.

An Overview Of Microsoft 365 Certification

Are you thinking of getting Microsoft 365 certified in 2020? If yes, then we’re here for you! We will introduce you to all the currently available Microsoft 365 certifications. But first, let’s cover the benefits of getting certified.

Why Get Certified?

There are plenty of reasons to get a Microsoft Certification. Certified professionals are demanded in various IT sectors, so having these certifications increases your value inside your company. Microsoft’s new MCSA/MCSE/MCSD certifications adjust to industry-perceived areas of competence and allow you to show your particular skills in Microsoft products and administrations. Microsoft credentials are worldwide industry standards and are accessible for desktop applications and specialized technical products/technology. Microsoft Learning launched the latest iteration of its Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program. The current MCP certification is categorized into five categories: Server, Desktop, Application, Database, and Developer.

Microsoft 365 Certifications in 2020

There are a total of eight certification options available for Microsoft 365 Professionals. You should choose one depending on your experience with Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft products. Certifications are split into three categories based on the level of difficulty: Fundamental, Associate, and Expert. The Fundamental level of certifications is optional. However, you must pass an Associate level certification before going for the Expert level certifications.

Fundamental level certifications

To achieve the Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals certification you will have to pass the MS-900 exam. This certification is ideal for a technical salesperson, IT professional or developer. It covers the basics of Microsoft 365. 

Associate Level Certifications

There are six Associate level certifications:

  • Modern Desktop Administrator Associate: This certification proves the proficiency of a candidate to deploy, configure, secure, manage, and monitor devices and client applications in an enterprise environment.
  • Messaging Administrator Associate: This certification validates the skills required to deploy, configure, manage, and monitor messaging infrastructure, permissions, client access, mail protection, and mail flow in on-premises, hybrid, and cloud enterprise environments.
  • Teamwork Administrator Associate: This certification proves that the candidate has all the skills required to configure, deploy, and manage Office 365 workloads.
  • Security Administrator Associate: This certification validates the proficiency required to secure Microsoft 365 enterprise and hybrid environments; implement and manage security and compliance solutions; respond to threats, and enforce data governance.
  • Teams Administrator Associate: This certification proves that a candidate has the knowledge required to configure, deploy, and manage Office 365 workloads for Microsoft Teams.
  • Developer Associate: Microsoft 365 Developers design, build, test, and maintain applications and solutions that are optimized for the productivity of organizations.

Expert Level Certifications

Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert is the only expert-level certification in the Microsoft 365 branch. In order to achieve this certification, you must pass the MS-100 and MS-101 exams. 

As you can see there are multiple certification options that are available for you, with one fundamentals level certification, six associate-level certifications, and one expert-level certification. Check out our comprehensive courses and start preparing for your next certification exam with us!Posted in 365 CertificationCertificationCourseMicrosoftMicrosoft 365 CertificationStudy Tips.

Why to go for uCertify for CISSp exam prepaaration?

Earning the CISSP proves you have what it takes to effectively design, implement and manage a best-in-class cybersecurity program. With a CISSP, you validate your expertise and become an (ISC)² member, unlocking a broad array of exclusive resources, educational tools, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.


The course was very in-depth and interactive. The pre and post-assessments and the quizzes were interesting and deep. I was consumed by the platform that I didn’t know when I spent more than six hours of non-stop learning. The course efficiently covered topics like asset security, cryptography, PKI, cryptographic applications, laws, regulations, and compliance, and so on. This course validates my working knowledge of information technology security of an IT professional and covered all the domains of knowledge, including access control, business continuity, and security architecture.
If you are thinking about getting the ISC2 CISSP certification. Then, I would recommend you to get yourself enrolled in the uCertify CISSP course and labs.


Check out the course from here: https://www.ucertify.com/exams/ISC2/CISSP-2018.html


#Amazingplatform #HighlyRecommendable

Should You Get Your CISSP?

Whether or not you should get your CISSP is a question with a simple answer: It depends. That’s not a very satisfying answer. But when it comes to security certifications, there are many good options (We know. It’s a tough problem to have.). So, let’s start with the facts.

Positions that require CISSP certification typically pay very well. Depending on where you live, CISSP certification holders can typically make six-figure salaries. There’s also no shortage of security positions in the United States. Next year, it’s estimated there will be two million more security jobs than professionals to fill them. That’s a compelling consideration.  

Let’s be honest, though — these numbers are only interesting to anyone thinking about a security career. For those currently working as a security professional, you know that it’s all about personal preference and your professional strengths.

Here are a few reasons you should (or shouldn’t) work toward your CISSP.

It depends on your work experience

Here’s the first thing you should know, and it’s important: CISSP certification is unattainable if you’re just starting out in a security role. Sure, you can take and pass the exam. But you won’t earn the certification until you have five years of paid work experience. There are ways to shorten that time by a year. But that’s still four years, and you can’t make that time pass any faster.

On the bright side, there are great reasons to earn the CISSP if you don’t have five years of paid work experience. You can still become an (ISC)² Associate by passing the CISSP certification exam. CISSP Associates gain exclusive access to (ISC)² career resources and networking groups. They’re also more desirable to employers, especially federal employers.

To earn your CISSP certification as an Associate, you’ll have six years to gain the five years of required work experience, while meeting continuing professional education (CPE) requirements.

You shouldn’t start with CISSP

If you’re trying to break into your first security job, then you shouldn’t start with the CISSP. You should instead go for a certification that validates the basics. CompTIA offers two certification exams — Security+ and CySA+ — that fall into this category.

CompTIA Security+ is an entry-level cybersecurity exam consisting of 90 possible questions that must be answered in 90 minutes. It’s not necessarily an easy exam, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s intended to validate all the knowledge you’d learn in your first year as an IT and security professional. If you account for the difficulty of questions you’ll face on the CISSP exam, the Security+ is arguably a simpler exam.

CompTIA CySA+ is another great option if you’re new to IT security. CompTIA introduced this certification in 2017 to bridge the skill gap between the foundational Security+ and expert-level CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification. It’s a step up from the Security+ cert and validates everything you’d typically learn in your first four years as a security professional.

The CISSP is a great next step beyond either of these two exams. If you earn either one, then you can also knock a year off the CISSP experience requirement. So, they might be good options for you to consider.  

If you have broad infosec experience, you’re good to start with the CISSP. Otherwise, it’s better to start with another certification.

CISSP is great for government jobs

Many large organizations require the CISSP for career progression, including (and especially) the federal government. DoD Directive 8570.01-M requirements apply to all members of the DoD Information Assurance workforce (Read more about DoDD 8570).

The baseline certifications for government employees has four tiers:

  • Information Assurance Technical (IAT)
  • Information Assurance Management (IAM)
  • Information Assurance System Architect and Engineer (IASAE)
  • Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSSP)

You can see how these baseline certs breakdown in this chart.

You may notice that the CISSP appears quite a bit. In fact, the CISSP satisfies more IA baseline certification requirements than any other certification. So if you’re in need of fulfilling an IA baseline certification requirement, the CISSP is a top choice.

If you’re looking for the next best option, consider the CASP. The CASP is CompTIA’s advanced-level cybersecurity certification. It satisfies all three levels of the IAT position and the first two levels of the IAM (one level difference compared to the CISSP) and IASAE positions.

CISSP requires recertification (and that’s a good thing)

Just like the certification process, you’ll have to jump through some hoops to recertify the CISSP — and that’s not a bad thing. CPE credits are easy enough to earn by doing things you should be doing in your career anyway. For that reason, recertification is one reason to get your CISSP.

Here’s how it works:

Every three years, CISSPs (and Associates) must submit a minimum of 90 Group A CPE credits and 30 additional Group A or Group B CPE credits to maintain certification. Typically, you can earn one credit for each hour spent learning.

For instance, you can perform any of these educational activities pulled straight from the (ISC)2 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Handbook:

  • Reading a magazine, book, or whitepaper.
  • Publishing a book, whitepaper, or article.
  • Attending a conference, educational course, seminar, or presentation.
  • Preparing for a presentation or teaching information related to information security.
  • Performing a unique work-related project that is not a part of your normal work duties.
  • Self-study related to research for a project or preparing for a certification examination.
  • Volunteering for the government, public sector, and other charitable organizations.
  • Taking a higher academic course.

Basically, if you’re learning about a topic covered in any of the eight security domains — as long as it’s not a normal on-the-job activity — you can claim it as CPE credit hours. Just remember to document your CPE hours for activities not offered by (ISC)2.

Earning validated minutes with CBT Nuggets also count toward recertification — and they’re easy to track and log with Certificates of Completion.

Group B credits are reserved for general professional development activities. They include anything outside the scope of the eight security domains. The same activities that qualified for Group A credits can be used for Group B activities.

Maintaining an average of 40 credit hours a year by performing any of the above activities is manageable. Again, you should be building on your security knowledge, anyway.

Final thoughts on the CISSP

Whether or not you should earn the CISSP mostly depends on your professional goals, work experience, and industry. Here’s what to consider:

Are you trying to break into management? Or are you trying to specialize? If you’re looking for a fast-track into management, CISSP is the way. Otherwise, you might want to consider these other security exams.

Are you brand new to IT? If so, then you should start with the fundamentals and work your way up to the CISSP. CompTIA Sec+ and CySA+ are only two certifications that will launch your security career. There are many others.

Do you work at a company that values the CISSP? If you’re in government, then it’s a no-brainer. Otherwise, you should seriously consider whether the CISSP will help you reach your career goals. There are other expert-level certifications that may serve you better, like Cisco CCIE Security or GIAC GSEC.

A final, final consideration. (ISC)² has one of the fastest-growing security communities in the world. With over 20,000 community members and more than 150 (ISC)² chapters worldwide, you’ll have plenty of online and in-person opportunities to connect with peers, network, and learn.

Though these benefits come with every (ISC)² certification, if you’re already considering the CISSP, and being part of a cybersecurity community interests you, this is one more reason to get certified.

IT Security Professionals Need a CISSP Certification

Why IT Security Professionals Need a CISSP Certification - An Expert's View


Certifications provide employers with an objective way to measure a candidate’s knowledge of a particular topic or set of topics. That said, there are many valuable certifications that exist in the information security field, and selecting which one – or which group – to pursue can be a difficult choice for some people to make.

I have been a long-time fan of the CISSP certification (which I, myself, decided to pursue years ago because I considered it to be valuable, and which I have now held for quite some time). There are several reasons for my affinity of this particular certification:

1. It is vendor neutral – so a change in technology or methodology at a person’s employer will not diminish its value.  

2. It is issued by (ISC)2 – a universally trusted party.  

3. It is effectively evergreen – countermeasures come and go, and products change, but the concepts learned for the CISSP exam are about as timeless as information-security concepts can get – especially if one meets the continuing professional education requirements to maintain the certification over the long term.  

4. It is broad – so even if a person works in one area of information security he or she will have some knowledge of other areas. This is important as components of information security are often interconnected.
 
5. It provides employers with the comfort that its holders understand important aspects of more than one area of information security at a high level. So, if you are working on one area and want to transfer to another, your employer knows that you will not be starting from level zero.  

6. Training courses are readily available – so you are not on your own preparing for the exam. 

7. In order to receive the actual certification, candidates must also have several years of professional information security experience, must commit to a code of ethics, and must be endorsed by someone else already holding the certification. The combination of these factors translate to a situation in which employers know that anyone holding a CISSP certification is more established in the field of information security than someone who only passed an exam.
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