IT industry trade organization CompTIA has announced that its Advanced Security Practitioner certification is now included in the U.S. Department of Defense Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program.
The program provides guidance and procedures for the training, certification, and management of the Department of Defense (DoD) workforce conducting information assurance functions in assigned duty positions.
The CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification is approved as a baseline certification for Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level III, IS Manager Level II and IA Systems Architect and Engineer Levels I and II, according to the department’s 8570.01-M criteria.
“The battle against cyber security threats requires coordination and cooperation between government and the private sector,” says Terry Erdle, CompTIA’s executive vice president, skills certification. “The DoD’s Information Assurance Workforce Program is a prime example of how to build a first line of defense—by developing a workforce that’s highly trained and certified in the skills necessary to secure data, devices and networks.”
The certification is intended for IT security professionals with a minimum of 10 years of experience in IT administration and at least five year of hands-on security experience in an enterprise environment.
CASP Exam Details
The CASP certification tests critical thinking and judgment across a broad spectrum of security disciplines. It is technical in nature and is concerned with security issues at the “enclave” or enterprise level.
The exam material covers:
- Cryptography implementation.
- Selection of the best solutions for hosts, networks, applications and storage.
- Risk management.
- Policies, procedures, and legal considerations.
- Research and analysis for security purposes.
- Integration of computing, communications, and business disciplines.
Exam Preparation
Several publishers and training providers offer courseware and training materials to help candidates prepare for the CASP exam. These materials, developed under the guidelines of the CompTIA Authorized Partner Program and the CompTIA Approved Quality Content initiative, are available from:
- AXZO
- Exam Force
- Logical Operations
- McGraw-Hill
- Sybex
- UCertify
A complete list of study materials by category is available on the CompTIA certification website.
