Cloud Security Specialization? Does it exist?

Cyberscum

Ok, well no matter how much I try and argue with myself and coworkers about why all of IT will not transition to the cloud...It is here. We have (My Organization) initiated discussions to migrate, or begin the process of migration to a cloud provider/solutions services for some of the IT sections in the org. These discussions are happening across the board and partnering organizations are also considering this migration as well. I dont believe that my position in security will be one of the first to go, but I do know that AWS has some very cool IA tools to manage a plethora of IA functions. So I am not going to wait, I need to get spun up on cloud security.

My question is this...

How can I begin to strategically transition myself into a position solely in cloud security?

Does a position exist that is strictly security in cloud services, or is it an ancillary duty for the most part?

I heard ISC2 was going to offer a cloud sec cert but I cannot find it on thier site...Any other cloud security certs to consider?

tkerber

I just saw your post on the other thread. Sorry to hear about this. Not sure how much street cred it has but check out the site below.

https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/

Cyberscum

Thanks! I actually dont really see this as a bad thing. I enjoy learning new things and as long as I can make sure I am still valuable after the transition happens I should be fine. The puzzle is trying to figure out where I will thrive in the cloud environment, I think it is in security...

Also, we all cannot be legally laid off. They have to find a job for us somewhere, or we would have to agree on a settlement.

tkerber

There is definitely a need for security, especially now with all the publicity these breaches are getting. I just moved into an Enterprise Storage role because it's something that keeps on growing and I've always wanted to learn more about it... I will also be taking advantage of as much free VMware training I can possibly get.. I don't think change will hurt any of us who like learning.

pinkydapimp

thats a nice area to be in. there seem to be lots of roles out there that need that skill. i see sales engineering roles like that alot that pay very well.

the_Grinch

Really is up to what your definition of the cloud is. If you're doing things in Salesforce, they handle security for the most part so you would just need the administrator cert. If you are going with Amazon, I don't believe they have a cert, but you would be spinning up the boxes so anything security related to the operating system you plan to use would be the way to go. As you can see a lot rides on what type of cloud you are using.

Katiusha

I think that AWS and Salesforce are very helpful for the businesses today.
As for the Cloud Security in particular, CCSK (Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge) is one of the certifications available. I took this exam a little while back, it's very basic, and rather theoretical.
In my opinion, getting involved in implementation of cloud solutions (CRM, Cloud Storage etc.) would be a good first step. Security is always evaluated and considered when dealing with any SaaS or anything cloud-related.