Cloud Security Alliance's User Certification Now Available

PRESS RELEASE

San Francisco, CA – September 1, 2010 – The Cloud Security Alliance’s Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) is now open for testing at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org/certifyme.

The industry’s first user certification program for secure cloud computing, the CCSK is designed to ensure that a broad range of professionals with responsibility related to cloud computing have a demonstrated awareness of the security threats and best practices for securing the cloud. As cloud computing is being aggressively adopted, it is critical that the industry provide training and certification of professionals to assure that cloud computing is implemented responsibly with the appropriate security controls. The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) has developed a widely adopted catalogue of security best practices, the Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing, V2.1. In addition, the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) whitepaper “Cloud Computing: Benefits, Risks and Recommendations for Information Security” is an important contribution to the cloud security body of knowledge. The CCSK provides evidence that an individual has successfully completed an examination covering the key concepts of the CSA guidance and ENISA whitepaper.

“Critical services are being provided via the cloud, creating an urgent need for cloud security skills among IT professionals,” said Jim Reavis, CSA executive director. “The CCSK is a low cost certification that establishes a robust baseline of cloud security knowledge. Combined with existing professional certifications, it helps provide necessary assurance of user competency in this important area of growth.”

The CSA’s CCSK already has broad industry support from numerous organizations that plan to certify employees, including eBay, ING, Lockheed Martin, Sallie Mae, Zynga, CA, CaseCentral, HCL Technologies, Hubspan, LogLogic, Fiberlink, McAfee, Novell, Ping Identity, Qualys, Solutionary, Symantec, Trend Micro, Veracode, VeriSign, Vordel, WhiteHat Security and Zscaler.

“We have already been leveraging the CSA’s ‘Security Guidance for Critical Areas in Cloud Computing’ as a best practices manual for our information security staff,” said Dave Cullinane, CISO and VP for eBay, Inc. “We plan to make this certification a requirement for our staff, to ensure they have a solid baseline of understanding of the best practices for securing data and applications in the cloud.”

Discounted pricing of $195 for the CCSK exam is available through Dec 31st; regular pricing at $295 begins January 1st.

About Cloud Security Alliance The Cloud Security Alliance is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and to provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing. The Cloud Security Alliance is led by a broad coalition of industry practitioners, corporations, associations and other key stakeholders. For further information, the Cloud Security Alliance Web site is www.cloudsecurityalliance.org.