I’m very pleased to announce that we have expanded the AlienVault certification program. Our newest certification—AlienVault USM Appliance Technician—is now the first level of certification in our program. The AlienVault Certified Security Engineer (ACSE), introduced in 2015, remains the capstone certification in our lineup.
Today, I thought I’d discuss why we introduced this new certification, how it works (which is a little different than many tech certifications), and why this matters for those who already hold our ACSE certification.
Learning About Security—The Certification Connection
Security and IT professionals have varying reasons for choosing to pursue an industry certification. Gaining recognition among peers, building credentials when seeking employment, and advancing in one’s career are all mentioned frequently. However, there’s another reason to pursue a certification, one that’s often overlooked. There’s plenty of evidence showing that testing helps you to learn, and the deeper you learn USM Appliance, the more you’ll get use of its powerful capabilities!
When you take our comprehensive, five-day AlienVault USM Appliance for Security Engineers course, you’ll learn the core skills to design, implement, and operate AlienVault USM Appliance in your environment. This will prepare you for the AlienVault USM Appliance Technician certification, which was designed to focus entirely on testing the skills and knowledge that we teach in the class. By preparing for the exam, and passing it, you can have confidence that you have a strong foundation to start using USM Appliance and growing your understanding of the security visibility that it offers.
What’s Different About AlienVault USM Appliance Technician
Our newest certification works a bit differently than the current ACSE, and differently than many other tech certifications.
- It’s entirely based on the skills and knowledge that we teach in our five-day AlienVault USM Appliance for Security Engineers course. All of the questions on the AlienVault USM Appliance Technician exam are derived from knowledge and skills acquired during the class. Therefore, it serves as the ideal way to validate learning immediately after completing our comprehensive training class. In contrast, the ACSE certification tests knowledge and skills that typically require months of hands-on product experience to acquire.
- The AlienVault USM Appliance Technician certification is only available to those who complete the AlienVault USM Appliance for Security Engineers course. For a certification based entirely on the class, we believe it’s most appropriate to require two things—completing the class and passing the exam--in order to earn the certification.
- The AlienVault USM Appliance Technician certification that you earn never expires or requires recertification.
Some other aspects of the AlienVault USM Appliance Technician will seem more familiar.
- The exam is delivered in a proctored environment. For this exam, all testing is via online proctoring, which provide a secure environment as you take the exam from your own computer.
- If you pass, you’ll receive a personalized certificate and an AlienVault USM Appliance Technician logo that you can use on your resume, CV, or business card.
A New Recertification Option for ACSE Holders
The capstone certification in our lineup, ACSE, is valid for three years from the date earned. Until now, the only way to recertify an ACSE was to pass the ACSE exam again. Now, we’re expanding the options. Any ACSE holder can now recertify their ACSE by passing the ACSE Recertification exam instead. The ACSE Recertification exam is identical, in content, to the AlienVault USM Appliance Technician exam. If you hold an ACSE certification, you have already validated a high level of skill with USM Appliance. By passing the ACSE Recertification exam, you’re demonstrating that your skills remain current with the latest features covered in our training curriculum.
Since the ACSE Recertification exam is entirely based on the AlienVault USM Appliance for Security Engineers course, the course materials—which contain the instructor’s slides and extensive student notes—serve as a great study aid for the exam. Therefore, when an ACSE holder purchases a voucher for the ACSE Recertification exam, we provide a current copy of those materials at no additional cost.
Success with USM Appliance
Ultimately, we want you to be successful in realizing the business value from USM Appliance that led you to purchase the product. If you’re better able to use the product and its many features, you’re much more likely to achieve that success. I hope that introducing the new AlienVault USM Appliance Technician is a step toward that end.
Once you gain significant experience with USM Appliance or complete our more advance training, I hope you’ll consider earning ACSE to achieve the highest level of skills validation that we offer.
As our company has grown, we’re pleased to provide this more robust certification path to help you build confidence—and certifications—as you progress in your skills with security and USM Appliance. Please feel free to reach out to me at certification@alienvault.com if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.
