CompTIA’s Newest Certifications: CompTIA Mobile App Security+ and Cloud+

Did you know that CompTIA announced 2 new certifications a few weeks ago? Here’s a quick recap in case you have missed the news.

This fall, CompTIA focuses on the hottest trends of today’s technology: mobile app security and cloud solutions with its two latest certifications: CompTIA Mobile App Security+ for Android & iOS and CompTIA Cloud+ . Today, we’re making an overview of these 2 certifications, and take a closer look soon.

Staying true to itself and its philosophy, CompTIA keeps its certifications vendor neutral yet very relevant.

CompTIA Mobile App Security+ Certification has been designed to raise security awareness and preparedness among mobile developers. The certification was launched with two editions of the exam – for Android and iOS mobile apps (exams ADR-001 and IOS-001 respectively). The exams include 100 multiple choice queries.

Areas covered in the exams include:

• Principles of secure application development
• Security models of Android and iOS devices
• Common threats to mobile app security
• Web services security models and vulnerabilities
• Secure coding techniques
• Common implementations of cryptography
• Encryption for storage and communications

 “Mobile apps numbering in the millions are downloaded daily on smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, skills certification, CompTIA. “But too often, in the dizzying race to bring new apps to market quickly, security considerations are an afterthought. With these new certifications we aim to bring the security focus back to where it belongs – in the starting blocks of mobile app development.”

CompTIA developed this certification with a variety of jobs and roles in mind, including app and software developers, applications development managers, as well as network security professionals – all with at least two years of application development experience.

CompTIA’s  Cloud+ Certification targets cloud computing professionals. It validates the skills required to deliver cloud-based solutions.

“Cloud computing is an integral part of the IT landscape for a growing number of organizations,” said Terry Erdle, executive vice president, skills certification, CompTIA. “As cloud-based applications proliferate and network architectures become more diverse, networking and technical sales professionals must become proficient in new skills.”

According to CompTIA, 90 percent of companies claim to be using some form of cloud computing, while the number of cloud-computing job opening grew by 30% over the last few years, with the demand for cloud computing professionals now being higher than ever before. And this is exactly the nice CompTIA is striving to fill with its new certification (Before that, reputable cloud computing certifications were only available from Microsoft, with the opportunities it brings, along with some restrictions that come with any vendor-specific certification).

“CompTIA Cloud+ was developed by the industry to address this shortage, providing IT professionals with a credential that validates their ability to efficiently and securely implement and maintain cloud technologies,” Erdle said.

Topics covered in the exam include:

• Cloud concepts and models
• Virtualization
• Infrastructure
• Resource management
• Security
• Systems management
• Business continuity in the cloud

CompTIA Cloud+ certification is an ideal career step for experienced network, storage, system and data center administrators and other technology professionals whose job roles increasingly require development and use of cloud computing and virtualization solutions.

CompTIA’s Cloud+ certification requires taking one exam, which covers everything from standard cloud terminologies and methodologies to implementing and maintaining cloud technologies and infrastructures (server, network storage and virtualization technologies), to cloud security and virtualization.

Although not required, it is recommended that CompTIA Cloud+ candidates have at least 2-3 years of hands-on experience working in IT networking, storage or data center administration. The candidates should hold CompTIA’s Network+ and/or Storage+ Powered by SNIA certification, and be comfortable working with major hypervisor technologies for server virtualization.

So, as all main industry certification providers have updated their certifications this year (think Cisco’s big announcement in March and final changes in September, as well as Microsoft certification updates), CompTIA has also joined the trend by offering new certifications which look like they’ll be in high demand. Now, who’s up for the challenge?

• Category: comptia
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