From a discussion with Andrew Martin, CEO and Co-Founder, ControlPlane and Ashley Ward, CTO, ControlPlane
Earning the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA) certification is valuable for both organizations and IT professionals. This certification signifies a strong understanding of basic security configurations for Kubernetes clusters, crucial for embedding security across all roles in an organization. KCSA Certification holders not only increase their value to current and future employers but also enhance their problem-solving skills in security incidents and will have increased confidence in cloud native security discussions. This certification ensures a thorough grasp of best practices, significantly improving an organization’s security posture and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Security is in everyone’s interests across every organization and obtaining a security-focused certification like the soon-to-be-updated Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA) certification is increasingly valuable. This certification confirms a person’s deep understanding of basic security configuration of clusters, and ensures they have the knowledge to build security into their role, understanding what and why there are security configurations in place, regardless of their role.
Key benefits of having a Kubernetes security certification
- For Organizations: Security is not an optional component of any solution and having people with the relevant certifications clearly demonstrates that they have people delivering the best in class secure solutions. Some of the key benefits to an organization are:
- Security will be embedded from the start
- Certificate holders have the best practices and standards at the core of what they do and can help others
- Your investment in people helps with retainment and can then also help with recruitment
- For Individuals: Earning the certification demonstrates your commitment to continued learning and development. You become more valuable to your current employer and future ones by being able to show how security is a core part of your work. Some key benefits then are:
- Increase your value to employers
- Prepares you to advance to additional professional certifications
- Give you the confidence to participate further in cloud native security discussions and research
Overall, security is an essential part of all businesses and as more and more organizations embrace cloud native computing it becomes necessary to increase security understanding to all roles. Kubernetes security certification demonstrates that you are continuously learning and developing – which in itself is a valuable trait for employers. It shows that you understand the seriousness of security in cloud native and highlights your diligence to employers.
Running applications in a safe, scalable, and efficient manner is really difficult. Managing hardware failures, deployments, networking, and all the other components of modern software can be tricky. Kubernetes provides a means for more and more people to deploy applications in a simple way, knowing that Kubernetes can manage complexity. However, the complexity doesn’t go away! It is just handled by the platform or orchestrator. It’s therefore essential to have an understanding of the security implications and best practices, and that demands specialized knowledge and awareness of containers, data, and the types of threats that you might encounter and that’s why it’s important to have specialized knowledge in Kubernetes security
Kubernetes security certification demonstrates that the holder has gone through comprehensive training on the best practices and tools available to help mitigate risks in a containerized environment and being certified in Kubernetes security differentiates you from other IT professionals because organizations and individuals in the industry recognise that Kubernetes environments need specialized knowledge. Being certified in Kubernetes security differentiates you by calling out your in-depth knowledge of the specialized threats on that platform.
Today’s tech landscape is in a state of constant change. From new ways of working and technologies to novel threats and risks. Continuous learning is essential if you want to remain relevant in the cloud native security space. Certification in Kubernetes security demonstrates your commitment to keeping your skills relevant in this fast paced environment.
But Kubernetes security certification is not just a “checkbox” exercise, the training and exposure to the tools and techniques needed to secure a Kubernetes environment are varied. The KCSA certification ensures that holders have covered all the areas of risk rather than one or two specific areas.
KCSA certification is valuable for the DevOps teams specifically as certification will enable the team to communicate with each other using a common understanding built on their shared learnings through certification. Where only some members of the team can be certified, they can then use this learning to enhance and expand their colleagues’ security knowledge.
Learning the first principles of security in a Kubernetes cluster means that real-world security challenges can be examined through a knowledgeable lens. The certification makes you an effective member of a team being able to contribute understanding and best practices to any challenges.
There is a large demand for individuals with security knowledge in the cloud native space. Regardless of your area of specialization within IT your certification is a building block that could take you further into operations, secure development, DevSecOps, or even into security teams.
Understanding the components and risks in each area of Kubernetes is essential for effective problem-solving in security incidents. The certification brings together your organizational knowledge, your application knowledge, your platform knowledge, and your security knowledge, allowing you to effectively understand the stack and to troubleshoot, with a suitably experienced team, a security incident. As much as your certification will make you a vital team member, it is essential to remember that security incidents must be investigated in a specific way – especially when law enforcement may need to be involved.
Additionally, Kubernetes security certification is vital for working in multi-cloud environments. As Kubernetes becomes the standard for multi-cloud deployments, having this certification proves an individual’s capability in managing security across hybrid, private, or multi-cloud Kubernetes environments. Kubernetes security certification isn’t specific to cloud environments (Cloud Native doesn’t mean it has to run in the cloud!)
Beyond technical skills, the certification fosters a deeper engagement with the cloud-native community. It encourages and gives you the ability to have deeper discussions on critical topics, leading to further collaboration and innovation within the industry. This involvement not only enhances personal growth but also contributes positively to the broader cloud-native ecosystem, driving progress and setting new standards in security practice and may inspire you to do more work with the CNCF. That can only lead to growth in the community and that’s something that can only be good for the entire industry!
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate certification is a powerful asset for IT professionals. It enhances career prospects, bolsters problem-solving skills, and ensures comprehensive security knowledge in managing cloud-native applications. For organizations, it signifies a commitment to security excellence, aiding in recruitment, retention, and delivering secure solutions. This certification is essential for staying relevant in the dynamic tech landscape and contributing to a stronger, more secure future in cloud-native computing.