(ISC)² and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) have launched a professional qualification they hope will become the global standard for protecting data in the cloud.
The Certified Cloud Security Professional qualification was created in response to a survey by the two companies that revealed more than 60 per cent of the UK's telecoms, defence and banking industries are concerned about using the cloud because it poses a huge threat to the organisation's security.
The research also revealed that almost half of all IT workers said a lack of in-house skills meant they were being forced to outsource their security management, and 61 per cent thought cloud computing would be where they will spend a growing amount of training budgets in the next three years.
"It's no secret that cloud adoption in Europe has been growing substantially in recent years and continues to rise," Adrian Davis, managing director for EMEA at (ISC)² said.
"As cloud becomes part of the IT infrastructure, it's becoming more important to ensure that there are qualified IT professionals with relevant skills to manage and implement cloud securely."
He went on to explain that security professionals in the UK are still concerned about the management of cloud, especially as the number and intensity of threats increases.
"Together with CSA, we've developed this certification to provide IT professionals with advanced knowledge to help businesses ensure that security is a key component of cloud adoption."
To become accredited, IT workers must have been working in the industry for five years, with thee of those spent in IT security and one in cloud computing. They will need to complete six modules including Architectural Concepts & Design Requirements, Cloud Data Security, Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security, Cloud Application Security, Operations and Legal and Compliance.
Daniele Catteddu, managing director for EMEA, CSA added: "(ISC)² and CSA have developed a comprehensive, professional level cloud security programme that was created by worldwide information security and cloud computing experts.
"With the initial interest in CCSP since the launch in April, we're seeing the IT industry become more aware of the need for enhanced cloud security skills, which is a step in the right direction."
