Certs still matter — but AI/cloud skills now rule
Briefings this week stress that Security+, AWS credentials and CCNA remain relevant, but employers increasingly expect hands‑on AI/cloud security skills and familiarity with AI governance frameworks like ISO 42001 argued. Roadmaps and skill‑indexes (AWS learning roadmaps and a Skills Security Index) are being pushed as the go‑to validation for practical skills outlinednoted.
Gartner predicted that 50% of enterprise cybersecurity incident‑response efforts will focus on incidents involving custom‑built AI applications by 2028. (gartner.com) A CSC survey of 300 CISOs and senior IT leaders found 98% expect a surge in cyberattacks over the next three years, with 87% flagging AI‑powered domain algorithms as a direct threat and only 7% saying they’re confident in defending against domain attacks. (secure.businesswire.com) ISO/IEC 42001:2023 — described by ISO as the first international standard for AI management systems — codifies requirements for leadership, AI policy, risk management, data governance and lifecycle controls across organizations. (iso.org) AWS published guidance mapping ISO/IEC 42001 onto AI lifecycle risk management and separately launched a Security Champion Knowledge Path with a digital badge on AWS Skill Builder to certify hands‑on cloud security competencies. (aws.amazon.com) AWS Skill Builder lists a dedicated security learning plan and more than 600 courses on the platform, while third‑party vendors such as AppSecEngineer now offer step‑by‑step AWS security roadmaps with hands‑on labs for IAM, encryption and monitoring. (explore.skillbuilder.aws) Cisco’s 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index reported only 4% of organizations at the ‘Mature’ readiness level and that 86% of organizations cite a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, reinforcing why credential roadmaps and skill indexes are being positioned as workforce validation tools. (newsroom.cisco.com)
