CCSP vs CISSP: Which Certification Should You Get First?

If you're planning a career in cybersecurity — especially cloud security — you've probably stared at the ISC2 certification catalog and asked yourself: should I get the CCSP or the CISSP first?

It's a fair question. Both are gold-standard certifications from the same organization. Both require real-world experience. Both will meaningfully advance your career. But they serve different purposes, and the order you pursue them in can save you months of study time and thousands of dollars.

Here's the practical breakdown, based on what actually matters for your career and your wallet.

What Each Certification Actually Covers

Before comparing them, it helps to understand what each exam is testing you on — because the overlap isn't as big as people assume.

CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)

CISSP is the generalist certification for information security. It covers eight broad domains spanning everything from security architecture to software development security, risk management, and physical security. Think of it as proving you can think about security across an entire organization.

The eight CISSP domains are: Security and Risk Management, Asset Security, Security Architecture and Engineering, Communication and Network Security, Identity and Access Management, Security Assessment and Testing, Security Operations, and Software Development Security.

CISSP holders typically work as security managers, security architects, CISOs, consultants, and senior analysts. It's a mile wide and intentionally not a mile deep — the exam tests your ability to make sound security decisions at a management level.

CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional)

CCSP is the specialist certification for cloud security. It covers six domains focused specifically on securing cloud environments — cloud architecture, data security in the cloud, cloud platform security, cloud application security, cloud operations, and legal/compliance issues unique to cloud computing.

Where CISSP asks "how do you secure an organization?", CCSP asks "how do you secure an organization's cloud infrastructure, data, and applications?" It goes deeper into cloud-specific concerns like shared responsibility models, cloud service agreements, data residency, and multi-tenant architecture security.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Experience Requirements (This Is Where It Gets Interesting)

Both certifications require five years of professional experience. But there's a critical detail most comparison articles gloss over:

This single policy is the strongest practical argument for getting CISSP first. Once you have it, the CCSP becomes dramatically more accessible. Without CISSP, you need to document five years of cumulative paid security experience, including at least one year specifically in cloud security.

If you don't yet meet the experience requirements for either certification, both ISC2 certs allow you to pass the exam first and earn the "Associate of ISC2" designation while you accumulate the required experience. So you can start studying and testing regardless.

Exam Difficulty: How They Compare

People who've taken both exams generally agree: CISSP is the harder exam, but for a specific reason.

CISSP uses Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). The exam adjusts question difficulty based on your performance in real time. You'll answer between 125 and 175 questions — fewer questions means you demonstrated competence quickly, more questions means the algorithm needed additional data. This format adds psychological pressure because you never know exactly how you're doing.

CCSP uses a traditional linear format: 150 questions, straight through. You can flag questions and go back. The content is technically deep — especially around cloud architecture and legal compliance — but the test-taking experience is more predictable.

Study Time Expectations

• CISSP: Most candidates study for 3–6 months (200–400 hours). The breadth of eight domains means you're constantly context-switching between topics.
• CCSP: Most candidates study for 2–4 months (150–300 hours). If you already hold CISSP, expect the lower end — there's significant conceptual overlap in governance, risk, and compliance topics.

CISSP holders who then study for CCSP consistently report that roughly 30–40% of the CCSP material feels familiar. The cloud-specific content (shared responsibility models, cloud reference architectures, CSA frameworks) is new, but the security thinking is the same.

Career Impact: Which Opens More Doors?

This is where your personal career trajectory matters most.

Get CISSP First If...

• You want the most broadly recognized security certification in the industry
• You're aiming for security management, architecture, or CISO-track roles
• Your current work spans multiple security domains (not just cloud)
• You want CCSP later without worrying about experience requirements
• You work in an organization that values CISSP for promotions or contracts (many government and enterprise RFPs require it)

Get CCSP First If...

• Your career is entirely focused on cloud security and you want to specialize immediately
• You already work as a cloud architect or cloud security engineer and need the credential now
• Your employer specifically needs CCSP-certified staff for compliance or client requirements
• You have strong cloud experience but limited general security breadth

For most security professionals, CISSP first is the stronger play. It's more widely recognized by hiring managers, it satisfies CCSP's experience requirements, and the broad security foundation makes every subsequent certification easier. But if you're already deep in cloud and need a credential that matches your daily work right now, CCSP is the pragmatic choice.

Salary and Job Market

Both certifications consistently appear in top-paying IT certification lists. The salary ranges overlap significantly because compensation depends more on your role, location, and experience than on which specific cert you hold.

That said, CISSP's longer market presence and broader recognition generally gives it an edge in salary surveys. CISSP holders average $130,000–$170,000+ depending on role and geography. CCSP holders average $120,000–$160,000+ with a strong concentration in cloud-heavy markets (particularly tech hubs and remote cloud engineering roles).

The highest earners typically hold both. A CISSP + CCSP combination signals both broad security leadership ability and deep cloud expertise — exactly what organizations migrating to cloud need in senior roles.

Domain Overlap: What Transfers Between Certifications

If you're planning to eventually hold both certifications, understanding the overlap helps you study more efficiently.

Topics that transfer well from CISSP to CCSP:

• Risk management frameworks and methodologies
• Identity and access management concepts
• Security governance and compliance
• Incident response and business continuity
• Cryptography fundamentals
• Software development security lifecycle

CCSP-specific topics you'll need to learn fresh:

• Cloud reference architecture (NIST, CSA, ISO)
• Cloud service models at depth (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS security implications)
• Cloud-specific data security (data dispersion, tokenization in multi-tenant environments)
• Cloud service level agreements and contract security
• Cloud-specific legal issues (data residency, cross-border privacy, e-discovery)
• Virtualization and container security

The Recommended Path

Here's our recommendation for most security professionals:

1. Get CISSP first. It's the harder exam, the more recognized credential, and it waives CCSP's experience requirements.
2. Get CCSP 6–12 months later. You'll retain much of the governance and risk knowledge. Focus your study time on cloud-specific architecture and legal topics.
3. Maintain both. ISC2 lets you group CPE credits — many activities count toward both certifications simultaneously, so maintenance isn't double the work.

If you're specifically in a cloud security role and need the credential fast, starting with CCSP is perfectly valid. Just know that CISSP will still be expected for senior leadership roles, and you'll need to document cloud-specific experience separately.

Frequently Asked Questions