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Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate - Portfolio Project

Credits, Overview, and Skills Survey

The following guide is based on the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate course. The course is designed to help you prepare for an entry-level role in IT support. The course covers a wide range of topics, including troubleshooting, customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration, security, and more.

I provide a bit more information about the course and certficate in the following sections and offer an opinion on why I believe it is superior to other more recognized certification. Spoiler alert - it has you build out portfolio projects

Google Course Overview​

  • Course: Google IT Support Professional Certificate
  • Provider: Coursera
  • Instructor: Google
  • Cost: $49/month
  • Duration: 6 months
  • Level: Beginner

Courses, Modules, Topics Covered​

  • Foundations of Cybersecurity
    • Recognize core skills and knowledge needed to become a cybersecurity analyst
    • Identify how security attacks impact business operations
    • Explain security ethics
    • Identify common tools used by cybersecurity analysts
  • Play it Safe: Manage Security Risk
    • Identify the primary threats, risks, and vulnerabilities to business operations
    • Examine how organizations use security frameworks and controls to protect business operations
    • Define commonly used Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools
    • Use a playbook to respond to threats, risks, and vulnerabilities
  • Connect and Protect: Networks and Network Security
    • Define the types of networks and components of networks
    • Illustrate how data is sent and received over a network
    • Understand how to secure a network against intrusion tactics
    • Describe system hardening techniques
  • Tools of the Trade: Linux and SQL
    • Explain the relationship between operating systems, applications, and hardware
    • Compare a graphical user interface to a command line interface
    • Navigate and manage the file system using Linux commands via the Bash shell
    • Use SQL to retrieve information from a database
  • Assets, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
    • Classify assets
    • Analyze an attack surface to find risks and vulnerabilities
    • Identify threats, such as social engineering, malware, and web-based exploits
    • Summarize the threat modeling process
  • Sound the Alarm: Detection and Response
    • Identify the steps to contain, eradicate, and recover from an incident
    • Analyze packets to interpret network communications
    • Understand basic syntax, components of signatures and logs in Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) tools
    • Perform queries in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to investigate an event
  • Automate Cybersecurity Tasks with Python
    • Explain how the Python programming language is used in cybersecurity
    • Create new, user-defined Python functions
    • Use regular expressions to extract information from text
    • Practice debugging code
  • Put it to Work: Prepare for Cybersecurity Jobs
Lab Overview - Goals + Objective + Technologies

  • Learning Goals

    • Complete the full suite of Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate courses
    • Build out a portfolio of projects to showcase skills and knowledge
    • Gain hands-on experience with cybersecurity tools and techniques
    • Understand the importance of security in business operations
    • Learn how to secure networks and systems against threats and vulnerabilities
    • Develop a strong foundation in cybersecurity concepts and practices
    • Prepare for the CompTIA Security+ certification exam

  • Objectives

    • Complete all the Portfolio Projects in the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
    • Create a portfolio of projects to showcase skills and knowledge
    • Use Python to automate cybersecurity tasks
    • Understand NIST cybersecurity framework
    • Understand and use SOC controls
    • Understand and use SIEM tools

  • Technologies

    • Python
    • Linux
    • SQL
    • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools
    • Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
    • Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS)
    • Security Operations Center (SOC) controls
    • NIST cybersecurity framework
    • Cybersecurity tools and techniques
    • CompTIA Security+ certification exam

Introductory Notes​

Most people starting down the path of cybersecurity will no doubt have heard about CompTIA's Security+ certificate. It has been, and remains to be, the vestibule to enter the world of cybersecurity. While it ensure a student, and cybersec pro wannabe, has a great deal of knowledge about cybersecurity and familiarizes one with important terms and procedures, it does not specifically help gain what every job posting in the field requires: experience.

Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate - The Good and the Bad​

The Bad - Why Google's Cybersecurity Certificate is not Recognized​

So what makes the Google Cybersecurity Certificate different? First, let's address the elephant in the room. Why doesn't the industry recognize Google courses the way it does other certifications? Google have partnered with Coursera to deliver their course and certificate and have opted for an honor based credential method as a means to lower the bar to entry. This is wonderful news for the cash-strapped student who wants to learn and gain new skills for future employment.

The problem is that employers are often looking for tangible proof of skills gained and one could quite easily click through the content in a Google/Coursera offering and download their certification, or have a knowledgeable friend write the tests for you. Contrast this with CompTIA or Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, or the GCP certs, for example, where each exam is proctored with multiple assurances taken to ensure you are who you say you are and it is you who is writing the exam

The Good - Why Google's Cybersecurity Certificate is Superior​

So why is Google's Cybersecurity Certificate superior to other more recognized certifications? The answer is simple: portfolio projects. Google's course requires you to complete a series of portfolio projects that showcase your skills and knowledge in a real-world setting. This is a huge advantage for students who are looking to break into the field of cybersecurity and gain hands-on experience.

Of course, this means that you, the student, will need to put in the work to complete these projects and build out your portfolio. But the payoff is worth it. Employers are looking for candidates who can demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a practical way, and having a portfolio of projects to showcase your work can help you stand out from the competition.

So while Google's Cybersecurity Certificate may not be as recognized as other certifications in the industry, it offers a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and build out their portfolio. And in the end, that's what really matters when it comes to landing a job in cybersecurity.

Let's get started!