Which Privacy Certification is Right for Me?
Privacy skills are in demand. And as the demand grows and the privacy industry matures, the privacy training products and certifications available also increase. In this post, we’ll outline some of the most common privacy certifications to help you decide “which privacy certification is right for me?”.
Privacy Certifications in Australia
CIPP – Certified Information Privacy Professional
CIPP certifications are for privacy professionals who practice privacy law and policy within specific jurisdictions. At the moment, the suite of CIPP certifications include:
- Asia: CIPP/A
- Europe: CIPP/E
- Canada: CIPP/C
- US – private sector: CIPP/US
- US – Government: CIPP/G. (This is no longer offered, it’s for existing holders only.)
Who Should Get the IAPP’s CIPP Certification?
Professionals looking to move into the following positions may benefit from obtaining a CIPP certification:
- Privacy Lawyer/Counsel.
- Privacy Consultant.
- Privacy Specialist.
- Data Protection Officers.
- Corporate Counsel.
- Chief Compliance Officer (CCO).
CIPP: Skills and Accountabilities
Looking beyond professional titles, any professional with the following accountabilities (as they relate to privacy and data security) may also benefit from CIPP training and the certification:
- Legal
- Compliance
- Information management
- Data governance
- Human Resources.
Find out more about CIPP/E Training here.
CIPM- Certified Information Privacy Manager
The IAPP’s Certified Information Privacy Manager certification is for privacy professionals who want to demonstrate that they understand how to implement data privacy regulations into day-to-day operations.
Who Should Get the IAPP’s CIPM Certification?
Professionals in or looking to move into the following positions may benefit from obtaining a CIPM certification:
- Privacy Lead.
- Privacy Manager.
- Chief Privacy Officer.
- Compliance Manager.
- Business Analyst.
CIPM: Skills and Accountabilities
Looking beyond professional titles, any professional with the following accountabilities may also benefit from CIPM training and certification:
- Privacy administration and implementation.
- Risk management.
- Privacy operations.
- Accountability for privacy.
- Privacy Audits.
- Privacy analytics.
Learn more about CIPM Training here.
CIPT – Certified Information Privacy Technologist
Privacy in Technology training teaches technology and data professionals how to understand and integrate strategies and techniques to minimize privacy threats. The curriculum includes privacy-by-design principles; implementing data- and process-oriented strategies to support privacy policies; and managing threats from AI, location tracking, etc.
The CIPT certification demonstrates that you’re a privacy professional who understands the use of technology in building data protection practices for products and services.
Who Should Get the IAPP’s CIPT Certification?
People with the following job titles are often good candidates for the CIPT certification:
- Privacy Engineer.
- Privacy Technologist.
- Data Protection Officer (DPO).
- IT Security Analyst.
- Cybersecurity Consultant.
- Data Privacy Consultant.
- Application Developer.
- Network Security Engineer.
- Cloud Security Specialist.
- Information Security Manager.
CIPT: Skills and Accountabilities
Any professional with the following accountabilities or looking to develop these skills may benefit from CIPT training and the certification:
- Information technology
- Information security
- Software engineering
- Privacy by Design.
Learn more about the CIPT here.
Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE)
The Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer certification (by ISACA) has a reputation for helping Info Sec professionals to bridge the gap between data privacy and IT. It focuses on validating technical skills to assess, build, and implement data privacy measures.
Who Should Take the CDPSE Certification?
- IT Security Professionals.
- Data Protection Officers (DPOs).
- Privacy officers.
- Risk managers.
- Compliance Officers.
- Information Security Managers.
CDPSE: Skills and Accountabilities
Professionals who are looking to develop the following skills or who hold the following accountabilities may benefit from the CDPSE certification:
- Privacy compliance.
- Risk mitigation.
- Improved data handling.
- Privacy governance.
- Performance metrics.
- Privacy reporting.
- Privacy architecture.
- Data lifecycle management and reporting.
Learn more about the ISACA CDPSE here.
Certified Data Protection Officer
The Certified Data Protection Officer course and certification (by PECB) is for privacy professionals looking to acquire the skills and competencies needed to be a data protection officer in a GDPR-compliance program.
Who Should Consider Taking the CDPO Certification?
Professionals currently in or considering moving into the following positions should consider the CDPO certification:
- Data Protection Officers (DPOs).
- Privacy Officers.
- Compliance Managers.
- Legal Professionals.
- Privacy Consultants.
- IT Security Professionals.
CDPO Certification: Skills and Accountabilities
Professionals who are looking to develop the following skills or who hold the following accountabilities may benefit from the CDPO certification:
- GDPR concepts and interpretation.
- Conforming with GDPR requirements.
- Understanding data privacy standards, like the ISO/IEC 27701 and ISO/IEC 29134.
- Monitoring and reporting on GDPR compliance.
Certified Governance Risk and Compliance by ISC2
The Governance, Risk and Compliance certification (CGRC) is for privacy professionals with at least two years’ experience. It demonstrates your knowledge and skills in integrating governance, performance and risk management, compliance, and integrating privacy within the broader context of organisational goals.
Who Should Consider Taking the CGRC?
This certification is for IT, infosec, and information assurance professionals, such as:
- Cybersecurity Auditor
- Cybersecurity Compliance Officer
- GRC Architect
- GRC Manager
- Cybersecurity Risk & Compliance Project Manager
- Cybersecurity Risk & Controls Analyst
- Cybersecurity Third Party Risk Manager
- Enterprise Risk Manager
- GRC Analyst
- GRC Director
- Information Assurance Manager.
CGRC: Skills and Accountabilities
The CGRC covers:
- Information security risk management programs.
- Information systems.
- Selection and approval of security and privacy controls.
- Implementation of security and privacy controls.
- Assessments and audits.
- Information system approvals.
- Continuous monitoring.
Is Privacy Training a Better Fit Than a Privacy Certification?
Privacy training might be a better fit than a privacy certification for professionals working in privacy-adjacent fields. The certification exams we’ve outlined in this post are rigorous and may be more comprehensive than you need.
In that case, it’s worthwhile considering:
Foundations of Privacy and Data Protection Training
To be clear, this is privacy training – not a certification. It’s for professionals in privacy-adjacent fields, such as marketing, human resources, product development, and finance). In other words, it’s for professionals who are aware of the importance of privacy but do not have previous privacy experience.
The seven learning modules covered in the Foundations of Privacy course are:
- Key Privacy Concepts
- Fair Information Practices
- The Data Life Cycle
- Models for Data Protection Legislation
- Major Privacy and Data Protection Laws
- Case Studies
- Emerging Topics.
Learn more about Foundations of Privacy Training.
Tailored Privacy Training with Privacy 108
We firmly believe that the more customised the training is to your business environment the better the results. Most people learn more effectively when they see how it directly applies to their work environment.
We can tailor make a training solution for your organisation that is both affordable and effective.
We can also adapt some of our existing training packages to suit your environment for an even more cost-effective solution.
Some of the subjects we can cover include:
- Australian Privacy Law.
- Privacy Impact Assessment Workshops.
- GDPR Compliance for Australian Businesses.
- Direct Marketing and Legal Issues in Australia.
- Data Breach Notifications in Australia.
Security Training Resources
Looking for information about security training? Check out:
Or reach out for a no-obligation discussion about your training needs.
Jodie Siganto
Privacy, security and training. Jodie is one of Australia’s leading privacy and security experts and the Founder of Privacy 108 Consulting.