TrainACE - IT and Cybersecurity Training Blog

As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow and the pool of available talent struggles to keep up, hiring managers and recruiters are tasked with finding the best candidates to fill open positions. It's important that they identify, recruit, develop, and retain qualified employees to protect their organizations' data and digital assets. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework is designed to help hiring managers create successful cybersecurity teams and do just that.

The NICE framework aims to enhance cybersecurity learning and skills in both the public and private sectors. It encourages the training community to focus on comprehensive education, tracking results, and growing the cybersecurity workforce.

What is the NICE Investigate Category?

The NICE framework is divided into seven categories, 33 specialty areas, and 52 specific work roles. One of the framework categories is Investigate, which involves investigating cybersecurity events and crimes on IT systems and networks. Within the Investigate category are two specialty areas, Cyber Investigation and Digital Forensics. The specialty areas are then divided into specific work roles with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform the tasks associated with each role.

Which IT Certifications Meet the Investigate Work Roles Criteria?

For cybersecurity professionals, meeting the required KSAs is often made easier by earning specific IT certifications. Doing so assures hiring managers that candidates have the knowledge needed to perform successfully in work roles just by looking at the credentials on their resumes.

Earning IT certifications requires comprehensive training and passing official exams given by various credentialing agencies. Within the Investigate NICE category's specialty areas, there are certifications covering many of the associated KSAs. The following shows which certifications align with each specialty area:

Cyber Investigation – This specialty includes applying techniques, tactics, and methods for various investigative tools and processes. Some of the major tools and processes include surveillance, counter-surveillance, interview techniques, interrogation techniques, and surveillance detection while effectively balancing the advantages of intelligence gathering versus prosecution.

• CPENT – Certified Penetration Testing Professional
• CECI - Certified Expert in Cyber Investigations

Digital Forensics – The Digital Forensics specialty includes work roles that collect, process, preserve, analyze, and present evidence supporting network vulnerability mitigation and criminal, fraud, law enforcement, or counterintelligence investigations.

• CPENT – Certified Penetration Testing Professional
• CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker
• CHFI – Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

Additionally, various universal skills are required to encompass the Investigate category. For example, evidence collection, hidden data live monitoring, vulnerability scan analysis, attack response, and system forensics are assumed for the Investigate work roles.

TrainACE Training for NICE-Aligned IT Certifications

Cybersecurity professionals must be versatile and able to adapt to the always-evolving landscape of technology. They must be able to anticipate risks and threats to mitigate them before they can harm organizations. As a result, it's crucial that hiring managers create and retain knowledgeable and skillful cybersecurity teams. The NICE framework provides a solution for the challenges companies face in doing that. By understanding the framework's categories, specialty areas, and work roles and knowing which professional IT certifications fulfill the desired skill sets, hiring, training, and retention strategies become simpler.

Passing official certification exams requires test-takers to demonstrate extensive knowledge of the subject matter. Therefore, properly preparing to take the certification exam is essential and isn't something that can be ignored. At TrainACE, we offer numerous training courses for certification preparation that are aligned with the NICE Framework categories, including the Investigate category. Whether you are a team manager or an individual team member, we can help you find the right courses and credentials for your organization's needs. Contact TrainACE today for more information.