Source URL: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/identity-security/prove-your-expertise-with-our-new-secops-engineer-certification/
Source: Cloud Blog
Title: Prove your expertise with our Professional Security Operations Engineer certification
Feedly Summary: Security leaders are clear about their priorities: After AI, cloud security is the top training topic for decision-makers. As threats against cloud workloads become more sophisticated, organizations are looking for highly-skilled professionals to help defend against these attacks.
To help organizations meet their need for experts who can manage a modern security team’s advanced tools, Google Cloud’s new Professional Security Operations Engineer (PSOE) certification can help train specialists to detect and respond to new and emerging threats.
Unlock your potential as a security operations expert
Earning a Google Cloud certification can be a powerful catalyst for career advancement. Eight in 10 learners report that having a Google Cloud certification contributes to faster career advancement, and 85% say that cloud certifications equip them with the skills to fill in-demand roles, according to an Ipsos study published in 2025 and commissioned by Google Cloud.
Foresite, a leading Google Cloud managed security service provider (MSSP), said that the certification has been instrumental in helping them provide security excellence to their clients.
“As a leader at Foresite, our commitment is to deliver unparalleled security outcomes for our clients using the power of Google Cloud. The Google Cloud Professional Security Operations Engineer (PSOE) certification is fundamental to that mission. For us, it’s the definitive validation that our engineers have mastered the advanced Google Security Operations platform we use to protect our clients’ businesses. Having a team of PSOE-certified experts provides our clients with direct assurance of our capabilities and expertise. It solidifies our credibility as a premier Google Cloud MSSP and gives us a decisive edge in the market. Ultimately, it’s a benchmark of the excellence we deliver daily,” said Brad Thomas, director, Security Engineering.
The PSOE certification can help validate practical skills needed to protect a company’s data and infrastructure in real-world scenarios, a key ingredient for professional success. It also can help security operations engineers demonstrate their ability to directly address evolving and daily challenges.
aside_block
Gain a decisive edge with certified security talent
For organizations, including MSSPs and other Google Cloud partners, this certification is a powerful way to help ensure that your security professionals are qualified to effectively implement, respond to, and remediate security events using Google Cloud’s suite of solutions.
Hiring managers are increasingly looking for a specific skill set. The Ipsos study also found that eight in 10 leaders prefer to recruit and hire professionals who hold cloud certifications, seeing them as a strong indicator of expertise.
“We are excited about Google’s new Professional Security Operations Engineer certification, which will help Accenture demonstrate our leading expertise in security engineering and operations to clients. This validation is important because it gives our clients confidence in knowing Accenture has certified professionals with structured training as they choose the best service partner for their security transformations. For our teams, this new certification offers a clear path for professional development and career advancement. Google’s Professional Security Operations Engineer certification will enable Accenture to support clients better as they successfully adopt and get the most out of the Google Security Operations and Security Command Center platforms,” said Rex Thexton, chief technology officer, Accenture Cybersecurity.
Demonstrate comprehensive expertise across Google Cloud Security tools
A Google Cloud-certified PSOE can effectively use Google Cloud security solutions to detect, monitor, investigate, and respond to security threats across an enterprise environment. This role encompasses identity, workloads, services, infrastructure, and more.
Plus, PSOEs can perform critical tasks such as writing detection rules, remediating misconfigurations, investigating threats, and developing orchestration workflows. The PSOE certification validates the candidate’s abilities with Google Cloud security tools and services, including:
Google Security Operations
Google Threat Intelligence
Security Command Center
Specifically, the exam assesses ability across six key domains:
Platform operations (~14%): Enhancing detection and response with the right telemetry sources and tools, and configuring access authorization.
Data management (~14%): Ingesting logs for security tooling and identifying a baseline of user, asset, and entity context.
Threat hunting (~19%): Performing threat hunting across environments and using threat intelligence for threat hunting.
Detection engineering (~22%): Developing and implementing mechanisms to detect risks and identify threats, and using threat intelligence for detection.
Incident response (~21%): Containing and investigating security incidents; building, implementing, and using response playbooks; and implementing the case management lifecycle.
Observability (~10%): Building and maintaining dashboards and reports to provide insights, and configuring health monitoring and alerting.
While there are no formal prerequisites to take the exam, we recommend that candidates have:
At least three years of security industry experience.
At least one year of hands-on experience using Google Cloud security tooling.
The certification is relevant for experienced professionals, including those in advanced career stages and roles, such as security architects.
Your path to security operations starts here
To prepare for the exam, Google Cloud offers resources that include online training and hands-on labs. The official Professional Security Operations Engineer Exam Guide provides a complete list of topics covered, helping candidates align their skills with the exam content. Candidates can also start preparing through the recommended learning path.
You can learn more and register for the Professional Security Operations Engineer certification today.
AI Summary and Description: Yes
**Summary**: The text discusses the importance of cloud security training, highlighting Google Cloud’s new Professional Security Operations Engineer (PSOE) certification as a valuable asset for professionals looking to advance in the field of cloud security. It emphasizes the necessity for skilled professionals to combat sophisticated threats against cloud workloads and how such certifications can lead to career advancement and better protection of company data.
**Detailed Description**: The provided text presents a comprehensive overview of the emerging demand for cloud security expertise, specifically in the context of the Google Cloud Professional Security Operations Engineer (PSOE) certification. The following are some significant points highlighted in the text:
– **Priorities in Security**: Security leaders rank cloud security as a top priority after AI, indicating the increasing sophistication of threats targeting cloud workloads.
– **Certification Importance**:
– Google Cloud’s PSOE certification is positioned as a tool for professionals to gain the skills necessary to manage modern security operations effectively.
– According to an Ipsos study, 80% of learners believe that Google Cloud certifications expedite career advancement.
– The certification is seen as essential for managed security service providers (MSSPs) like Foresite, establishing trust in their capabilities and enhancing their market position.
– **Skill Validation**:
– The PSOE certification serves as validation of practical skills essential for protecting data and infrastructure in various scenarios.
– Those earning the certification can demonstrate their capability to address evolving security challenges effectively.
– **Demand from Hiring Managers**:
– The text notes that hiring managers are increasingly favoring candidates with cloud certifications, associating them with a strong indicator of expertise.
– **Comprehensive Skill Assessment**:
– The PSOE certification exam encompasses six key domains:
– Platform operations
– Data management
– Threat hunting
– Detection engineering
– Incident response
– Observability
– **Preparation Resources**:
– Google Cloud offers a range of preparation resources, including online training and hands-on labs, to assist candidates in acquiring the necessary skills for the certification.
– **Target Audience**:
– The certification is relevant for individuals with at least three years of security industry experience, particularly those seeking professional growth in roles such as security architects.
This text is crucial for professionals in cloud security, as it outlines the increasing need for trained security professionals and equips them with information on how certification can enhance their careers and organizational security practices.