Google Cybersecurity Certificate Review 2023: Is It Worth It?

As technology continues to advance, the need for cybersecurity professionals is increasing.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is around 35% growth projected in cybersecurity analysts in the next ten years.

Many individuals are looking to pursue skills and credentials to get an entry-level role in this fast-growing field.

This is where the Google Cybersecurity professional Certification comes in role. 

In this article, I am going to review the complete Google Cybersecurity Professional certification program to help you understand the program deliveries, curriculum, teaching methods, and practical aspects of the program.

So, let’s quickly get started with the review.

Platform	Coursera
Instructor	Certified Google Instructors
Number of Courses	8 Courses
Level	Beginner to Intermediate
Duration	Six months (10 hours a week)
Price	$49
Rating	4.8/5

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Key Takeaway

Here are some key takeaways that are targeted to be covered in the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate.

• Understand the impact of efficiently using cybersecurity and how to use them based on hands-on experience.
• Explore the Security Information and Event Management techniques (SEIM) in depth.
• Know the importance of cybersecurity practices.
• Describe the tactics in cyber attacks on devices, data, networks, and people gained through unauthorized access.
• Learn and use cybersecurity practices in real-life experience using SQL, Python, and Linux systems.
• Identify various common threats, risks, and vulnerabilities as well as tools to mitigate them.

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Overview

The Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate is an esteemed program offered by Google, designed to equip individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity. 

This comprehensive certificate program is tailored for both beginners seeking to enter the cybersecurity industry and professionals aiming to enhance their expertise.

The curriculum of the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program is developed by subject matter experts from Google, ensuring that it remains up-to-date and relevant to the rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape. 

Learners engage in a combination of instructional videos, hands-on labs, and real-world simulations to acquire practical skills and gain a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity principles and practices.

One notable aspect of the program is its flexibility, allowing learners to access the course materials and complete assignments at their own pace. 

Overall, the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program provides a comprehensive and reputable pathway for individuals looking to enter or advance in the cybersecurity field. 

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Pros And Cons

Let’s now have a look at some of the pros and cons of the Google cybersecurity certification program.

Pros	Cons
The certificate is backed by Google.	The program mostly focuses on Google’s own cybersecurity tools and technologies.
The program covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics.	Some topics may not go into great depth.
Learn practical projects and assessments to gain hands-on experience.
Flexible and accessible
Learn the latest trends and practices used in the industry.
Get various career opportunities.

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Course Content 

Google Cybersecurity professional certificate has 8 different courses that combine various quizzes, projects, and modules.

Here is a complete overview of the curriculum of the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certification program.

1. Foundations Of Cybersecurity

The initial course, Foundations of Cybersecurity, is an introductory course to this program that provides some insights into the basics of cybersecurity.

This course provides a short overview of what each course covers and the skills you need to become a security analyst.

The course will introduce you to the various cyber attack types and what each type does. Along with the evolution of cybersecurity, you will explore how cybersecurity threats have appeared and evolved along with the adoption of computers.

Plus, you will learn about the security frameworks and controls along with the principles of the CIA triad and NIST frameworks.

Finally, you will have common cybersecurity tools and programming languages that help analysts to identify and mitigate risk. 

Key Learnings: 

• Learn the security ethics and historical attacks.
• Recognize core skills and knowledge essential to becoming a cybersecurity analyst.
• Identify how security attacks make an impact on various business operations.
• Use various common tools used by cybersecurity analysts.
• Understand CISSP’s eight security domains.

Rating: 4.8/5

2. Play It Safe: Manage Security Risks

The second course will equip you with the skills that you need to apply for an entry-level cybersecurity job.

This course will take you to dive deep into the various concepts that are mentioned in the previous course.

With this course, I was able o identify the steps of risk management and explore the common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities.

The most interesting takeaway from this course was Google employees who are currently working in cybersecurity guide you with various examples, hands-on activities, and videos. 

This helps you simulate common cybersecurity tasks and help you build your skills.

Key Learnings:

• Understand the threats, vulnerabilities, and common risks that entry-level cybersecurity analysts are more focused on.
• Explore and practice conducting a security audit.
• Understand the confidentiality, availability, and integrity triad (CIA).
• Use a playbook to respond to risks, threats, and vulnerabilities.
• Learn the National Institute of Standards and Technology framework.
• Recognize the purpose of security frameworks and controls. 

Rating: 4.7/5

3. Connect And Protect: Networks And Network Security

This course starts with the basics of networks and how they work. Then it covers the network communication protocols and network infrastructure.

Throughout the course, you will gain a firm understanding of security domains covering the CISSP’s eight security domains.

Moreover, you will learn the Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol model and how network hardware, like modems and routers, allows your computer to receive and send information on the Internet.

Lastly, you will be able to identify network-level vulnerabilities and explain how to secure a network by using system hardening, firewalls, and virtual private networks.

Key Learnings: 

• Identify the common network security protocols and measures.
• Compare and contrast local networks to cloud computing.
• Describe the structure of different computer networks.
• Examine how data is sent and received over a network.
• Understand the various types of system hardening techniques.
• Explore how to secure a network against intrusion tactics.

Rating: 4.8/5

4. Tools Of The Trade: Linux And SQL

Here in the next course, you will explore complete Linux and SQL along with the computing skills that you need in the job as a cybersecurity analyst.

This course allows you to practice using Linux. It covers how to install Linus,  Linux architecture, and how to use the shell to run commands. 

In the next module, you will be covered with the basic tasks in Linux, like user and file management. 

By the end of this course, the instructor will provide you with the fundamentals of SQL, SQL queries, joins, filters, and other basic commands. 

Key Learnings: 

• Understand the relationship between applications, operating systems, and hardware.
• Identify the unique features of common Linux distributions.
• Describe how a relational database is organized.
• Compare a graphical user interface to a command line interface.
• Use SQL to gain information from a database.
• Apply filters to SQL queries and use joins to combine multiple tables.

Rating: 4.7/5

5. Assets, Threats, And Vulnerabilities

The fifth course talks about the concepts of threats, assets, and vulnerabilities. You will build an understanding of how assets are classified.

This course makes you familiar with the many common threats and security controls that are used by organizations to protect valuable information and mitigate risk.

Furthermore, you will learn about data encryption best practices and how user authorization works.

Lastly, the course cover concepts like cross-site scripting, malware, and other data security threats.

Key Learnings: 

• Understand the role of encryption and hashing in securing assets.
• Learn the threat modeling process.
• Get covered with the effective data handling process.
• Analyze an attack surface to find risks and vulnerabilities.
• Identify threats like malware, web-based exploits, and social engineering.
• Learn the effectiveness of authorization and authentication.

Rating: 4.7/5

6. Sound The Alarm: Detection And Response

This course focuses on incident detection and response. It covers a security incident and explains the incident response lifecycle.

Not only you will analyze the details of suspicious file hashes, but also you will understand the importance of documentation and evidence collection during the detection and response stages.

In the last module, the course helps you to explore logs and their role in Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS).

By the end of this course, you will be able to write basic IDS rules to provide alerts for malicious network traffic.

Key Learnings: 

• Explore the lifecycle of an incident.
• Perform queries in Security Information and Event Management tools to investigate an event.
• Use the tools used in the detection, documentation, and management of incidents.
• Identify the steps to eradicate, contain, and recover from an incident.
• Understand how to analyze and read logs during incident investigation. 

Rating: 4.8/5

7. Automate Cybersecurity Tasks With Python

Next, Automate Cybersecurity Tasks with Python is the longest course in the program, with 27 hours of content.

As the name suggests, this course introduces you to Python programming languages and techniques to apply in a cybersecurity setting to automate tasks.

You will start with the basics of Python programming concepts with variables, data types, and conditional and interactive statements.

With this course, you will be able to work with Python efficiently by using libraries and modules, making your code readable, and developing functions.

The course also provides insights into working with strings and lists in Python and discovering the methods that can be applied to these data types.

Finally, the course allows you to focus on strategies for debugging the code.

Key Learnings: 

• Learn to write conditional and interactive statements in Python.
• Create new, user-defined Python functions.
• Understand how the Pythinn programming language is used in cybersecurity.
• Practice debugging code.
• Use Python to work with lists and strings.
• Learn to use regular expressions to extract information from text.

Rating: 4.8/5

8. Put It to Work: Prepare For Cybersecurity Jobs

The final course includes five different modules. It focuses on skills like escalating incidents to stakeholders and making decisions.

This last part of the program lets you discover how to ethically manage as a cybersecurity professional.

In addition, you will explore how to operate as a cybersecurity professional ethically.

It will engage you with the cybersecurity community, explore jobs in cybersecurity, and complete practice interviews.

Key Learnings: 

• Engage with the cybersecurity community.
• Communicate sensitive information with care and confidentiality.
• Understand when and how to escalate a security incident.
• Learn to use reliable sources to remain with the latest cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, risks, and tools.

Rating: 4.9/5

Who Is The Google Cybersecurity Certificate Best For?

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate program is best suited for the following audiences looking to transition into the cybersecurity field:

• Career Changers – This certificate provides the core skills and knowledge needed for those looking to change careers and enter the cybersecurity industry from a different background.
• Early-Career Professionals – Those in the early stages of an IT or security career can supplement on-the-job experience with well-rounded foundations through this certificate.
• Tech-Savvy Learners – People with some tech expertise, such as systems administrators, network engineers, or IT support specialists, can quickly build cybersecurity specialization.
• Security-Minded Learners – Those with existing security knowledge from academics or self-learning who want to formalize it with an accredited Google certificate.
• Budget-Conscious Students – The relatively low cost makes earning respected Google certification affordable compared to pricy for-profit boot camps or college programs.
• Remote Learners – The fully online nature enables learning the skills remotely from anywhere at flexible hours.

In summary, the Google Cybersecurity Certificate is ideal for tech-savvy career changers, early-career professionals, and security-minded individuals seeking affordable training for in-demand cybersecurity skills.

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Instructors

Google cybersecurity professional certification program is created by Google career certificates with a focus on helping individuals in learning and build job-ready skills.

This complete program is instructed by certified Google experts in cybersecurity.

They are certified professionals who provide in-depth knowledge and real-life experience through various examples.

Usually, they are professionals who are experts in cybersecurity and security attacks. 

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Pricing

As this program is available on Coursera, it costs only $49 per month.

So if you are taking six months to complete the program, then it will cost you around $296.

On average, if you learn with dedication, then you can complete the program just in 3 months. For three months, you will be charged around $147.

Other than that, you get an option to try the program for free. With the 7-day free trial, you can simply review the course and make a decision to buy the program.

Google Cybersecurity Certificate: Duration

According to the course, this Google Cybersecurity Certification program takes six months to complete if you spend 7 hours per week. 

But personally, I feel it does not take more than 2 to 3 months if you complete the course with dedication.

The total program is around 170 hours of instruction. So if you want to complete the Google Cybersecurity Professional certification in one month, then you will have to dedicate around 20 hours per week.

But again, I suggest don’t rush to complete the program. It is a completely self-paced program, so you can complete the course according to your own flexibility and time.

Here I have provided a detailed idea about the program duration.

SR. No.	Course Name	Modules	Duration
1.	Foundations of Cybersecurity	4 modules	13 hours
2.	Play It Safe: Manage Security Risks	4 modules	12 hours
3.	Connect and Protect: networks and Network Security.	4 modules	14 hours
4.	Tools of the Trade: Linux and SQL	4 modules	25 hours
5.	Assets, Threats, and Vulnerabilities	4 modules	21 hours
6.	Sound the Alarm: Detection and Response	4 modules	21 hours
7.	Automate Cybersecurity Tasks with Python	4 modules	27 hours
8.	Put It to Work: Prepare for Cybersecurity Jobs	5 modules	15 hours

Assessments And Certifications

The exams for the Google cybersecurity professional certification include peer-graded assignments, interactive quizzes, and graded assessments.

The is no final examination, but there are assignments at the end of each course that you will need to complete in order to move further.

The required passing mark for quizzes is 80%. So if you fail to pass the examination, you will have to retake it.

These quizzes and assignments are designed to help you better understand the concept and topic.

As per my experience with these exams, they are simple and based on the video lectures. They come in different forms, like simple to moderate question sets, lab-based questions, practical questions, and multiple-choice questions.

So if you study the course properly and with dedication, then you can easily pass these graded assessments and earn a professional certificate.

Skills Developed In The Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate

Google’s cybersecurity professional certification program provides in-depth practical knowledge. This helps individuals build in-demand skills that are related to entry-level positions in cybersecurity.

Here are skills that you can gain or polish with the help of a Google cybersecurity professional certificate.

• Python programming.
• Linux
• Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
• SQL
• Security Information and Event Management tools (SIEM)

Other than the essential skills mentioned above, you will learn other skills like:

• Cybersecurity
• Ethics in cybersecurity
• Information Security
• Historical attacks
• NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF)
• Security attacks
• Threat analysis
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

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• Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate Review

Final Verdict: Is Google Cybersecurity Certificate Worth It?

Concluding our exploration of Google’s Cyber Security Professional certificate, the Google Cyber Security Professional Certificate stands as a comprehensive and affordable choice. 

It offers a wealth of knowledge and invaluable preparation for a fulfilling career in this rapidly expanding field.

A noteworthy advantage of the Google Cyber Security Professional Certificate is the dual credentials it offers. 

By combining this certificate with the esteemed CompTIA Security+ certification, learners not only distinguish themselves in the competitive job market but also indicate their proficiency in cybersecurity principles and best practices. 

Undoubtedly, the Google Cyber Security Professional Certificate represents a worthwhile investment for individuals seeking to establish a career in this crucial field. 

Its comprehensive curriculum, expert guidance, and industry recognition make it an invaluable asset. For those aiming to embark on a journey as a Cyber Security Engineer in 2023, enrolling in this course is a resounding recommendation that can set them on the right track to success.

So what are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section below.

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