CISA vs CISSP vs CIA vs CISM Career Comparison

The CISA and CISSP certifications have more differences than similarities. Both are based on information systems, but a CISA performs mostly auditing compared to a CISSP who focuses on security issues. Since there are only a few similarities between CISA and CISSP, this review will cover those first before we dive into the differences. The CISA and CISSP certifications both require at least 5 years of work experience. This makes it clear that neither of these certifications are a walk in the park and should not be taken lightly. Both of them will usually land lead you a high paying job (around $100,000 per year) which makes all the effort required to obtain them worthwhile! People that pass either the CISA and CISSP usually get multiple job opportunities because there is a high job demand for people who hold those qualifications.

CISA and CISSP – The Differences

The CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) is a certification bodied by the ISC (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). It exists for ICT workers who are in the information security sector. So the CISSP is relevant to the IT industry and is regarded very highly for it’s usefulness in data security. So essentially CISSP can be branded as IT security, which is very different from CISA. CISA is an auditing certification. The letters stand for “Certified Information Systems Auditor”, and whilst CISSP and CISA include the words “information” and “systems”, CISSP comes under security, whilst CISA is used for auditing. If you are wanting a career in securing information, CISSP is what you want. But if you’re more inclined towards auditing work, then you should go with CISA. The CISA is regarded as the much less technical of the two exams, whereas the CISSP is generally thought of as a tough challenge for even the most experienced of IT pros.

CISSP Training Course Discounts & Comparisons

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CISSP Courses
RANKINGS	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
OVERALL RATING	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★
WEBSITE	Kaplan IT Training	Master of Project CISSP	Grey Campus	CISSP ExamPractice	Simplilearn
PRICE	$2,995	$335	$1,499	$698 $498 SAVE $200	$499
VIDEO LESSON HOUR	24 Hours +140 Short Videos	15+ Hours	32 Hours	10+ Hours	30 hours
PRACTICE TEST	1 Diagnostic Exam+ 1 Assessment Exam	7 Full Length Exam	Available	10 Chapter Quizzes	1 Full-Length
PRACTICE QUESTIONS	1000	1,700+	1250	1,000	5 Simulation Exams
CPEs	None	30 CPEs	35	18 CEUs	30
FORMAT	eLearning, or On-Demand Self-Paced	Online Self-Paced	Online Self-Learning, or Live Online	Online, Self-Paced	Online Flexi-Pass
GUARANTEE	30-Day Money Back Guarantee for 180 Day Package Only	30 Day Money-Back Guarantee	24-Hour Money Back Guarantee for Live Online and 3-Day Guarantee for Self-Learning
PROGRESS TRACKING
MOBILE FRIENDLY
ONLINE ACCESS	12 Months	180 Days	12 Months	12 Months	Lifetime Access to Self-Paced Videos
ACCESS COURSE	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW

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CISA Vs CISSP Salary

The average salary of anyone who has either one of these certifications is very high, however, CISA certification holders are slightly higher. The average for someone who passed the CISA exam is $96,000, whereas the average salary for a CISSP is $94,000.

2021 Best CISA Study Materials + Discounts & Comparisons

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CISA Courses
RANKINGS	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
OVERALL RATING	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★
WEBSITE	Surgent CISA Training	CISA SuperReview	Kaplan IT Training	CISA ExamPractice	SimpliLearn CISA Course
PRICE	$419 $279 Show Coupon	$533 $399 SAVE 25%	$309	$598 $498 SAVE $100	$499
VIDEO LESSONS	N/A	650 Narrated Screens	Available	15+ Hours	72 hours Learning
PRACTICE TESTS	Unlimited	66	Available	12 Domain Review Quizzes	1 Full-Length Practice Test + 5 Simulation Exams
PRACTICE QUESTIONS	1,650+	900	Available	1000+	5 Domain Test Papers
CPEs	None	40	None	40	40
FORMAT	eLearning	Online Self-Learning, or Live Online	eLearning	Online Self-Paced	Online Flexi-Pass
GUARANTEE	Pass Guarantee	6 Month Pass Guarantee	Pass Guarantee	Pass Guarantee	7-Day Money Back Guarantee
PROGRESS TRACKING
MOBILE FRIENDLY
ONLINE ACCESS	12 Months	180 Days	12 Months	180 Days	90-Day Access to Instructor-Led Online & Lifetime Access to Self-Paced Videos
ACCESS COURSE	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW

CISA vs CISM

Despite what you may have heard, the CISA and CISM exams are geared towards completely different types of workers. CISA targets IT auditors, whereas CISM is for IT security managers and information risk managers. The CISA is regarded as the standard IT systems auditor certification, whereas CISM is an intermediate or perhaps higher level qualification for the person who wants to become an expert in information security management. The CISA is for auditing practitioners, whereas, according to ISACA, “the CISM is for “the individual who has progressed beyond the practitioner focus, whose emphasis is no longer technical or specialist skills, and who has moved on to the management of an enterprise’s information security program.” A CISA job description might involve finance or accounting, whereas a CISM job description could include program management or information assurance. Despite their differences, certifications for both CISA and CISM require the individual to have accumulated 5 years of relevant experience in their field.

Best CISM Review Course Discounts & Comparisons

ne CISM Courses
RANKINGS	#1	#2	#3	#4
OVERALL RATING	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★
WEBSITE	Kaplan IT Training	2019 CISM SuperReview	CISM ExamPractice	Simplilearn CISM
PRICE	$2,795	$533 $399 SAVE 25%	$598 $498 S SAVE $100	$599
VIDEO LESSON HOUR	24 Hours	590 Narrated Screens	14+ Hours	16 hours
PRACTICE EXAMS	1	52	5 Chapter Quizzes	1
PRACTICE QUESTIONS	1225	600	N/A	N/A
CPEs	None	40	N/A	N/A
FORMAT	eLearning, or On-Demand Self-Paced	Online, Self-Paced	Online, Self-Paced	Self-Paced Learning
GUARANTEE	Pass Guarantee	6 Months Pass Guarantee	N/A	7-Day Money Guarantee
PROGRESS TRACKING
MOBILE FRIENDLY
ONLINE ACCESS	12 Months	180 Days	180 Days	Lifetime
ACCESS COURSE	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW	GET STARTED NOW

What’s Next?

Now that you know how much money you stand to make after you pass the CISA exam, your next step is to choose the best CISA prep course to help you pass on your first attempt!

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