Is the AWS Security Worth It?

Asking whether any IT certification is worth it is a difficult question to answer. It depends on what the certification is and why you want it. For instance, the CompTIA A+ certification is a must-have for anyone trying to break into the IT industry. 

On the other hand, some software development certifications are better used as a learning experience than as a demonstration of knowledge. So, it seems reasonable to ask if the AWS Security Specialty certification is worth it. That is precisely what you’ll discover in this article.

What is the AWS Security Specialty?

The AWS Certified Security Specialty certification is an intermediate certification offered by Amazon for IT professionals. It demonstrates that an IT professional has the knowledge and capability to deploy and secure AWS resources. It has been updated to version SCS-C03.

The AWS Security Specialty specifically focuses on:

• Specialized data classifications in AWS

• AWS data protection mechanisms

• What data encryption methods are available in AWS

• How to implement data encryption methods in AWS

• Which secure internet protocols AWS offers and how to implement them

• Knowledge of AWS security services

• Competency checks for understanding the trade-offs between costs, how complex a deployment strategy might be, and security

• Security operations and risk management in a cloud environment

• Implementing protections for generative AI applications 

• Configuring integrations using the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework (OCSF) format

• Understanding inter-node encryption

AWS recommends at least two years of experience working with security protocols inside AWS before attempting the AWS Security Specialty certification. Amazon also recommends that you understand how security controls work with AWS workloads. In addition, it is good to have at least five years of experience in the IT industry designing and implementing security solutions.

What Does the AWS Certified Security Specialty Test?

The AWS Certified Security Specialty exam assesses working knowledge of security best practices for AWS products, with new additions that focus on protecting AI resources. Think of this certification like CompTIA Security+, but specific to AWS. As a result, much of what you learn for the Security+ accreditation will apply to the AWS Security Specialty test.

The AWS Security Specialty certification will test participants' ability to implement security protocols in AWS products. Amazon includes a wide array of tools for enterprise-grade security operations. Unfortunately, these security protocols are not often easy to configure.

For example, suppose you need to deploy a HIPAA-compliant server in AWS. In that case, you need to understand how to provision an independent server and encrypt all data at rest on it. You couldn’t use a standard EC2 instance without first implementing extensive configuration changes and security hardening as per AWS’s HIPAA guidelines. Likewise, you need to understand how to secure all communications to and from that server.

What if you need to use one of Amazon’s managed database services? How do you secure data in those managed database products while remaining HIPAA- or HITECH-compliant?

Of course, those questions are only rhetorical and meant to give you enough pause to understand what kind of operations this certificate covers. Though the AWS Security Specialty certification covers security beyond HIPAA and HITECH compliance, having a working knowledge of AWS security mechanisms will make deploying secure workloads easier. You should also understand the cost of deploying secure workloads rather than using non-secure environments.

How Much Does the AWS Security Specialty Exam Cost?

The AWS Security Specialty costs $300 USD. It consists of 65 multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions. Candidates will have 170 minutes to complete the exam. The AWS Security Specialty exam can be taken at one of numerous licensed testing locations or online.

AWS Security Specialty Salary​ Expectations 

According to Skillsoft, the AWS Certified Security Specialty is among the highest-paying tech certifications, with an average salary of $166,000 per year. Top earners in senior roles may earn as much as $200,000 or more. 

How difficult is the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam?

When evaluating the AWS certification security specialty difficulty, it’s important to understand that this is not an entry-level exam. AWS positions the Security Specialty as a mid-to-advanced certification that requires hands-on experience securing real AWS workloads. The exam expects candidates to reason through complex security scenarios, understand service trade-offs, and apply best practices rather than rely on memorization alone.

What Experience Do You Need for the AWS Security Specialty?

The AWS Security Specialty certification is a mid-tier certification. Therefore, you will need prior IT security experience to pass the exam for this cert.

AWS recommends at least two years of experience working with AWS security protocols. This should include skills such as configuring web application firewalls, encrypting data, securing data in services like S3 and EC2, configuring secure networking between AWS products, configuring IAM policies, implementing proper access control mechanisms, and more.

Your professional IT experience should include a general working knowledge of cybersecurity operations. For example, it will help if you have experience with encryption, network segmentation, firewall configuration, antivirus policy configuration, and access control.

Who Should Take the AWS Security Specialty?

The AWS Security Specialty certification is a broad certification surrounding security within the AWS ecosystem. So, it would seem evident that any IT professional who works with AWS would benefit from this certification. Nonetheless, some job titles benefit more from AWS certifications than others.

For instance, if you are a cloud engineer, the AWS Security Specialty certification is for you. Their role centers on designing, deploying, and maintaining cloud-native infrastructure that meets business requirements. While cloud platforms simplify many aspects of infrastructure management compared to on-premises environments, they introduce a different set of security challenges. Cloud engineers must carefully configure identity and access management, protect data, secure workloads, and avoid misconfigurations that can expose resources. The AWS Security Specialty certification validates that a cloud engineer understands how to build AWS environments that are secure by design—not just functional.

DevOps engineers also benefit significantly from the AWS Security Specialty certification.DevOps teams aim to automate and streamline development, testing, and deployment pipelines, often relying heavily on AWS-native services. While AWS can automate tasks such as pulling code from repositories and deploying applications at scale, those workflows still need to adhere to strict security controls. The Security Specialty certification helps DevOps engineers understand how to embed security into CI/CD pipelines, enforce guardrails, and ensure that automation doesn’t introduce risk as code moves from development to production.

Finally, system administrators may also want the AWS Security Specialty certification. While cloud engineers typically focus on cloud-first design, system administrators are often responsible for managing both on-premises and cloud-based infrastructure. This includes user access, system availability, and secure communication between environments. As more organizations adopt hybrid architectures, sysadmins need a solid understanding of how AWS security services integrate with existing on-premises systems and how to manage them securely at scale.

These roles also represent many of the most common AWS Certified Security Specialty jobs, where employers expect hands-on experience securing cloud workloads. But, they aren't the only roles that can benefit from the AWS Security Specialty certification. Security engineers, solutions architects, and IT professionals responsible for protecting AWS workloads may also benefit from this cert. 

Is the AWS Security Specialty Worth It?

So, is the AWS Security Specialty worth it? If you are an IT professional who works with cloud providers, the AWS Security Specialty certificate is well worth the effort to earn.

First, studying for and learning the disciplines needed to earn the AWS Security Specialty cert will teach you a lot about securing the cloud environment while weighing costs and complexity. Even though AWS is the most popular cloud service, the simple truth is that Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud (the two largest cloud providers) work very similarly to AWS.

Likewise, the whole point of certification is to prove that you have a specific skill set and understand how to use it. In this case, that skill set is being able to secure AWS products and services. Because AWS is the largest cloud provider in the world, there’s a good chance that having this certificate will come in handy in the future, even if your current employer doesn’t require it.

If you are a couple of years into your IT career, you may want to consider studying for the AWS Security Specialty. It is a certification that will teach you many new skills and serve as a great centerpiece for your resume. Learn AWS Security Specialty today with CBT Nuggets!