The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and ISACA have announced the launch of a new cloud auditing and security certificate – aimed at being the first such ‘global, vendor-neutral, technical credential’ in the industry. The Certificate of Cloud Auditing Knowlledge (CCAK) aims to ‘fill a gap in the industry for competent technical professionals who can help organisations mitigate risks and optimise ROI in the cloud’, as the companies put it. The certification builds upon the already-available CCSK (Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge) from the CSA, and is designed to complement ISACA offerings, such as the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). CCAK ‘delivers the best possible solution for effective cloud assessment and auditing by preparing IT and security professionals to ensure internal requirements are fulfilled and the right controls are in place’, the companies noted. This includes mitigating the risks and costs of auditing management, as well as leading organisations through successful cloud adoption and management while retaining customer trust. The certificiation also includes different areas of technology stacks and deployment frameworks, such as DevOps, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). “The introduction of the CCAK is an important milestone in delivering the necessary expertise to enable professionals to objectively evaluate critical cloud assurance issues,” said Daniele Catteddu, Cloud Security Alliance chief technology officer. “Cloud Security Alliance is proud of our collaboration with ISACA to create this high-quality credential which will be leveraged by individuals, businesses and regulatory bodies around the world to raise the baseline of security, governance and compliance in cloud computing.”