Overview | PCIP Class 1 | PCIP Class 2 | PCIP Class 3 | Prerequisites

PCIP Certification

The PCIP (Professional in Critical Infrastructure Protection) certification is different than other certifications in that it is the first and only certification focusing directly on national security, it is very hands-on, and is tailored specifically to Critical Infrastructure environments, which include SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), control systems, EMS (Emergency Management Systems), telecommunications, financial systems, and other high-availability systems.  To put it plainly, these are the systems that enable your nation to function.  Most importantly, it aims to bridge the age old gap between these environments and traditional IT environments. 

The PCIP is truly an academic certification, which is valued by operations, security, and emergency management professionals everywhere. This unique certification program is designed to guide students to a higher level of professional standing in the area of CIP (critical infrastructure protection).  It is one of the most challenging programs in the industry and will prepare professionals to deal with all aspects of CIP.  Professionals carrying the PCIP designation will have demonstrated the necessary knowledge and professional skills required for designing, maintaining, and managing Critical Infrastructure Proteciton Programs. These skills range from highly advanced technical skills such as those used by hackers to circumvent security measures to CIP program management techniques.  Finally, this program provides students with the necessary skills to effectively understand all the interdependancies between each of the critical infrastructure sectors.

Hands-on Training... Not Just Another Certification

Protecting our critical infrastructure is very serious and, therefore, so is making sure the individuals responsible for this task are properly and thoroughly trained with applied knowledge and skills, not just the ability to pass an exam. The classroom environment ensures this by providing hands on, practical instruction and individual instructor attention. Our instructors, all with over a decade of professional security experience, come from a background of enterprise security software development companies, various government agencies, financial institutions, energy & utility companies, and some of the worlds largest oil & gas companies. They take serious personal responsibility in getting to know each PCIP candidate and making sure they know the material thoroughly from the ground up at an applied level.   Finally, instead of multiple choice, each exam is made up of short essay questions to comprehensively test the students knowledge.  Overall, this system ensures, to the critical infrastructure industry and community, that PCIP recipients are of the highest standard and thoroughly qualified.

How Do I Get Certified?

The PCIP certification is divided into three (3) seperate Classes. PCIP Class 1: CIP Program Course, PCIP Class 2: CIP Technical Course, and PCIP Class 3: CIP Applied Course. Individual class certificates will be award upon completion of each class but the PCIP certification is only awarded upon successful completion of all three (3) classes.  Each class is small in size ensuring maximum personalization, a challenging hands on training environment, and follows a specifically designed curriculum focusing on critical infrastructure.

For authenticity purposes, each PCIP recipient carries a PCIP certification card displaying the PCIP recipients' names, PCIP number, and date of certification, which is also kept in a secure database for reference on the CI-INSTITUTE.ORG website. Recipients must recertify every 2 years or maintain their certification with approved CPE credits (Continued Professional Education). This ensures the PCIP holder maintains current knowledge of security threats and solutions.