How to maintain/renew CCSM and CCSM Elite?

[RamGuy239]

Greetings,

I can't seem to locate any information on how I'm supposed to maintain/renew my CCSM and CCSM Elite certifications. Back when I got my CCSM certification in early 2020 it existed as its own course and exam. The CCSM course and exam no longer exist and have been replaced with CCTE which simply counts as a single Infinity Specialization.

Instead of maintaining my CCSM I simply passed 2x Infinity Specialization back in early 2021 to make myself CCSM Elite. My CCSM Elite is expiring in early 2023 and I can have it extended for 1-year by taking 1x Infinity Specialization. But the certification FAQ says:

I received the CCSM Elite certification after getting my second Infinity Specialist Accreditation while CCSM
certified. How long will the CCSM Elite be valid?

o The CCSM Elite certification will be valid 2 years.
o The CCSM Elite can be extended once for 1 year by passing another Infinity Specialist Accreditation. (A
recertification path for the CCSM Elite will be announced at a later date)

In other words, it can only be extended for 1 year, and this can only be done once. Let's say I don't want to simply have it extended for one year, or let's pretend I have already had it extended once so I'm no longer eligible for another 1-year extension by simply taking another Infinity Specialization.

How do I maintain/renew my CCSM Elite? The same goes for CCSM. This is quite simple when it comes to CCSA and CCSE as you just take the exam and get yourself another 2-years. And as described in the FAQ:

I have a valid CCSM Elite, CCSM or CCSE. Do I need to maintain the lower certification(s)?

o Your goal is to maintain your highest certification or progress to the next level. You are not required to
recertify on the lower certifications. You will only recertify on a lower certification if you allow your
highest level of certification to expire.


You would normally only retake the exam of your highest certification in order to maintain/renew it. If you have CCSE, you will simply retake the exam right before it expires in order for it to be renewed. As there is no such thing as a CCSM exam anymore, and there has never existed any CCSM Elite exam at any point in time. How do I as a CCSM Elite do the equivalent of retaking a CCSA or CCSE exam to have it renewed for another two years?

[Chris_Atkinson]

Believe Tug answered this in another thread here, but 2024 is still a little ways away.

Until the announcement comes my suggestion based on recent history would be:

- Extend for one year (exam).

- Participate at CPX (cyber range).

- Keep an eye out for promos

@Jason_Tugwell 

[Andreas_Zentsch]

any news on this Chris ?

Why we should participate on cyber range?

Do you know any upcoming promos? 

@Jason_Tugwell 

[Chris_Atkinson]

Any certs passed between 18-31 December 2022 qualified for an additional 3-months as a promo. Historically cyber range participation at CPX achieved similar.

Beyond that I would need to defer to Tug & Shay for an update when one is available.

[the_rock]

I think @Jason_Tugwell is best qualified person. to give you correct answer to anything certs related.

Happy New Year!

[Andreas_Zentsch]

Still no news on this 😞

[Jason_Tugwell]

@Andreas_Zentsch - We are still deciding.  Expect it in Q1.  

However, most can extend the CCSM Elite now before it expires by passing an Infinity Specialist Accreditation.  Our earliest CCSM Elites that have taken advantage of the 1-year extension are good until early 2024. 

Thanks

Tug

[Chris_Atkinson]

Out of interest when is the expiry for your certification?

If your personal circumstance is more urgent than the 12-month timeline would suggest please reach out to certification@checkpoint.com 

[Chris_Atkinson]

Please see the recent announcement here regarding the new rules:

https://community.checkpoint.com/t5/Training-and-Certification/New-Certification-rule-changes-coming...

[kroli]

Hi Chris,

I received my CCSM-E in 2022 by passing the CCTE exam. As it is about to expire soon, can I extend the CCSM-E by passing CCTE a 2nd time? Or do I need to pass a different specialist exam?

[Chris_Atkinson]

Yes provided it is a different version of the exam is my understanding