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Compare certifications Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
AWS · professional
AWS CSS Amazon Web Services Certified Security - Specialty
The AWS Security Specialty is AWS's most demanding security certification and requires solid practical experience with AWS workloads. It covers a broad spectrum: from IAM and data encryption to incident response, logging, and compliance. The practical relevance is high; pure textbook candidates typically fail. The certification has high market value potential, as it is regarded as proof of quality for security architects in cloud environments. Important: Version SCS-C02 was superseded in December 2025; SCS-C03 is now current.
Official page Microsoft · associate
AZ-500 Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
Azure-native security engineering: Entra ID, network controls, Defender, Sentinel.
Official page Comparing
AWS AWS CSS
Microsoft AZ-500
› Cost 3-year cost of ownership
$300
$165
› Exam mechanics Pass mark
AWS CSS 750/1000 (scaled, ~75%)
AZ-500 700/1000 (scaled)
Pass mark
750/1000 (scaled, ~75%)
700/1000 (scaled)
Retake policy
AWS CSS $300 fee · 14d wait
AZ-500 $165 fee · 1d wait
Retake policy
$300 fee · 14d wait
$165 fee · 1d wait
Study time
AWS CSS 100–200 hrs
AZ-500 60–120 hrs
Study time
100–200 hrs
60–120 hrs
Delivery
AWS CSS mixed
AZ-500 online proctored
Delivery
mixed
online proctored
› Salary signal (US base) Range
AWS CSS $130K – $180K
AZ-500 $115K – $165K
Range
$130K – $180K
$115K – $165K
Median
AWS CSS $150,000
AZ-500 $135,000
Role context
AWS CSS Cloud security engineer (AWS-focused), US, 3–5 years.
AZ-500 Azure security engineer, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Cloud security engineer (AWS-focused), US, 3–5 years.
Azure security engineer, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10) › Recognition & lifecycle Recognition
AWS CSS Global
AZ-500 Global · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
Current version
AWS CSS SCS-C02 (2023-07)
AZ-500 AZ-500 (current) (2024-11)
Current version
SCS-C02 (2023-07)
AZ-500 (current) (2024-11)
› Domain coverage A10 Security Operations
·
○ touched
A11 Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
A11 Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
·
● core
A12 Data Security, Privacy & Protection
A12 Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
○ touched
A2 Network Security
·
○ touched
A25 Security Architecture & Engineering
A25 Security Architecture & Engineering
● core
·
A5 Cloud Security
AWS CSS ● core
AZ-500 ● core
A5 Cloud Security
● core
● core
A6 Identity & Access Management
A6 Identity & Access Management
·
● core
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