The choice between the Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect and the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v12 depends on your career goals. If you aim to specialize in Google Cloud technologies and cloud architecture, the Google Cloud Architect certification is more suitable. If you are interested in ethical hacking and cybersecurity across various systems, the CEH v12 is the better option. The CEH v12 is significantly more expensive than the Google Cloud Architect certification.
| Attribute | Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect | Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v12 |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect | Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v12 |
| Target Audience | Advanced | Individuals aiming to master ethical hacking and cybersecurity skills. Designed for network security officers, site administrators, IT professionals, and anyone involved in maintaining network infrastructure security. |
| Prerequisites/Required Experience | 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years of designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud. | Ideally, candidates should have an undergraduate degree or a high school diploma. A minimum of two years of IT security experience is recommended (may be waived by attending official training). Basic IT, security fundamentals, and TCP/IP concepts are essential. Knowledge and understanding of operating systems and networking are needed. |
| Exam Difficulty | Challenging | Challenging, requiring a high level of skill and knowledge in ethical hacking and penetration testing. |
| Exam Cost | $200 USD, plus tax where applicable | Exam voucher: $950 (EC-Council), $1,199 (Pearson VUE Center). CEH On-Demand package: $2,199. Administration fee: $100 per attempt. Exam fee (professional background): $1,199 + $100 application fee. Retake voucher: $100 (if enrolled in official exam prep course), $499 (if not enrolled). |
| Renewal Requirements (Cost & Frequency) | Valid for two years, requires retaking the exam at a cost of $200. A 50% discount code is offered upon initial certification for renewal. | Valid for three years. Requires 120 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits within the three-year period. Yearly membership fee: $80. |
| Job Role Alignment | Cloud Solution Architect, Enterprise Architect, Infrastructure Engineer, Cloud Consultant, DevOps Lead, and Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) | Ethical hacker, penetration tester, security analyst, security consultant, network security engineer, security architect, incident responder, cybersecurity analyst. |
| Industry Recognition/Prestige | Highly recognized in the IT industry | Globally recognized and sought-after. ANSI compliant and meets the Department of Defense (DoD) 8570 Directive requirements. |
| Study Materials Availability & Quality | Official Google Cloud documentation, online courses (e.g., on Coursera, A Cloud Guru, Pluralsight), practice exams, and study guides. | Official study guides, practice exams, and online courses are available. EC-Council offers official training courses. Comprehensive study guides with practice questions are available. The CEH v12 Certified Ethical Hacker Study Guide includes 750 practice test questions. |
| Hands-on Experience Required | Highly recommended | Includes hands-on demos and labs covering various hacking techniques. The CEH Practical exam assesses real-world hacking skills in a live cyber range. |
| Specific Technologies Covered | Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, App Engine, Cloud Functions, BigQuery, Cloud SQL, Cloud Storage, Cloud IAM, networking, security, and more. | Footprinting and reconnaissance, scanning networks, enumeration, system hacking, malware threats, sniffing, social engineering, denial-of-service attacks, session hijacking, web application hacking, SQL injection, wireless network hacking, mobile platform hacking, IoT hacking, cloud computing, cryptography, evading IDS, firewalls, and honeypots. |
| Exam Format (Multiple Choice, Hands-on) | 50-60 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions. Case studies (20-30% of exam) | Multiple-choice questions (MCQ), 125 questions, 4 hours. CEH Practical exam: hands-on assessment with 20 real-world scenarios in a live cyber range, lasting 6 hours. |
| Vendor Neutrality vs. Vendor Specific | Vendor-specific, focusing on Google Cloud Platform technologies and services. | Vendor-neutral, focusing on ethical hacking techniques applicable across various systems and technologies. |