πŸ›‘οΈ Elastic Certified Analyst

🧠 1. Certification Name and Issuing Body

🧩 2. Certification Level and Type

  • Level: Intermediate

  • Type: Technical (Security Analytics / SIEM)

πŸ“œ 3. Purpose and Goals

  • What skills does it certify?
    Ability to search, analyze, and visualize data within the Elastic Stack; create dashboards, filter and correlate events; use Kibana effectively for operational and security monitoring

  • Target roles or profiles:
    SOC Analyst, Security Data Analyst, SIEM Specialist, Threat Detection Analyst

  • Practical applications:
    Daily log analysis, dashboard creation, event investigation, detection rule tuning, and incident monitoring using Kibana and Elasticsearch

πŸŽ“ 4. Prerequisites

  • Recommended prior certifications:
    None required, but familiarity with Kibana and Elasticsearch is strongly recommended

  • Suggested experience:
    6–12 months of hands-on experience using the Elastic Stack

  • Required technical knowledge:
    Basic understanding of JSON, log formats, field mapping, search syntax (Lucene/KQL), dashboards, and time-series analysis

πŸ“š 5. Content and Curriculum

  • Key domains/modules:

    1. Data Exploration using Discover

    2. Filtering, Sorting, and Searching with KQL

    3. Aggregations and Data Breakdown

    4. Creating Visualizations and Dashboards

    5. Data Field Formatting and Metadata

    6. Alerting and Kibana Lens

  • Technologies/tools:
    Elasticsearch, Kibana (Lens, Visual Builder, Discover, Dashboard), KQL, Elastic Cloud

  • Framework mapping:
    Aligns indirectly with NIST CSF (Detect) and MITRE ATT&CK (via Elastic Security SIEM integration)

πŸ§ͺ 6. Learning Approach

  • Style: 100% practical, hands-on in a live environment

  • Labs/environments: Interactive lab environment during exam (browser-based, Elastic Cloud instance)

  • Materials: Elastic training portal, practice exercises, official documentation, video tutorials

  • Recommended platforms: Elastic Cloud (free trial), Elastic Training, CyberDefenders (ELK challenges)

πŸ“ 7. Exam Format and Details

  • Mode: Online, proctored (webcam + screen monitoring)

  • Duration: 90 minutes

  • Questions: Task-based in a live Kibana environment

  • Languages: English

  • Passing score: ~70% (not officially disclosed)

  • Retake policy: One retake included

  • Certification validity: 2 years

πŸ’° 8. Estimated Cost

  • Exam fee: $200 USD

  • Training cost (optional): $600–$1,000 USD for official courses

  • Retake cost: Free retake included within 12 months of purchase

🌍 9. Industry Recognition

  • Demand/popularity: Increasingly valued in companies using Elastic as a SIEM/log platform

  • Organizations that value it: MSSPs, SOCs, fintechs, tech companies using ELK for observability or security

  • Comparison:

    • More technical and tool-specific than CySA+

    • Less conceptual than GCIH or GCIA, but deeper hands-on experience with Elastic tools

    • Comparable to Splunk Core Certified Power User (Elastic-focused alternative)

πŸ’Ό 10. Career Opportunities

  • Job roles:
    SOC Analyst (L1/L2), SIEM Analyst, Threat Detection Analyst, Logging Engineer

  • Suggested paths:
    β†’ Elastic Certified Analyst β†’ Elastic Certified Engineer / Elastic Security Analyst
    β†’ CySA+ + Elastic Analyst = Solid Blue Team Data Operations Profile

πŸ’΅ 11. Average Salary

  • USA: $75,000–$95,000/year

  • Europe: €45,000–€70,000/year

  • Salary impact: High in Elastic-based SOCs; very useful in DevSecOps/observability teams

  • (Sources: LinkedIn job data, Elastic training partners)

πŸ“… 12. Renewal and Maintenance

  • Validity: 2 years

  • Renewal options:

    • Retake the latest version of the exam

    • Enroll in updated training and certification path

🧭 13. Final Recommendations

  • Ideal for:
    SOC analysts and log reviewers working in environments using ELK stack or Elastic Cloud

  • When to pursue:
    After initial SIEM/log experience, or alongside CySA+/SC-200

  • Tips:
    Use Elastic Cloud for practice. Master KQL and visualizations. Focus on use cases like alert creation, threat correlation, and time-based filtering.