Google Cloud Certified – Professional Security Operations Engineer (PSOE)

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TheProfessional Security Operations Engineer certification validates a candidate’s ability to detect, monitor, analyze, investigate, and respond to security threats across enterprise cloud environments. It focuses on managing security operations using cloud-native tools, developing and tuning detection mechanisms, handling incident response lifecycles, ensuring secure access and governance controls, and utilizing observability data for operational insights.

The exam emphasizes applied skills rather than rote memorization, requiring practical knowledge of security tooling integration, automated workflows for threat response, centralized monitoring, forensic-ready data collection, and cross-team coordination.

Exam Overview

• Provider: Google Cloud
• Duration: 120 minutes
• Format: 50–60 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions
• Passing Score: Approximately 70%
• Delivery: Online proctored or onsite testing center
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years in security operations, including cloud experience
• Languages: English
  
  

The exam tests practical capabilities in securing cloud resources, threat detection and response, incident handling, and using observability data to inform security decisions.

Core Knowledge Areas Covered

• Platform Operations
  • Configure and manage security platforms and tools
  • Integrate multiple security data sources for detection and response
  • Manage access control and authentication
    
    
• Data Management and Observability
  • Collect, ingest, normalize, and retain logs and telemetry
  • Build dashboards and visibility tools for real-time monitoring
  • Use observability data to detect anomalies and suspicious activity
    
    
• Threat Hunting and Detection Engineering
  • Develop, tune, and optimize detection rules and heuristics
  • Incorporate threat intelligence to improve alert accuracy
  • Proactively search for threats that evade automated systems
    
    
• Incident Response
  • Execute structured response lifecycles and playbooks
  • Perform forensic analysis and root-cause investigations
  • Apply automated workflows for containment and remediation
    
    
• Security Governance and Compliance
  • Enforce least-privilege access and IAM policy best practices
  • Align operations with governance, risk, and compliance requirements
    
    
• Integration and Automation
  • Automate repetitive security tasks and response workflows
  • Integrate security tooling to streamline detection and response
    
    
  
  

Exam Preparation Focus

Candidates should gain hands-on experience with:

• Cloud logging and monitoring services
• Security command centers and SIEM tools
• Automated incident response orchestration
• IAM, network segmentation, and secure architecture practices