Passing the exam is only the beginning. Most respected security certifications are valid for three years, and keeping them active means proving that you have continued to learn and grow in the field. That proof comes in the form of continuing education units, and if you let them lapse, you can lose a credential that took months of study and hundreds of dollars to earn. The good news is that earning these units is far easier than most professionals assume, and much of what you already do at work can count. Here is a practical look at how continuing education works in 2026 and how to stay ahead of your renewal deadlines without a last minute scramble.
CEUs, CPEs, and CECs: Sorting Out the Terminology
The first source of confusion is the vocabulary. Different certifying bodies use different names for essentially the same idea. ISC2, the organization behind the CISSP, uses the term CPE, which stands for Continuing Professional Education credit. ISACA, which manages the CISM and CISA credentials, also uses CPE hours. CompTIA, which issues Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, and CASP+, uses the term CEU, for Continuing Education Unit. EC-Council, home of the Certified Ethical Hacker, uses ECE credits.
The names differ, but the concept is identical. You accumulate a set number of credits over your certification cycle, you document how you earned them, and you pay a maintenance fee. Understanding your specific program’s rules is the foundation, because a CPE hour for one certification does not automatically transfer to another.
Know Your Numbers and Your Deadline
Before you can plan, you need to know exactly how many credits you owe and when. The requirements vary widely, so check your certifying body’s records and mark your calendar.
The CISSP requires 120 CPEs over a three year cycle, which works out to a minimum of 40 per year, plus an annual maintenance fee. The CISM and CISA both require 120 CPEs across three years with a minimum of 20 hours reported each year. CompTIA credentials such as Security+, CySA+, and CASP+ run on a three year cycle as well, with the required number of CEUs rising with the level of the certification. The Certified Ethical Hacker requires 120 ECE credits over three years.
The single biggest mistake professionals make is waiting until the final months of the cycle to think about credits. Spreading the effort across three years is far less stressful and gives you time to pursue activities you actually enjoy rather than whatever is fastest at the deadline.
The Fastest and Most Reliable Way: Formal Training
Attending an instructor led training course is one of the most efficient ways to bank a large number of credits at once. A multi day course can often satisfy a significant chunk of your annual requirement in a single week, and because the training comes with documented completion, it is the kind of activity that survives an audit without any trouble.
This is where continuing education and career growth line up neatly. Taking a course toward a new certification earns you credits toward the one you already hold. If you carry a CISSP and decide to pursue the CISM, the hours you spend in that CISM class can be reported as CPEs for your CISSP. The same logic applies to branching into new technical areas. Studying CySA+ to sharpen your detection skills, working through PenTest+ to understand offensive techniques, or picking up cloud security depth through the CCSP all generate credits while making you more capable. You are not spending time on busywork. You are learning something useful and getting renewal credit as a byproduct.
Activities You Are Probably Already Doing
Formal training is the fastest route, but it is far from the only one. Most certifying bodies award credits for a wide range of professional activities, and many of them are things security professionals already do.
Reading and self study counts in most programs. Finishing a technical book, completing a whitepaper review, or working through a security research report can usually be logged for credit. Attending industry conferences, webinars, and vendor briefings almost always qualifies, and many free online events are designed specifically to hand out completion certificates you can submit. Writing counts too. Publishing an article, contributing to a book, or authoring a blog post on a security topic can earn a meaningful number of credits in one shot.
Teaching and volunteering are among the most valuable options for experienced professionals. Delivering a presentation, mentoring a colleague preparing for an exam, or serving on a board or committee related to information security typically earns generous credit. If your work involves government or defense systems, activities tied to RMF implementation, STIG compliance, or eMASS documentation can often map to continuing education categories when they involve learning new material rather than routine duties.
Document Everything as You Go
The activity is only half the job. The other half is proof. Certifying bodies conduct random audits, and if you are selected, you must produce evidence for every credit you claimed. That means keeping certificates of completion, agendas, receipts, and records that show the date, the provider, and the number of hours.
Build the habit of logging each activity the moment you finish it, rather than reconstructing a year of learning from memory. Most programs offer an online portal where you record credits throughout your cycle. A handful of minutes of recordkeeping after each course or webinar will save you from a frantic search through old email when your renewal date approaches or an audit notice arrives.
Build a Simple Annual Plan
The professionals who never worry about renewal are the ones who treat continuing education as a routine rather than an emergency. Divide your total requirement by three, aim to hit that annual number, and mix a large anchor activity such as a training course with a steady drip of smaller items like webinars and reading. A single instructor led course each year, supplemented by a few conferences and some structured self study, will keep almost any security certification comfortably current with room to spare.
Approached this way, continuing education stops being a chore and becomes what it was meant to be. It is a structured reason to keep learning in a field that never stops moving.
How IT Dojo Can Help
If you need training in security certification renewal and continuing education, IT Dojo can help. Our instructor led courses across the CISSP, CISM, CISA, Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, and CASP+ tracks each come with documented completion, which makes them a reliable source of CPEs and CEUs while you build new skills. Every course is available live remote online, so you can earn credit from anywhere. Contact IT Dojo to find the class that fits your renewal cycle and your career goals.