A credential that keeps proving itself.
Security credentialing has largely settled on one shape: meet an experience minimum, pass a written multiple-choice exam, then maintain the credential with self-reported continuing-education credits. The incumbent credentials in this market — ASIS International's CPP, PSP, and PCI — follow that model. AIA is built on a different one.
We score how you actually perform: simulated encounters graded against behavioral rubrics, proficiency with the technology you'll be handed on shift, verified hours in the field, and a record of incidents you personally managed. Those measurements keep running after you certify.
Two models of proving competence
This is a comparison of credentialing models, not a claim about any individual credential holder. Plenty of excellent practitioners hold exam-based certifications. The argument is about what a credential should be able to tell an employer.
| Dimension | Written-exam model | AIA model |
|---|---|---|
| How competency is proven | Written multiple-choice examination | Scored scenario simulations with behavioral rubrics, plus a technology proficiency exam |
| What the credential reflects | Knowledge held at a single point in time | Continuous performance data — field hours, incidents managed, and platform activity |
| How it stays current | Self-reported continuing education credits | Live thresholds for scenario, technology, and continuous-learning scores that must hold to stay in good standing |
| What an employer can verify | Credential held / not held | Tier, scores against threshold, field hours, and incident record — verifiable against the platform |
Four tiers, from post to program
Tiers 1 through 3 each have a full coursework track with scenario gates. Tier 4 has no coursework — it is earned on published research, mentorship record, peer validation, and portfolio scale.
AIA Operator
Field-validated security operator with demonstrated competency in de-escalation, incident response, access control, and AIA platform operations.
- Scenario performance ≥ 70
- Technology proficiency ≥ 65
- Continuous learning ≥ 50
AIA Professional
Advanced security professional with verified field experience, incident command capability, and comprehensive technology proficiency.
- Scenario performance ≥ 75
- Technology proficiency ≥ 75
- Continuous learning ≥ 75
- 500 verified field hours
- 50 incidents managed
AIA Strategist
Security program architect with proven ability to design, implement, and manage comprehensive security operations. Verified outcome data from managed properties.
- Scenario performance ≥ 80
- Technology proficiency ≥ 85
- Continuous learning ≥ 85
- 2,000 verified field hours
- 200 incidents managed
- 3 peer reviews
AIA Master
Elite security leader with published threat research, extensive mentorship record, peer validation, and enterprise portfolio management experience.
- Scenario performance ≥ 85
- Technology proficiency ≥ 90
- Continuous learning ≥ 90
- 5,000 verified field hours
- 500 incidents managed
- 5 peer reviews
- 10 mentees on record
Three tracks, 21 modules
Hire against numbers you can check
An AIA credential resolves to a tier, live scores against each threshold, verified field hours, and an incident record. And because certified-staff percentage is a scored input to a property's Operational layer, staffing your sites with certified operators moves the site's own TIA Score.
Tell us where you are in your career and we'll place you in the right tier — including credit for field experience you already have.
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