There are many security related certifications that are more technical than management related.
These are some:
CompTIA Security+
GIAC Security Essentials
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
Security+ is a more "neutral" security cert in that it is vendor agnostic, unlike something like a VMware or Cisco certification. It focuses on cryptography and a broad base of security related subjects such as viruses, physical security, and network access control. Anyone that has been around any of the "hacking" environments or studied it should have a relatively easy time passing this exam. There are training courses out but I wouldn't spend much extra money on them. Just get the book. Also being CompTIA you have to have the CE (continuing education) part of it now that you have to have so many Continuing Education Units (CEU) or the cert expires after I believe 3 years.
The GIAC is also an entry level security cert and has some similar features of Security+ but it is highly more expensive. It also has a continuing education requirement.
Certified Ethical Hacker is a lot more to do specifically with its namesake, hacking, and how to beat hackers at their own game. It deals with cryptography, penetration testing, firewalls, SQL injections and a plethora of other hacker related topics. It's more than Security+ but cheaper than GIAC and I would recommend attending a class for this one. This also has a continuing education requirement.