This area is among the largest and most all-encompassing sectors in the world of IT. It would take many years to become a specialist in all elements, & so specialisation is essential to some extent. Cisco & Microsoft are essentially the 2 significant businesses who rule this field. Microsoft produce Network & Server software, whilst Cisco focus primarily on the hardware side of Networking: Routers, data switches, controllers and so on. Security has grown to be a huge challenge in recent years, which has forced each of the corporations to get into the market in a huge way. We should also notice the the greater commercial use of Wi-Fi these days, which is basically wireless connections & hardware. And next we have Hacking (legitimately) and Forensics : each very complex and highly specialist disciplines in their own right, & take a considerable amount of experience and knowledge.

You'll find broader options over and above Microsoft and Cisco for getting certified in these sectors. Many well respected neutral organisations are now presenting increasingly more relevant and important certifications. It's now widely recognised that understanding inter-connectivity & technological-convergence has become tremendously fundamental in networks. We're experiencing a major generational shift within network technology today, especially the move towards Cloud or internet-based computing (in terms of storage of data, as well as actual processing power), & the attitude shift toward green I.T.. From a commercial standpoint, greener technology has to be built to be much more cost effective, as well as being kinder to the planet. Computers will produce less heat (and therefore require less cooling) if they have lower-power processors. Fuel bills can be substantially reduced for organisations such as data-centres which are high technology-users.

One of the most recent areas within this subject is known as 'Computer Forensics'. We might associate 'forensics' with television shows like CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). The reality of 'Digital Forensics' is very much less glamorised than pictured in these types of shows (of course!) Nevertheless for many, it offers a very intriguing and satisfying career within technology-based investigation. The theory being to gather & analyse digital-footprints, to deliver evidence in either a criminal or civil legal case.

Sitting somewhere between Digital Forensics and Security, is the field of Ethical-Hacking. Seasoned I.T. professionals can learn the principles of 'criminal' hacking for ethical security reasons. The EC-Council offers mid-high level certifications, entitled the 'CEH' ('Certified Ethical Hacker') and the 'CHFI' ('Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator').

'CompTIA' (the 'Computing Technology Industry Association') is a world-wide enterprise that currently supplies some of the most reputed vendor-neutral certification paths on the market. Other associations also offer deserving certifications, like 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional) and 'ISC2' ('International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'). Most prominently needless to say are Cisco & Microsoft themselves, each with their very own qualification tracks. With so many training and career options available in this area, it is sensible to take more personalised help and advice from an industry advisor before choosing your particular track. You could save yourself a whole lot of time & money, as well as aggravation and disappointment.

For most people considering coming into I.T. as a profession, basic-networking should be the starting-point. You need to understand just how PCs operate and communicate with one another before you consider anything else. Providing you have effective user-skills, you'll find the 'CompTIA' A+ and CompTIA Network+ training programs are excellent to begin with. More about these certifications are featured on the 'CompTIA' section of this website.

Moving forward you'll either go down the MS MCSE or MCSA path if you're focused on 'software', or the Cisco CCNA or CCNP path if you are attracted to hardware. Nonetheless, an in-depth knowledge of MS's operating-systems is extremely important as they are such an important aspect of most networking environments. For more details, you'll see the specifics of each accreditation on the actual 'Cisco' & Microsoft sections of the site.

A different option is to continue with 'CompTIA' qualifications such as Linux+, Server+ or Security+ and remain vendor-neutral, or take the 'CWNA' or 'CWNP' & become a specialist in 'wireless' technologies.

If you happen to be especially interested in 'Messaging' or 'Security', then MS have specialist MCSEs available to target these areas. You could possibly decide to go for Security+ with 'CompTIA', followed by the 'Certified Information Systems Security Professional' ('CISSP'). 'CISSP' prospects have to have considerable professional work experience, so be sure you investigate this thoroughly. Our long-standing recommendation is of course to have an informed discussion before getting into any new career training.

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