This area of I.T. is possibly one of the most sweeping & extensive there is. It could take many years to become a professional in all elements, & so specialisation is vital to some extent. The principle systems contributors in this market are Microsoft and Cisco. MS produce Network & Server software, while Cisco focus primarily on the hardware end of networking: Routers, switches, controllers and so on. It's become financially and economically essential for Microsoft and Cisco to get into security during the last decade. Another fast growing area within this field is wireless connectivity & related products. And then we have Hacking (legitimately) and Digital Forensics : both complex and highly specialist disciplines in their own right, & take a considerable amount of experience and understanding.

Several of the finest industry-acknowledged accreditations now come from the vendor-neutral 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (CompTIA). Establishments such as 'ISC2' offer Security certifications, and CWNP provide specialised wireless networking paths. Needless to say, there's a total variety of certification tracks from Microsoft and Cisco. Largely because of the scope and number of certification routes to be had in this sector, its a good idea to discuss this type of career move with an industry experienced expert. Without personally-tailored advice you could potentially head off in a wrong-direction and waste a lot of money and/or time.

If you're seeking to progress a professional career in IT, begin by picking up a certain amount of networking expertise. You must know precisely how PC's function & connect with each other before you consider anything else. Assuming you possess effective user-skills, you will find the CompTIA A+ & 'Network+' programs are perfect to get you started. We discuss information regarding these training programs on the section focused on 'CompTIA'.

Where you go next depends largely on whether you wish to work in 'hardware' or 'software'. For 'hardware', you're looking at 'Cisco' (CCNA or CCNP), & for 'software' you need Microsoft (MCSA/MCSE). However, it should be stated that a comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft networks is virtually essential for most network-environments, mainly because of MS's penetration in this market. Again, each of these certifications are featured in-depth on their respective pages within this website.

Alternatively, you might want to continue on the vendor neutral path with more CompTIA certification (for example Linux+ , Server+ & Security+ ) or maybe try your hand at the wireless ('Wi-Fi') side of things by taking the 'CWNP'/'CWNA'.

Recently, Computer or Digital Forensics is a newer term that's been popularized via Television shows like "Crime Scene Investigation - CSI". There may however be a tad more routine regarding the real workload when compared with that executed by the celebrities on-screen! Nevertheless for many people, it offers a very interesting and satisfying role in technology-based analysis. The theory being to collect and evaluate digital-footprints, to deliver evidence either in a criminal investigation or civil enquiry.

Alongside Security & Digital Forensics the relatively new role of Ethical-Hacking is developing. These are certifications offered through the EC-Council that teach more advanced students the darker principles of 'hacking' - but with the goal of using these skills to protect and raise the security of a system, rather than harm it.

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