Of all the I.T. sectors dominating the global stage, this particular field has to be the biggest and most all encompassing. With so many advanced skill sets to embrace, a certain amount of specialist training is the only sensible answer. Both Microsoft & Cisco produce systems to operate in market place. The actual software program side of networks is Microsoft's department, and the hardware side (routers, controllers and data-switches and so on.) is where Cisco primarily works. 'Security' has grown to be a huge challenge in recent years, which has forced both businesses to get into the area in a massive way. We should also note the more professional use of Wi-Fi today, which is basically wireless connections & hardware. Even though Digital Forensics and Ethical-Hacking have feet in all of these areas, they are also disciplines by themselves, and require considerable training & real-life experience to become completely effective.

To most people contemplating getting into IT as a profession, basic networking could be the starting-point. Absolutely nothing else will make sense until you have a grasp of how PCs operate & link to one another. Providing you possess competent user skills, you'll find the 'CompTIA' A+ and Network+ programs are excellent to begin with. More about these qualifications are available in the CompTIA section of this website.

Moving on from here is often the domain of the MS 'MCSA'/'MCSE' or perhaps the 'Cisco' CCNA or CCNP, according to whether you are interested in the 'hardware' or 'software' end of the equation. Having said that, an in-depth knowledge of Microsoft's operating systems is very beneficial as they're such a vital element of the majority of networking-environments. Once again, each of these qualifications are covered in-depth on the relevant pages within this site.

However, you may want to continue down the vendor neutral track with more 'CompTIA' qualification (e.g. Server+, Linux+ and Security+ ) or possibly try your hand at the wire-less (Wi-Fi) side of things by taking the CWNP or CWNA.

Digital (or Computer) Forensics is reasonably new to the picture - TV programmes like CSI-Crime Scene Investigation might have made us aware of it. Obviously though the role in actuality will not be quite so stylised as the TV shows might have us believe! Nevertheless for many, it offers a highly interesting and rewarding role within technology-based exploration. The theory being to collect & evaluate 'digital footprints', to provide evidence either in a criminal investigation or a civil legal case.

Alongside Security & Digital Forensics the somewhat new profession of 'Ethical Hacking' is developing. The 'Certified Ethical Hacker' ('CEH') and the 'Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator'('CHFI') are mid to advanced level qualifications offered by the EC Council.

The vendor-neutral global organisation 'CompTIA' now offers possibly the most familiar & widely-respected impartial IT certifications. There are also many other establishments, including the 'ISC2' (abbreviated from their somewhat long winded: International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium!) and CWNP (Certified Wireless Network Professional). Naturally, there is a complete variety of accreditation sets from Microsoft and Cisco. With so many training and job possibilities in this field, it's advisable to take more personal advice from an industry expert prior to selecting your particular track. Without personally tailored help you could head-off in a wrong direction and waste a lot of time and/or money.

You can find a number of specialist MCSEs from Microsoft, that look after subjects like Messaging or Security if that is the direction you would like. It might be that CompTIA Security+ would be best for you, so that you can move on to the 'CISSP' - Certified Information Systems Security Professional. CISSP prospects must have substantial professional work experience, therefore be sure to research this thoroughly. Having a discussion with one of our industry advisors will clarify everything for you.

We now have greater options in addition to Microsoft and Cisco to become trained in these sectors. Actually, there's a great deal of certification that is presented by highly respected impartial organisations -- and this has become more and more important. The understanding of network interface connectivity between and among networks is becoming increasingly more important. Networking is in fact under-going some significant paradigm-shifts at the moment; both in terms of processing and in data-storage, with internet-based computing gaining presence and 'green IT' getting to be increasingly relevant. From the financial point of view, greener technology must be built to be more cost-effective, as well as being more gentle to the planet. Lower-power processors and computers create much less heat, therefore less cooling is necessary. Energy bills can often be drastically reduced for businesses like data centres which are big technology-users.

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