If we take all the IT areas ruling the global stage, this area has to be the biggest and most all-encompassing. It could take far too long to become a professional in all elements, and so specialisation is vital to some level. The key systems contributors in this market are Cisco and Microsoft. The actual software program side of networks is MS's focus, & the hardware side (routers, controllers and data switches etc.) is where Cisco mainly function. Each of the organisations have moved seriously into Security during the last several years, through commercial need. We should also notice the the greater professional use of WiFi today, which is basically wireless connections and hard-ware. And lastly, two crucial and growing fields in the Security market are Digital Forensics & Ethical-Hacking.

CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association) is a world-wide enterprise that right now supplies some of the most respected vendor neutral certification paths on the market. In addition there are various other organisations, including the ISC2 (shortened from the somewhat long winded: 'International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'!) & 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional). Clearly, there is a complete gamut of certification sets from Microsoft & Cisco. With the amount of training and career possibilities in this field, it's sensible to get more personal guidance from an industry advisor prior to selecting your specific track. This will likely keep you from getting into a costly mistake, both in terms of time & money spent.

One of the more recent areas in this particular field is called 'Computer Forensics'. We associate 'forensics' with television programmes like CSI Miami. Obviously though the actual role in the real world won't be quite so glamorous as the programmes would have us think! Nevertheless, technological-forensics is providing a fascinating career for a lot of individuals these days. The basic principle being to gather & evaluate 'digital footprints', to provide evidence either in a criminal investigation or civil legal case.

Located in a comparable arena to Computer Forensics & IT Security is Ethical Hacking - another relatively new discipline to regulate criminal activity. Skilled IT professionals can learn the concepts of 'criminal' hacking for legitimate ethical security reasons. The EC-Council offers mid to high level qualifications, namely the 'CEH' (Certified Ethical Hacker) & the CHFI ('Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator').

For many people contemplating coming into I.T. as a profession, basic networking should be the starting place. Until you are aware of exactly how a PC functions and 'communicates' with other PCs, anything more is simply nonsense. As long as you have effective literacy skills, you will find training programs like 'CompTIA's A+' and 'N+' will provide you with a very good grounding to set up your career path. These are included under the CompTIA section on this web site.

Taking things further you can either follow the Microsoft MCSE or MCSA path if you are keen on 'software', or the 'Cisco' CCNA or CCNP path if you're interested in hardware. Although, it has to be stated that a good understanding of MS networks is basically essential for the majority of network-environments, due to Microsoft's dominance in this market. As before, you will see information regarding each accreditation on the 'Cisco' & Microsoft pages of the website.

A different option is to continue with CompTIA accreditations like Server+ , Security+ or Linux+ & stay vendor neutral, or even look at the 'CWNP' or 'CWNA' and become a specialist in wireless technology.

If you are mainly focused on Messaging or 'Security', then Microsoft have speciality MCSEs on offer to address these options. In some cases, the 'CompTIA' Security+ , progressing on to the CISSP ('Certified Information Systems Security Professional') may be appropriate. Before choosing this path though you need to be aware of the exact level of work experience necessary for the 'CISSP'. Our consistent advice is always to have an educated discussion before beginning any new career training.

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