This area of IT is perhaps just about the most sweeping and extensive there is. Generally, some level of specialisation is needed, since to learn about each component might take too many years of training. Cisco & Microsoft are essentially the two major corporations dominating this field. MS produce Network & Server Software, while Cisco concentrate largely on the hard-ware end of Networking: Routers, switches, controllers and so forth. Each of the companies have moved seriously into Security over the last decade, through commercial necessity. Another fast growing market within this field is wireless connectivity & related products. Even though Computer-Forensics and Ethical Hacking have feet in all these areas, they're also disciplines in their own right, and need considerable instruction & experience to be fully effective.

The vendor-neutral global institution 'CompTIA' now delivers possibly the most familiar & highly-regarded impartial IT qualifications. Additional institutions also offer worthy accreditations, like 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional) & 'ISC2' ('International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'). Most prominently of course are Cisco & Microsoft themselves, each offering their very own accreditation paths. As there are so many training & employment possibilities in this area, it is a good idea to get more in depth help and advice from an industry professional before choosing your specific route. This will prevent you from making a costly mistake, both in terms of time & money spent.

You'll find a variety of speciality MCSEs from MS, that cater for areas such as Security or Messaging if that is the path you would like. It may be that CompTIA Security+ meets your needs, in order to lead on to the 'CISSP' - 'Certified Information Systems Security Professional'. There are stringent 'experience' specifications for the CISSP, and they need discussing and getting to grips with prior to deciding to go down this particular path. Our recommendation is always to have an informed discussion before getting into any new career training.

Computer (or Digital) Forensics is fairly new to the picture - Television programmes such as CSI-Crime Scene Investigation may have familiarised us with the term. Obviously though the actual work in actuality won't be quite so stylised as the shows would have us believe! And yet, forensic-investigation using advanced technology can provide a really gratifying job. The job involves searching for and interpreting 'digital footprints' for use in data-recovery or legal enquiries.

Seated between Digital Forensics & Security, is the new field of Ethical-Hacking. Skilled IT professionals can study the principles of criminal hacking for ethical security reasons. The EC Council provides medium to high level qualifications, namely the 'CEH' ('Certified Ethical Hacker') and the 'CHFI' ('Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator').

A basic idea of networks is a great first-base for anybody getting into the IT industry. Absolutely nothing else will make sense until you've developed a grasp of just how PCs operate & link to one another. As long as you have got decent literacy skills, you'll find programs like CompTIA's A+ and N+ offers you an excellent grounding to start out on your career path. These are covered on the CompTIA section on this web-site.

Moving on from here you might consider the MS 'MCSA'/'MCSE' or 'Cisco' CCNA or CCNP, subject to whether you are more interested in the hardware or software side of the equation. Nevertheless, an in depth knowledge of Microsoft's operating systems is very beneficial as they are such an important aspect of most networking-environments. Again, these accreditations are written about in-depth on their respective sections within this website.

Another alternative would be to continue with CompTIA certifications like Linux+, Security+ or Server+ & stay vendor neutral, or maybe look at the 'CWNA' or 'CWNP' & specialise in 'wireless' technology.

Qualifications in this field are not confined Microsoft & Cisco themselves. Several well-respected independents are today supplying increasingly more pertinent & important qualifications. An essential knowledge of network interface-connectivity between and within networks is now becoming increasingly important. We're seeing an essential generational shift in network technologies right now, notably the move toward Cloud or Internet based computing (in terms of data storage, and actual processing power), & the mental attitude shift toward green I.T.. 'Green' I.T. doesn't specifically mean 'saving the earth' - it does of course have many elements designed to reduce the carbon dioxide effects and so on., but it's also firmly installed in the economic reality of cost reduction. The processing power within modern computers is lower, which means there's less heat to cool down. Electricity expenditure can be substantially reduced for companies like data centres that are big technology-users.

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