Of all the I.T. sectors dominating the global stage, this field is one of the largest and most all encompassing. Because there are so many advanced skill sets to embrace, some specialisation is really the only realistic option. The chief systems players in this market are Cisco & Microsoft. MS create Network and Server software, while Cisco concentrate mainly on the hard-ware end of Networking: Routers, switches, controllers and so on. It has become commercially essential for both Microsoft and Cisco to move into security over the last several years. We should also take note of the more professional use of Wi-Fi today, which is basically wireless-connections and hard-ware. Although Digital-Forensics and Ethical Hacking have feet in all these sectors, they're also professions in their own right, and demand substantial training & experience to be totally effective.

Accreditations within this marketplace are not confined just Cisco and Microsoft alone. In actual fact, there's a lot of accreditation that's provided by very respectable unbiased bodies - and this is becoming more and more important. The significance about grasping converging technologies and inter connectivity in networks is now well appreciated. Networking is in fact under-going some important paradigm-shifts at the moment; both in processing terms & in data-storage, with internet-based computing coming to the fore & 'green I.T.' becoming increasingly relevant. The introduction of green IT addresses 2 important elements : minimising the impact to the earth is one, but possibly of equal importance to business is cost. Lower power processors and computers create less heat, therefore much less cooling is necessary. Both of these together greatly reduce the electricity expenditure, and therefore impact upon a business' bottom line - especially in data centres and high-volume processing areas.

'CompTIA' (the 'Computing Technology Industry Association') is a worldwide company that right now offers some of the most reputed vendor neutral certification paths available. Other bodies also supply valuable qualifications, such as 'CWNP' ('Certified Wireless Network Professional') & 'ISC2' ('International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'). Naturally, there's a total gamut of certification sets from Microsoft and Cisco. With the amount of training & career options available in this sector, it is sensible to take more in-depth advice from an experienced professional prior to selecting your particular route. Without any personally tailored guidance you might head-off in a wrong-direction & waste a lot of time and/or money.

For a lot of people taking a look at coming into IT as a career, basic-networking could be the starting point. Before you understand just how a PC functions and communicates with other Computers, anything more is simply nonsense. Assuming a basic level of IT user skills, (read the general I.T. Training web-pages if not,) the recommended starting point is almost always the CompTIA A+ & CompTIA Network+ . We discuss information about these packages on our section dedicated to 'CompTIA'.

Where you venture next will depend largely upon whether you would like to work in 'hardware' or 'software'. With regard to hardware, you are talking about Cisco (CCNA/CCNP), and with regard to 'software' you need MS (MCSA/MCSE). Although, it must be stated that a thorough knowledge of MS networks is virtually a necessity for the majority of network environments, due to MS's penetration in this field. For more details, you'll find details about each certification on the actual Cisco and MS pages of this site.

Of course you could possibly fine-tune your 'Wi-Fi' (wireless) skill-sets by taking accreditations such as the 'CWNA' and 'CWNP', or continue along the 'CompTIA' route with Server+, Security+ or Linux+ .

You can find a number of specialist MCSE's from MS, that cater for options such as Security or Messaging if that is the direction you want. You might choose to opt for Security+ with CompTIA, and follow that with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). CISSP applicants must have substantial professional working experience, therefore be sure to investigate this well. Our long-standing advice is of course to take advantage of an educated discussion prior to embarking on any new career-training.

Computer (or Digital) Forensics is fairly new to the picture - TV programmes such as 'Crime Scene Investigation' could have made us aware of it. There might though be a touch less glamour with the actual work when compared with that done by the actors on TV! And yet, forensic-investigation using sophisticated technology can provide a hugely rewarding profession. The basic principle being to gather and evaluate digital-footprints, to deliver evidence in either a criminal investigation or a civil enquiry.

Located in a related sector to Computer Forensics & I.T. Security is 'Ethical Hacking' - which is another reasonably new discipline to manage criminal offences. These are qualifications provided through the EC Council which teach more advanced candidates the darker concepts of 'hacking' - but with the intention of employing these competencies to protect and raise the security of a system, instead of harming it.

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