This area of I.T. is perhaps one of the most sweeping & comprehensive there is. Because there are so many complicated skill sets to embrace, a certain amount of specialist training is really the only effective solution. Cisco & Microsoft are the 2 main organisations who rule this particular field. The Network & Server software programs are made by Microsoft, and Cisco are mostly responsible for routers & data-switches, in other words the Network hardware. Each of the businesses have branched heavily into Security over the last decade, through commercial necessity. We also need to take note of the more professional use of WiFi now, which is basically wireless connections & hardware. And next we have the dark art of Hacking (legitimately) and Computer Forensics : each very complex and highly specialist disciplines in their own right, & take a considerable amount of working experience and understanding.

We now have wider options in addition to Cisco & Microsoft to become trained in these disciplines. The fact is, there's a lot of certification that is presented by highly well regarded independent organisations -- and this has become increasingly important. The understanding of network interface connectivity between & within networks is becoming increasingly more important. We are witnessing a significant generational shift within networking technologies today, attitudes generally are leaning towards greener I.T., and both processing power and data-storage are moving towards Cloud computing. Green IT doesn't particularly indicate 'saving the planet' - it does have many elements designed to lower the carbon dioxide effects etc., but its also solidly seated in the economic reality of cost reduction. Lower power processors and computers produce less heat, so much less cooling is necessary. Businesses with significant networks of computers can reduce their energy expenditure significantly with 'greener' & much more efficient PC's.

One of the latest areas in this field is 'Digital Forensics'. We might relate forensics with TV shows like CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). There could however be a tad less glamour with the real workload than that done by the characters on TV! Having said that, technological-forensics is providing a fascinating career for a lot of people these days. The principle being to collect and evaluate digital-footprints, to deliver evidence in either a criminal or civil legal case.

Seated between Computer Forensics and Security, is the field of Ethical-Hacking. The 'Certified Ethical Hacker' (CEH) and the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator(CHFI) are medium - advanced level certifications provided by the EC Council.

'CompTIA' (the 'Computing Technology Industry Association') is a global company that now supplies a lot of the most highly regarded vendor neutral certification paths available. Additional bodies also provide worthwhile accreditations, like CWNP ('Certified Wireless Network Professional') & 'ISC2' ('International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'). Most conspicuously however are Cisco and Microsoft themselves, both offering their own qualification tracks. With the amount of training & career possibilities in this field, it is prudent to get more in depth advice from an experienced advisor prior to selecting your particular path. Without any individually tailored help you could potentially head off in the wrong direction and waste a lot of time and/or money.

To many people looking at coming into IT as a profession, basic-networking is the starting place. You need to understand how PC's function and communicate with one another before you can do anything else. Providing you have good user skills, you'll find programs that include 'CompTIA's A+' and N+ provides you with a superb grounding to start out on your career path. Examples of these are dealt with on the 'CompTIA' section of this website.

Taking things further you'll choose to go down the MS MCSE or MCSA track if you're considering software, or the 'Cisco' 'CCNA' or 'CCNP' track if you are attracted to hardware. However, it must be said that a thorough knowledge of MS network systems is pretty much a necessity for the majority of network-environments, due to Microsoft's penetration in this market. As before, you'll see details about each certification on the 'Cisco' and MS areas of this site.

Equally of course you could fine-tune your Wi-Fi (wire-less) skillsets by taking qualifications like the CWNA and CWNP, or continue down the 'CompTIA' path with Linux+, Security+ or Server+ .

You can find various specialist MCSE's from Microsoft, that cater for areas like Messaging or Security if that is the path you're looking for. It could be the 'CompTIA' Security+ meets your needs, in order to move onto the CISSP - 'Certified Information Systems Security Professional'. 'CISSP' candidates have to have significant professional experience, so make sure you investigate this thoroughly. Having a discussion with our team of industry specialists will clarify everything for you personally.

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