This area of I.T. is perhaps one of the most sweeping and comprehensive there is. It could take far too long to train to become a professional in all factors, & so specialisation is essential to some extent. Cisco & Microsoft are essentially the 2 leading organisations ruling this field. The Network and Server software programs are produced by MS, while Cisco are mainly responsible for routers & switches, i.e. the Network hardware. Security has become a huge problem in recent years, which has led each of the companies to move into the sector in a huge way. Additionally in this field we're observing the substantial growth of wireless networking. Although Computer Forensics and 'Ethical Hacking' have feet in all of these areas, they're also disciplines in their own right, and require considerable instruction and experience to be fully effective.

Qualifications within this sector are not limited MS & Cisco alone. The fact is, there's a wide range of certification that's offered by extremely well regarded impartial institutions -- & this has grown to be more and more important. It is now extensively recognised that understanding inter connectivity & technological-convergence is becoming very fundamental in networks. Networking is in actual fact under-going some key paradigm-shifts right now; thoughts in general are leaning towards greener IT, and both processing power & data storage are shifting towards Cloud computing. 'Green' I.T. does not necessarily indicate environmentally-friendly - it does have elements intended to lower the carbon dioxide impact and so on., but its also firmly placed in the commercial reality of cost savings. The actual processing-power within modern computers is lower, which means there's much less heat to be cooled down. Businesses with large computer networks can reduce their electricity bills considerably with greener & more efficient computers.

A rudimentary idea of networks is a great first base for anybody coming into the IT industry. You need to understand how computers operate & communicate with each other before you do anything else. Assuming at least a basic level of computer user skills, (refer to our more general Computer/IT Training sections if not,) the starting-point is almost always the 'CompTIA' A+ and 'Network+' . Examples of these are included under the 'CompTIA' section of this website.

Where you go next depends largely upon whether you would like to work in 'hardware' or 'software'. For 'hardware', you are talking about 'Cisco' ('CCNA'/'CCNP'), and with regard to software you'll need Microsoft (MCSA or MCSE). Nonetheless, an in-depth understanding of MS's operating systems is very important as they're such a vital aspect of the majority of networking-environments. As before, you'll come across information about each qualification on the 'Cisco' & MS sections of the website.

A different alternative is to continue with 'CompTIA' accreditations such as Server+ , Security+ or Linux+ and continue being vendor neutral, or take the CWNA or CWNP and specialise in wireless technology.

'CompTIA' (the 'Computing Technology Industry Association') is a global company that right now supplies many of the most reputed vendor-neutral certification tracks available. Some other institutions also provide valuable qualifications, for example 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional) & ISC2 (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). Naturally, there is a comprehensive variety of certification sets from Microsoft and Cisco. Mainly because of the range and number of certification routes on offer in this field, it's wise to talk through this kind of career move with an industry experienced expert. Without individually-tailored help you might head-off in a wrong direction & waste a lot of money and/or time.

There are a variety of specialist MCSEs from Microsoft, that look after subjects such as Security or Messaging if that's the path you're looking for. It may be that CompTIA Security+ meets your needs, so you can lead onto the 'CISSP' - Certified Information Systems Security Professional. 'CISSP' candidates have to have substantial professional work experience, so make sure you research this thoroughly. Our recommendation is always to take advantage of an educated discussion prior to embarking on any new career-training.

You've probably noticed that Computer or Digital Forensics is a newer term that's been made popular via Television shows like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". There could however be a bit less glamour regarding the real work compared to that executed by the characters on our screens! Having said that, technological forensics is providing a fascinating occupation for a lot of people today. A Digital Forensics expert will search for and explain digital-artefacts that can often be utilised to resolve crimes.

Sitting between Computer Forensics and Security, comes the new field of Ethical-Hacking. The Certified Ethical Hacker ('CEH') and the 'Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator'(CHFI) are mid - high level certifications provided by the EC Council.

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