This area of I.T. is possibly one of the most sweeping & extensive there is. It would take decades to become an expert in all factors, and so specialisation is essential to some level. The main systems contributors in this marketplace are Cisco and Microsoft. The actual Network and Server software programs are produced by Microsoft, while Cisco are mainly concerned with routers & switches, i.e. the Network hard-ware. Both companies have moved seriously into Security during the last decade, by economic necessity. We also need to note the greater professional use of Wi-Fi now, which is essentially wireless connections and hard-ware. Although Computer-Forensics and 'Ethical Hacking' have fingers in all of these sectors, they are also disciplines in their own right, and demand substantial instruction & real-life experience to be totally effective.

The vendor neutral worldwide organisation CompTIA now provides perhaps the most recognised & widely respected impartial I.T. accreditations. Other bodies also provide worthwhile qualifications, like 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional) & 'ISC2' (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). Most prominently needless to say are Cisco & Microsoft themselves, both offering their very own certification tracks. The choice could be rather overwhelming, and so we encourage you to tread cautiously & go through all your plans with an advisor who knows the process well. This will likely keep you from getting into a costly mistake, both in terms of time and money spent.

You'll find various speciality MCSE's from Microsoft, that look after subjects like Security or Messaging if that is the path you want. Perhaps, the CompTIA Security+ , moving on to the 'CISSP' ('Certified Information Systems Security Professional') may be appropriate. Before opting for this particular path though you ought to be aware of the amount of professional experience required for the CISSP. Our long-standing advice is of course to have an informed discussion prior to starting any new career-training.

For a lot of people considering getting into IT as a career, basic networking is the starting place. Before you are aware of the way a PC functions & communicates with other PCs, the rest is simply nonsense. Assuming a basic level of IT user-skills, (read the more general Computer/IT Training web-pages if not,) the starting point is nearly always the 'CompTIA' A+ and 'Network+' . We have extensive information regarding these packages on our web-pages focused on CompTIA.

Moving on you can either follow the Microsoft MCSA or MCSE path if you are keen on software, or the 'Cisco' CCNA or CCNP track if you're considering hardware. Nonetheless, a good understanding of MS's operating-systems is extremely advantageous as they're such a vital aspect of most networking-environments. Once again, these certifications are discussed in-depth on their respective sections on this web-site.

On the other hand, you may choose to continue down the vendor neutral path with further 'CompTIA' certification (e.g. Linux+, Security+ and Server+ ) or even have a go at the wireless (Wi-Fi) aspect of things with the CWNP or CWNA.

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