This area of IT is perhaps just about the most sweeping & extensive there is. It could take many years to become a professional in all aspects, & so specialisation is essential to some level. Cisco & Microsoft are essentially the 2 major corporations ruling this particular sector. The actual Network and Server software is done by MS, whilst Cisco are mostly responsible for routers and data-switches, in other words the Network hard-ware. It's become financially and economically essential for Microsoft and Cisco to move into Security over the last several years. Additionally in this field we're experiencing the significant development of wireless networking. Although Digital-Forensics and 'Ethical-Hacking' have fingers in all these sectors, they're also disciplines unto themselves, and need substantial training and experience to become totally effective.

Microsoft provide numerous specialisations within MCSE, for instance in Messaging or in Security for trainees who have a special interest. You may decide to opt for Security+ from CompTIA, and follow that with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional ('CISSP'). 'CISSP' applicants need to have significant professional experience, therefore be sure to research this well. Our consistent advice is of course to take part in an informed discussion prior to getting into any kind of new career-training.

One of the most recent areas in this subject is called Digital Forensics. We might relate forensics with television programmes like CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). The reality of 'Digital Forensics' is much less glamorised than portrayed in these types of shows (naturally!) And yet, forensic investigation utilising complex technologies can provide a very satisfying occupation. The job entails gathering and interpreting digital-footprints that can be used for data recovery or legal cases.

Located in a comparable sector to Computer Forensics and I.T. Security is Ethical-Hacking - which is another reasonably new discipline to control criminal activity. These are accreditations provided through the EC Council which teach more advanced students the darker concepts of 'hacking' -- but with the purpose of using these skills to safeguard & raise the security of a system, instead of harming it.

If you are planning to build a career in I.T., start by gaining a certain amount of networking expertise. Absolutely nothing else will make any sense until you've developed an understanding of just how PC's operate and communicate with each other. If you have effective user skills, you'll find packages that include CompTIA's A+ and 'Network+' provides you with an excellent grounding to begin your career. Particulars of these accreditations can be found in the CompTIA section of this web-site.

What comes next will depend largely upon whether you would like to specialise in 'hardware' or 'software'. For 'hardware', you are talking about Cisco (CCNA/CCNP), & with regard to software you need Microsoft (MCSA/MCSE). Having said that, a good knowledge of MS's operating-systems is highly important as they are such a vital element of most networking-environments. You can get more accreditation details on this site in the dedicated Microsoft & Cisco pages.

However, you might choose to keep going down the vendor neutral track with further 'CompTIA' certification (for example Linux+ , Server+ & Security+ ) or even have a go at the wire-less (Wi-Fi) area of things with the 'CWNP'/'CWNA'.

Industry-recognised certifications can be gained from both the vendors themselves and vendor neutral organisations. Indeed, quite a few well thought of establishments are important contributors now where accreditation is involved. The significance about understanding converging technologies & inter-connectivity in networks has become well recognized. We're seeing an important paradigm shift in networking technology today, attitudes generally are leaning toward 'greener' IT, and both processing-power & data storage are going towards 'cloud' computing. The development of 'green' IT covers two important issues - minimising the impact to the environment is one, but of equal or more relevance to industry is expense. Computer systems generate less heat (& so require less cooling) if they have lower-power processors. Both of these together vastly lower the energy bill, & therefore affect a company's bottom-line - especially in data centres and high-volume processing departments.

Some of the most useful industry-recognised accreditations now come from the vendor-neutral 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (CompTIA). In addition there are various other organisations, such as the 'ISC2' (abbreviated from the rather long-winded: 'International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'!) and CWNP ('Certified Wireless Network Professional'). Needless to say Cisco and Microsoft offer a full range of professional level accreditations. As there are so many training and career possibilities in this area, it's sensible to get more personalised help and advice from an experienced professional before selecting your specific route. This will likely keep you from getting into a costly mistake, in terms of time & money spent.

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