This area is one of the widest and most all encompassing areas in the world of I.T. It would take many years to train to become a specialist in all elements, and so specialisation is essential to some extent. Cisco and Microsoft are essentially the 2 leading corporations who rule this field. The software side of Networking is Microsoft's department, & the hard-ware side (routers, controllers and data-switches etc.) is where Cisco primarily work. Security has become a huge concern recently, which has led both corporations to move in to the area in a big way. Another fast growing market within this field is wireless connectivity and related products. Although Digital-Forensics and Ethical-Hacking have fingers in all of these areas, they're also disciplines in their own right, and require substantial training & experience to become thoroughly effective.

Computer (or Digital) Forensics is fairly new to the picture - TV programmes like CSI-Crime Scene Investigation could have familiarised us with the term. The physical reality of Computer Forensics is much more routine than pictured in these types of programmes (naturally!) Having said that, technological-forensics provides an intriguing job for a lot of people today. The basic principle being to collect & analyse digital footprints, to supply evidence either in a criminal or civil enquiry.

Located in a related arena to Computer Forensics & IT Security comes Ethical-Hacking - which is another reasonably new discipline to manage crime. The 'Certified Ethical Hacker' (CEH) and the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator('CHFI') are mid - advanced level accreditations provided through the EC Council.

Industry recognised certifications can be attained from the vendors themselves and vendor neutral companies. The fact is, there's a great deal of certification that's supplied by extremely respected unbiased institutions - & this has become increasingly important. An understanding of network interface connectivity between & within networks is now becoming more and more important. Networking is in actual fact going through some key paradigm shifts right now; particularly the move towards 'cloud' or Internet based computing (in terms of storage of data, as well as processing-power), & the mental attitude shift toward 'green' I.T.. The development of 'green' I.T. covers 2 important factors - minimising the effect on the planet is 1, but of equal importance to industry is cost. Computer systems will produce much less heat (& therefore require much less cooling) if they have lower-powered processors. These two things together vastly reduce the energy expenditure, and therefore impact upon a corporation's bottom-line -- primarily in data centres & high volume processing departments.

You'll find a number of speciality MCSE's from Microsoft, that cater for areas like Messaging or Security if that is the path you need. It could be that 'CompTIA' Security+ meets your needs, so you can move onto the CISSP - 'Certified Information Systems Security Professional'. You'll find there are tight 'experience' specifications for the CISSP, & they need discussing & getting to grips with before you decide to go down this path. As always, we suggest talking with a knowledgeable IT training advisor in order to avoid any kind of misunderstandings.

'CompTIA' (the Computing Technology Industry Association) is a global organisation that right now offers a number of the most respected vendor neutral certification tracks out there. Establishments like ISC2 offer security certifications, and CWNP offer professional wireless-networking tracks. Most conspicuously not surprisingly are Cisco and Microsoft themselves, each with their very own accreditation tracks. Mainly due to the range and volume of certification routes available in this sector, its very wise to discuss this type of career change with an industry experienced advisor. This will prevent you from getting into a costly mistake, both in terms of money & time spent.

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