Of all the IT sectors dominating the world stage, this field is one of the largest and most all encompassing. With so many advanced skill sets to learn, a certain amount of specialist training is the only logical option. The chief systems players in this market are Cisco and Microsoft. The actual software side of Networking is MS's department, and the hard-ware side (routers, controllers & data switches etc.) is where Cisco mainly function. Security has become a big issue in recent years, which has led both organisations to get in to the area in a huge way. We should likewise notice the the greater commercial use of WiFi today, which is essentially wireless-connections & hard-ware. And then we have the dark art of Hacking (legitimately) and Forensics : both very complex & incredibly specialist subjects in their own right, & take a considerable amount of experience and understanding.

A rudimentary knowledge of networks is a great first base for anyone coming into the industry. You need to understand exactly how PCs function & communicate with one another before you do anything else. Providing you have decent literacy skills, you will find training programs like CompTIA's A+ & 'Network+' provides you with a very good grounding to set up your career path. We have extensive information regarding these training programs on our pages dedicated to 'CompTIA'.

Progressing from this level is often the domain of the MS MCSA or MCSE or 'Cisco' CCNA/CCNP, subject to whether you are more interested in the hardware or software side of things. Nonetheless, an in depth knowledge of MS's operating systems is highly beneficial as they're such a key aspect of the majority of networking-environments. Again, these qualifications are featured in depth on the relevant sections within this site.

On the other hand, you may want to remain down the vendor-neutral route with more CompTIA certification (for example Server+, Linux+ and Security+ ) or even have a go at the wireless ('Wi-Fi') aspect of things by taking the CWNP/CWNA.

There are now wider options over and above Microsoft and Cisco when it comes to becoming qualified within these areas. A number of well regarded neutral organisations are now presenting progressively more pertinent & significant qualifications. The need for grasping converging-technologies & inter-connectivity in networks has become solidly recognized. We are witnessing an essential generational shift in network technologies today, both in terms of processing & in data-storage, with 'cloud' computing gaining momentum & 'green I.T.' growing to be increasingly relevant. From the commercial point of view, greener engineering has to be built to be a lot more cost-effective, as well as being kinder towards the environment. Computers produce much less heat (and so require much less cooling) if they have lower power processors. Both of these together greatly lower the energy bill, & therefore impact upon a business' bottom-line - particularly in data-centres & high-volume processing areas.

MS produce a number of specialisations within MCSE, for example in Messaging or Security for those who have a specific interest. Maybe, the 'CompTIA' Security+ , advancing onto the 'CISSP' (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) could be suitable. You'll find there are rigid 'experience' specifications for the CISSP, and they need discussing and getting to grips with before you decide to go down this path. Our advice is always to take part in an informed discussion prior to embarking on any kind of new career training.

You might have noticed that Digital or Computer Forensics is a newer term that has been popularized through Television shows such as "CSI". There may well however be a bit less glamour with the actual workload compared to that executed by the characters on-screen! However for many, it provides a highly interesting and satisfying career within technology based analysis. The job entails gathering & interpreting 'digital footprints' that can be used for data recovery or legal enquiries.

Alongside Security and Digital Forensics the to some extent new profession of 'Ethical Hacking' is developing. The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator('CHFI') are medium - advanced level certifications provided by the EC Council.

Several of the best industry-recognised accreditations now are produced by the independent 'Computing Technology Industry Association' ('CompTIA'). Additional associations also provide worthy certifications, like 'CWNP' (Certified Wireless Network Professional) and 'ISC2' ('International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium'). Naturally, there's a whole gamut of accreditation sets from Cisco & Microsoft. With so many training & employment options available in this area, it's a good idea to get more personal advice from an industry advisor before selecting your particular course. This will likely stop you from getting into an expensive mistake, in terms of time and money spent.

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