Digital technology has become a need for all businesses. Even one-person businesses now pay for professional information technology (IT) services.
The United Nations Technology and Innovation Report 2021 states that the world is in the “Age of Information Communications Technology (ICT).” It is also starting to implement Industry 4.0. This is the application of digital technology in manufacturing processes. The report urges all countries to enable people to access training in IT skills to at least use new IT applications. More advanced training will enable people to improve current technologies and create new ones.
IT Training in the U.S.
In the U.S., access to IT training is widely available online and affordable. Part of the affordability is that these are taken in modules that are followed by certifications. Each modular certification already qualifies the holder for a variety of IT jobs. It is, therefore, possible to take one module and certification at a time and work at that level while studying for the next module.
Exams and certifications are provided by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), which also provides training. There are trainer-led and self-study options available. There are also practice tests available, such as the Network+ N10-007 practice test, to prepare for the certifying exam.
CompTIA has four core-level or basic IT certifications. These are Fundamentals, A+, Network+, and Security+. The Fundamentals module is the first step in the journey. This covers IT concepts and terminology, infrastructure, database fundamentals, applications and software, software development, and security.
The course does not qualify the holder for a specific IT job but is the prerequisite to the other courses. It enables the student to assess whether they have the capabilities to pursue an IT career. It is also useful for all professionals and employees to enable them to have a grasp of IT technology and its applications.
A+ qualifies the holder for entry-level IT jobs. These include being a technical support specialist, system support specialist, help desk technician, end-user computing technician, field service technician, and data support technician. Also, a service desk analyst, desktop support administrator, and associate network engineer. The module covers hardware, mobile devices, networking, hardware troubleshooting, and networking troubleshooting. It likewise covers operating systems, software troubleshooting, visualization, cloud computing, operational procedures, and security.
Network+ covers infrastructure, networking concepts, network operations, network tools, troubleshooting, and network security. It qualifies the holder to become a computer technician, help desk technician, network field technician, network support specialist, junior network administrator, network field engineer, network analyst, junior system engineer, system engineer, and IS consultant.
Security+ is the entry-level requirement for cybersecurity jobs. It qualifies the holder to become a security administrator, security analyst, and security engineer. Also, an IT auditor, systems administrator, helpdesk analyst, helpdesk manager, and network engineer. The certificate holder can also become a cloud engineer, DevOps developer, software developer, and IT project manager. The module covers architecture, design, implementation, and operations. It also covers attacks, threats, vulnerabilities, incident response, governance, risk, and compliance.
The Core courses prepare the student to pursue a specialization in infrastructure or cybersecurity or both. There are three courses on infrastructure – Cloud+, Linux+, and Server+. Cloud+ covers cloud architecture, design, cloud deployment, operations, support, troubleshooting, and cloud security.
Linux+ focuses on the use of the Linux system. This covers hardware configuration, system configuration, automation, scripting, system operations, system maintenance, Linux troubleshooting, Linux diagnostics, and security. Server+ covers server hardware installation, management, server administration, security, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting.
There are also three courses in cybersecurity – CySA+, CASP+, and PenTest+. CySA+ covers threat management, vulnerability management, software security, systems security, and security monitoring. It also covers operations monitoring, compliance assessment, and incident response.
CASP+ covers enterprise security architecture, enterprise security operations, and technical integration of enterprise security. It also covers risk management, research, development, and collaboration. PenTest+ covers information gathering, vulnerability identification, and penetration testing tools. It also covers planning, scoping, reporting, communication, attacks, and exploits.
Afterward, there are three professional courses for more skills – Project+, CTT+, and Cloud Essentials+. Project+ teaches project management. This covers project basics, project constraints, communication, change management, project tools, and documentation. CTT+ teaches how to become a certified technical trainer. Cloud Essentials+ covers cloud concepts. These include business principles of cloud environments, management, technical operations, cloud governance, risk, compliance, and security.
A Digital World
Advances in digital technology increasingly enhance business processes. They make businesses even more reliant on IT to become competitive. Eventually, all business employees will have to undergo some IT training to do their jobs. It will be an advantage to already be an IT professional and climb the ranks quickly or work as an independent contractor of services.