In the training and certification world perhaps the most overlooked cert may be Microsoft Office certification, or the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS).
We all use MS Office probably every day, we fall into the groove of doing the same things (tasks, functions, etc.) that work for us and that apply to our specific roles in the workplace. But there will very likely come a time (soon, if not already, for many of you out there) where we will be placed in a situation where one of the common skill sets we use in MS Office becomes foreign to us. Most likely this will happen when your company or organization makes the upgrade to the newest platform of MS Office.
Have you started working with Office 2007 yet? Its quite a bit different from 2003, and what about the next version to come out. What if your organization upgrades you to that straight from 2003, you'll be way behind the curve.
Since Office (Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook mainly) are all so essential to what we do, its crucial to stay sharp with them. That's why Microsoft Office Training is probably the most overlooked training (and certification) in the IT and tech training industry. Stay fresh and consider taking a class every now and then. They are relatively cheap and you can really increase productivity by a wide margin. Whats $350 dollars when you increase your employee's or your own productivity by 10%?
10.14.2009
Hacker Halted - Security Conference
I recently attended the Hacker Halted conference that took place in Miami, FL. This conference was a gathering of many of the most knowledgeable IT Security specialists and organizations in the US.
Some of the overall themes of the conference were to promote and discuss the current issues in IT Security by representatives of various organizations, to strategize about upcoming IT Security challenges for 2010, and also to recognize those institutions and individuals who excelled in IT Security in 2009.
The part of the conference that I was able to attend specifically was the "Circle of Excellence" Awards presentation. The Circle of Excellence is awarded to institutions and individuals who are the very best in promoting and advancing IT Security. One of the recipients of this award, and the only small-business company, was Academy of Computer Education [ACE]. This award is typically reserved for large companies with a national presence. ACE was recognized for its outstanding work particularly for the CEH, CHFI, and CISSP classes that are run regularly at its two, DC-Area campuses.
Additionally Joe McCray, an instructor at ACE and IT Security consultant, was acknowledged and awarded for his outstanding work, instruction, and overall role in advancing IT Security knowledge by the EC-Council. Joe has helped ACE achieve its niche success as the DC metro area's leading institution for IT Security Training.
The Hacker Halted conference was alot of fun overall. It really drove home the importance and necessity of the evolution, advancement, and innovation in IT Security nationwide. Next year, this event is expected to be even bigger, and will include a host of international speakers and presentations. I'm sure there will be several new and interesting topics covered next year as well. Stay tuned...
Some of the overall themes of the conference were to promote and discuss the current issues in IT Security by representatives of various organizations, to strategize about upcoming IT Security challenges for 2010, and also to recognize those institutions and individuals who excelled in IT Security in 2009.
The part of the conference that I was able to attend specifically was the "Circle of Excellence" Awards presentation. The Circle of Excellence is awarded to institutions and individuals who are the very best in promoting and advancing IT Security. One of the recipients of this award, and the only small-business company, was Academy of Computer Education [ACE]. This award is typically reserved for large companies with a national presence. ACE was recognized for its outstanding work particularly for the CEH, CHFI, and CISSP classes that are run regularly at its two, DC-Area campuses.
Additionally Joe McCray, an instructor at ACE and IT Security consultant, was acknowledged and awarded for his outstanding work, instruction, and overall role in advancing IT Security knowledge by the EC-Council. Joe has helped ACE achieve its niche success as the DC metro area's leading institution for IT Security Training.
The Hacker Halted conference was alot of fun overall. It really drove home the importance and necessity of the evolution, advancement, and innovation in IT Security nationwide. Next year, this event is expected to be even bigger, and will include a host of international speakers and presentations. I'm sure there will be several new and interesting topics covered next year as well. Stay tuned...
10.06.2009
The Rising Popularity of ITIL v3 Foundations Certification
The ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) v3 Foundations Certification is designed for people who have already become ITIL certified under the older v2 foundations course. This is a bridge course that just covers the new material between version 2 and version 3. Overall, there are not many differences, but the material covered is important. To gain the ITIL v3 Certification, one must pass a 20 question exam on the updated material.
Why is this bridge class becoming so popular? First of all, the ITIL Foundations training course in itself is very useful for IT workers. But more businesses want their employees to have up-to-date certifications, so more IT workers are updating their certification by completing the ITIL version 3 bridge course.
There are five important concepts brought up in the bridge course, all dealing with the Service Life Cycle. The first is the service strategies, which concentrates on IT strategy maps and making sure that the processes and requirements of the IT worker coincide with the objectives and goals of the business as a whole. Next is service design, the ever-changing process of following business requirements, no matter how large or small. Service transition is third, which focuses on the risks and changes of an infrastructure, as well as efficiency of the deployment of new programs. After that is service operation, which is the concentration of the daily or weekly tasks required of an IT professional, including maintenance and testing. Finally we reach continual service improvement, the process of managing oneself as an IT worker, by monitoring the changes one makes to the infrastructure, as well as finding more optimal ways to complete tasks.
Why is this bridge class becoming so popular? First of all, the ITIL Foundations training course in itself is very useful for IT workers. But more businesses want their employees to have up-to-date certifications, so more IT workers are updating their certification by completing the ITIL version 3 bridge course.
There are five important concepts brought up in the bridge course, all dealing with the Service Life Cycle. The first is the service strategies, which concentrates on IT strategy maps and making sure that the processes and requirements of the IT worker coincide with the objectives and goals of the business as a whole. Next is service design, the ever-changing process of following business requirements, no matter how large or small. Service transition is third, which focuses on the risks and changes of an infrastructure, as well as efficiency of the deployment of new programs. After that is service operation, which is the concentration of the daily or weekly tasks required of an IT professional, including maintenance and testing. Finally we reach continual service improvement, the process of managing oneself as an IT worker, by monitoring the changes one makes to the infrastructure, as well as finding more optimal ways to complete tasks.
10.01.2009
The Future of the Certified Ethical Hacker - Part 2
Oh and one more thing to add on to the last post about EC-Council's plans to make the CEH the authority in IT Security...
...They are about to announce something big in relation to the cert. I won't spill the beans, but lets just say it involves the DoD and all related contractors.
...They are about to announce something big in relation to the cert. I won't spill the beans, but lets just say it involves the DoD and all related contractors.
The Future of the Certified Ethical Hacker
The EC-Council just last week wrapped up the annual Hacker Halted conference. The entourage of geeks here at ITTrainingBlog.com were in attendance of of course. It was entirely a fantastic time with great speakers and good food / drink.
One of the most relevant things that we were able to take away from the conference was the future of the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification. The CEH has quickly moved its way to being way far in the lead of hacking and pen testing certifications. EC-Council's flagship cert has been the benefactor of a combination of fun / interesting material, a catchy name and a strong marketing plan.
However, what we found out is that EC-Council doesn't just plan to let the CEH rest as being the authority in hacking and pentesting certifications, but in fact they plan on making it the authoritative all around IT security certification. Now, please don't misunderstand, they aren't making this their highest level cert, the ECSA / LPT is still that. In fact, their plans are to make the CEH a more all encompassing certification that fits into wayyyyyyy more realms of data security, not just pentesting and hacking. They plan to add over 40+ modules to the certification's material pool.
The version 6 CEH is already a 20+ module cert, most of which contain material that can or will appear on the certification exam. The new version 7 Certified Ethical Hacker will add 40+ more modules, however most will NOT appear on the test according the EC-Council executives. This is good, the pool of test questions is already fairly widespread.
So the reason for the additional modules is to have the CEH courseware cover this content so that it can become a more used reference point for security issues. Most of the module content will be related material that the core material would theoretically teach you enough to be able to implement if the CEH was faced with that particular predicament. An example is bluetooth hacking. Covered in the new CEH version 7 bonus material, yes, included on the exam, no, will a CEH be able to implement all that goes along with this, yes.
Personally I see EC-Council accomplishing what they hope to here. I have watched them become the authority so quickly in the IT security industry. The CEH cert is spreading in demand like wildfire. So, I do believe it will be the authority.
Stock up - CEH
Stock down - CISSP (non tech, piece of cake material)
So of course, get out there and get your hacker training, you'll need it in the future.
One of the most relevant things that we were able to take away from the conference was the future of the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification. The CEH has quickly moved its way to being way far in the lead of hacking and pen testing certifications. EC-Council's flagship cert has been the benefactor of a combination of fun / interesting material, a catchy name and a strong marketing plan.
However, what we found out is that EC-Council doesn't just plan to let the CEH rest as being the authority in hacking and pentesting certifications, but in fact they plan on making it the authoritative all around IT security certification. Now, please don't misunderstand, they aren't making this their highest level cert, the ECSA / LPT is still that. In fact, their plans are to make the CEH a more all encompassing certification that fits into wayyyyyyy more realms of data security, not just pentesting and hacking. They plan to add over 40+ modules to the certification's material pool.
The version 6 CEH is already a 20+ module cert, most of which contain material that can or will appear on the certification exam. The new version 7 Certified Ethical Hacker will add 40+ more modules, however most will NOT appear on the test according the EC-Council executives. This is good, the pool of test questions is already fairly widespread.
So the reason for the additional modules is to have the CEH courseware cover this content so that it can become a more used reference point for security issues. Most of the module content will be related material that the core material would theoretically teach you enough to be able to implement if the CEH was faced with that particular predicament. An example is bluetooth hacking. Covered in the new CEH version 7 bonus material, yes, included on the exam, no, will a CEH be able to implement all that goes along with this, yes.
Personally I see EC-Council accomplishing what they hope to here. I have watched them become the authority so quickly in the IT security industry. The CEH cert is spreading in demand like wildfire. So, I do believe it will be the authority.
Stock up - CEH
Stock down - CISSP (non tech, piece of cake material)
So of course, get out there and get your hacker training, you'll need it in the future.
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