Now, why might we choose commercial certification rather than familiar academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, industry has moved to specialist courses that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - that is companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. Vendor training works by concentrating on the skills that are really needed (alongside a proportionate degree of associated knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background non-specific minutiae that computer Science Degrees are prone to get tied up in - to pad out the syllabus.

As long as an employer is aware what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Commercial syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and can't change from one establishment to the next (like academia frequently can and does).

Of course, 'Digital' or 'Computer' Forensics is a newer term that's been made popular via Television shows such as "Crime Scene Investigation - CSI". Obviously though the actual work in real life will not be quite so stylised as the programmes might have us believe! Nevertheless, technological forensics provides a fascinating occupation for many professionals today. The work involves gathering & interpreting 'digital footprints' to assist with data recovery or legal investigations.

Along with Security and Computer Forensics the relatively new profession of Ethical-Hacking is emerging. These are accreditations offered by the EC-Council that teach advanced students the darker principles of 'hacking' - but with the purpose of employing these competencies to safeguard and raise the security within a system, rather than damage it.

You'll find a variety of specialist MCSE's from Microsoft, that offer options such as Messaging or Security if that is the direction you need. Maybe, the CompTIA Security+ , progressing onto the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) may be suitable. Prior to choosing this particular track though you need to be aware of the exact level of experience needed for the 'CISSP'. As usual, we suggest talking with a knowledgeable industry advisor to prevent any kind of 'mishaps'.

CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association) is a worldwide organisation that now provides a lot of the most respected vendor neutral certification paths out there. Other establishments also offer worthwhile qualifications, for example CWNP (Certified Wireless Network Professional) and ISC2 (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). As you would expect Microsoft & Cisco offer a total range of professional level accreditations. With the amount of training and employment possibilities in this field, it is a good idea to get more in depth advice from an industry expert prior to choosing your particular path. This will keep you from making a costly mistake, both in terms of money and time-spent.

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