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I’ve heard so many stories of solutions that have been put in place by technology departments, during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that government operations and service levels were maintained. Some of these solutions were put in place based upon the addition of functionality built upon industry leading platforms local governments already owned. Some of the solutions were just one- time fixes to facilitate functionality, such as chat. These are what I call “the bubble gum and duct tape” fixes. It’s clear that the COVID-19 crisis is not going away and that the technology changes made during the pandemic represent not only the “new normal”, but also the “new next.” I believe what local governments have put in place currently represents the “new normal” because we are not going to be able to take it away. Technology has been delivered to departments and taking away that technology and the solutions that have been provided is not an option. We all must come to terms with the fact that

This certification is ideal for IT security professionals who are relatively new to the field or have never taken a security certification exam before. It’s also useful if you’re looking to switch to cybersecurity from a related field. It is recommended as the first security certification you should earn, as it deals with the core skills needed for any job in cyber security and can help you to move into an intermediate-level cybersecurity position. Earning the CompTIA Security+ certification can help you land job roles that are in high demand and command a good salary, such as security architect, security engineer, security or systems administrator, security analyst, network administrator, security consultant, and junior IT auditor. Although certification isn’t typically a requirement for these positions, it can provide a career advantage. The U.S. Department of Defense has approved the CompTIA Security+ credential to meet Directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements. The certification also

If you passed the Security+ exam before Jan. 11, 2011, you are certified for life and never need to get recertified. If you passed the sy0-401 exam after that date, your certification is valid for three years from the date you took the test. CompTIA offers several options for renewal: The first option is to pass the sy0-501 exam. You can take the new exam at any time, even if you took the sy0-401 more than three years ago and you certification is expired. If your certification has not expired, you can renew it without taking the new exam by completing the CompTIA CertMaster CE ?Security+ self-paced e-learning course. It bridges the knowledge gap between the sy0-401 and sy0-501 exams and takes approximately 4–6 hours to finish. The third option is to pass a higher level certification — getting certified in CompTIA CySA+, PenTest+ or Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) will automatically renew your Security+ certification as well. The application process for the sy0-501 is the same w

IT pros just breaking into the industry are smart to set their sights on the help desk. It’s the easiest way to start in the technology industry and make $50,000 a year on average. According to the BLS, there are more than 860,000 help desk positions throughout the United States. Every midsize and larger organization — be it hospital, bank, utility or university — operates a help desk, and the number of organizations offering that service is expected to increase 10 percent within the next year. Key certifications to help you land the job include CompTIA A+, ITIL and Microsoft’s MTA. IT pros moving on from the help desk typically go into networking or security, but the IT field is as open as you want it to be if you continue to learn and prove your skills. For instance, John Amakye started off at the help desk for the City of Minneapolis in 2015. Since he was moving into IT from banking, he had only his CompTIA A+ certification at the time. But he has earned more than 10 certifications

Read the introduction. Do the Assessment exam at the beginning of the book. Get the code for a discounted voucher and schedule your exam for 30 days from today. Days 2 through 5 Read at least half a chapter a day (Chapters 1 and 2) After reading, review the Chapter Review topics for what you read. After the review, do at least 10 of the practice test questions for the chapter. After doing the practice test questions, take the time to read the explanation. Ideally, you should know why the correct answers are correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect. This way no matter how CompTIA words the questions, you can answer them correctly. The explanations and chapter content should help you gain this understanding. Day 6 Reread all the chapter reviews from chapters you’ve finished. Do all of the practice test questions that you’ve finished previously. Look at blog articles for any topics that interest you or you want to dig into deeper. More Info: jobs that require a+ certificatio

Set a goal 45 days out from the day you receive your study guide. A target of 45 days allows you to master about one and a half chapters per week. It may be that some of the chapters take you less time and some of the chapters take you more time. No problem. If you want to modify your target date later or reschedule your exam, do so. However, a recipe for success in almost any endeavor includes setting a goal. If you look at the reviews on Amazon, you’ll see that many people followed this advice and took the exam within 45 days. It’s achievable and you can do it too. First, get a study guide. Set a time to read the study guide daily and stick to your schedule. Some people study best in the morning. Others study best in the evening. If you don’t know what works best for you, study throughout the day as your schedule allows. However, you do need to study every day. Most study guides include an objective map at the beginning of the book. For example, the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified

Anyone interested in entering or maintaining competitive advantage and job security within the following four job sets, as defined by CompTIA exam objectives: Systems Administrator Network Administrator Security Administrator Junior IT Auditor/Penetration Tester The fourth job description introduces new requirements to the Security+ credential, and related job skills are the source of much new hands on expectation and tools understanding. What will the new exam look like? This is the one area that CompTIA has not disclosed. Prior exam content did not exceed 90 questions and had to be completed within 90 minutes, with a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900. The expansion of performance based materials and questions may influence a change in the number of questions, exam duration, and required passing score. Stay tuned! More Info: comptia a+ certification jobs

IT pros must review the effectiveness of existing security controls, such as analyzing KPI metrics to perform gap analysis, interpret trend data and provide recommendations to help secure an organization. They often fix the gaps they find, which requires judgement to prototype and test solutions, and create benchmarks to ensure security solution metrics meet business needs. CASP+ Exam Objective 1.3: Given a scenario, execute risk mitigation strategies and controls IT pros require specific skills to implement risk assessment and management, including the following: Trend analysis How to determine the likelihood of a threat Translating technical risks into business terms Selecting security controls based on confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) to continuously improve an organization’s security posture A mastery-level cybersecurity pro who has CASP+ knows to conduct risk mitigation strategies and implemented security controls to protect the organization against a pandemic be

Up until very recently, taking an IT certification exam usually involved traveling to a testing center. Overall, testing centers are GREAT. I've passed many exams at these locations, but, if I'm being honest, it wasn't my favorite part of the process, with time being a huge factor. As someone with four kids and a full-time job, finding the time to schedule and travel to a testing center was HARD! Between dentist appointments, birthday parties and work obligations, I often had to wait to take my exam, even though I had studied and was ready. It's frustrating to be ready for an exam but unable to take it because of time constraints. Online testing solves this problem. I can take an IT certification exam from ANYWHERE, as long as it's quiet and distraction free (and meets a few other Pearson OnVUE requirements). This means I can take it at work, at school and, my favorite, at home.  Familiar, Comfortable Environment In my opinion, I have the best home office in the w

Recognizing this year has been unlike any other, the 2020 State of the State Survey includes questions about your response to COVID-19 in a new section entitled, Disaster Responsiveness and Business Continuity. The other key topic areas include: Service Delivery Modernization. Emerging Trends and Technologies Modularity The State of Data and Analytics in the Human Services Enterprise Who Receives the Survey and When? HSITAG will send the survey to HHS agency CIO and Program Directors across all 50 states the week of July 20. Last year, we had 56 respondents from 31 states. This year we have set a goal to increase the response rate by 20 percent. After we collect YOUR responses, we will compile and analyze the results and issue a report of the findings, slated this year for September. Typically, we provide a session to present the survey results during the annual ISM conference, which sadly was cancelled due to the pandemic. While we are disappointed not to be seeing you in person a

Two important pieces of information about the new drag-and-drop and performance-based questions that you need to know: Partial credit – Scoring credit may be offered if a candidate answers only part of a question correctly. No negative credit – CompTIA does not employ negative scoring on exam questions, so you won’t lose points for incorrect answers. A candidate should answer every exam question, even on the ones where they are not sure of the answer. Testing strategies: The new question types, like drag-and-drop and performance-based questions, show up at the beginning of the exams. These questions can be more complex and take longer to answer than traditional multiple-choice questions. DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN WITH THE PERFORMANCE-BASED QUESTIONS. You can skip questions and come back and answer them at the end. Here are some strategies to use when taking the exams: Skip the performance-based questions and come back at the end to answer them so you aren’t bogged down and run out of time

Some naysayers might claim that the new A+ is only good for checking a box when you apply for jobs. But HR scanning software can be hard enough to beat. So, who wouldn’t want to have any kind of advantage? First, you are willing to learn and advance your career. Second, it shows that you have the ability to study and pass an exam. Like it or not, certifications are a part of the job. Believe it or not, earning CompTIA A+ places you above non-certification holders. That’s nothing to take for granted if you are just starting out. Having the A+ can help you land entry-level IT jobs like desktop support or help desk tech. The new CompTIA A+ is a good place to start. It provides the foundational knowledge for bigger and better roles further down the line. The A+ even has the DoD stamp of approval, if you’re thinking about working for the U.S. government.   More Info: what job can i get with a comptia a+

Beyond20 offers public Security+ courses in our Washington, DC offices every quarter. These classes are taught by experienced industry experts with advanced certifications in cybersecurity, as well as extensive real-world experience in the IT industry. for our next Security+ course, and if your organization is interested in onsite training, we also offer the full suite of CompTIA® certifications, from A+ through CASP+. A good working PC with internet access You’ll need a PC with internet access. Much of your courseware and tests are available only as online resources. Make sure you have a machine that you can “trust”. This PC will carry the load of your studies Use this PC as your personal A+ related storage location. It is important that the PC we’re discussing here has the correct Processor support, sufficient memory, and free disk space. The system should be running a current Operating System. 4. Optionally: An older functional PC Yes! This is the one you get to operate on! But W

A Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) certification signifies that a person possesses the fundamental computer skills. The A+ certification prepares a person for entry-level jobs in technical support and administration. It demonstrates that the holder has a background in computer hardware, networking, operating systems, security, and mobile technologies and is able to install, configure, and troubleshoot hardware, peripherals, and other devices. For the first exam, individuals must have an understanding of operational processes, as well as knowing the technical details behind hardware (motherboards, memory, optical drivers, hard drives, and expansion cards), software, networks and printers. The second exam focuses on operating systems, security, Apple, and Android mobile devices and troubleshooting techniques. It is recommended that students have at least six months of experience in the topics covered by the exams before attempting them. In addition, certification only

While unemployment is now down to 13.3 percent, there are still more than 20 million people out of work. Of the jobs lost to COVID-19, less than one percent were tech jobs, with an IT unemployment rate of 4.3%. In 2020 Q1, there were over 1 million core IT job postings by U.S. employers. On the recent Virtual Upskilling Opportunities in Cybersecurity webinar for the National Governors Association, Mark Plunkett, Senior Director, Training Operations & Business Development, shared how CompTIA works with industry and government to provide alternate on-ramps for tech careers and to build the tech talent pipeline in response to the needs from states and local communities. “We have a consultative approach,” Plunkett explained. “We ask the following questions: what are the local, regional or statewide needs? Where are the open unfulfilled jobs? What are the reskilling needs? What is industry asking for?” Based on the responses, CompTIA builds and scales a solution that meets the needs ei

You can earn the CCENT certification by passing the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices 1 (ICND1) exam. This certificate covers the basics of network administration, and is primarily taken as a stepping stone toward the CCNA certification. CCENT also covers many of the generic networking topics covered in CompTIA’s Network+ exam. A common question people have is “Should I get the CCENT instead of the Network+?” There isn't a simple answer to this question. The Network+ provides a solid foundation of basic concepts such as networking theory and protocols, and many people find that the CCNA exam is much easier to pass if they've already mastered the Network+ material. Network+ is also a prerequisite for other vendors’ certifications you may want to pursue in the future. The internet is full of beautiful videos that help illuminate aspects of computers. Several professionals release constant content through Youtube and other outlets on CompTIA Certs and computers in general.

A CompTIA A+ certification paves the way to a future in the IT support sector. Many individuals with the qualification go on to find work as technical support specialists, field service technicians, IT support technicians, IT support administrators, and more. A CompTIA A+ can be useful for a complete beginner looking to gain their first job in the sector; an early-career computer support technician looking to demonstrate their knowledge and access new opportunities; or an IT professional who currently works outside tech support but would like to gain skills in that area. Credibility Having a CompTIA A+ certification proves that you have the basic necessary skills as an IT Service technician. Government agencies like U.S. Dept. of Defense and private companies like Dell, IBM, Lenovo, CompuCom and Intel prefer having IT technicians with a CompTIA A+ certification. Even your current employer will give more value to you than your colleague who does not have this certification. More Info

Along with the abilities to defend and protect the organization from intruder attacks, the Certified Network Defender would also have the following skills: Understanding of traffic flows, network components, software, topologies, policies, etc. Monitoring of networks and identifying the threats associated with it. Recognizing the vulnerabilities in the system and providing practical mitigation for it. Efficiently responding to an attack or breach by causing minimal damage to the business, Applying the concepts of ‘Defense of Depth’ while designing the infrastructure. Understanding of policies and laws. Implementation of effective Incident response plans. CND Certification FAQ’s Why CND over CEH? We need to understand that every job role requires different skills and abilities. While CEH is a great choice for penetration testers and hackers, CND is the right choice for Network security Administrators and SOC analysts. More Info: jobs you can get with a+ certification

First and foremost, you take the version available at the time you need to get certified, typically there is no good reason to wait around for a future version. The main reason for that is that no matter what A+ version you sit for, you will be just as certified for three years from the date of the exam irrespective of new vs “old”. Having said that, there will be six months (or more) of a “grace period” between the introduction of the new A+ 220-1002 and the retirement of the A+ 220-902. During this period, you will actually be able to pick and choose your exam objectives i.e. 902 vs 1002 or 901 vs. 1002. What should then guide your choice? The short answer is, your training. If, at that time, you have been training for A+ 220-902, and are ready to pass the test, then without hesitation sit for the A+ 220-902. The training on 220-902 will not be transferable enough to succeed at the A+ 220-1002. That is because a 25 – 30% change in exam objectives will scuttle any chances to get the

Getting your CompTIA A+ certification is a great way to start your successful IT career, but it takes time and effort to study for your certification exams. At TrainACE, we can help make it easier with our comprehensive courses and top-rated instructors to help you prepare and practice for your exams. Our CompTIA A+ certification training course will ensure that you are fully prepared to pass the tests and earn your credentials. Practice, Practice, Practice You can find practice tests for nearly every exam that is offered by CompTIA, including the A+ exams. Take these practice tests several times to see how you do. As you are reviewing your results, you can determine which areas you are having trouble with, and then increase your study efforts in those areas. Take a Training Course with a Professional While studying by yourself is important before you take certification exams, it can be much more effective to take a training course in which you are taught by a professional in the indu

Before taking the exam, it’s best to complete certification training and use simulation tools and practice questions to test yourself. One option is the CompTIA CertMaster eLearning program. You can also purchase official e-books from CompTIA or take part in classroom training with a partner authorized by CompTIA. Once you feel you’re ready for the test, you can start making plans to take it. CompTIA partners with Pearson VUE, which has facilities all around the world, for testing. You’ll need to create an account on the Pearson VUE website, use the site to find an authorized Pearson VUE testing center near you and schedule your test. Then you can purchase an exam voucher through Pearson VUE or the online CompTIA marketplace, or at a testing center. Vouchers are typically valid for one year from their purchase date. You can take the test in English, Japanese, Portuguese or simplified Chinese. The CompTIA Security+ certification exam includes a maximum of 90 questions and takes 90 minu