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I am trying to decide where the best place for education would be for someone looking to begin a career in Information Systems Security. I already hold a Bachelor's degree of Science in Business Administration and have a finance background. I would like to get into Information Systems Security. CPCC has an Associate's degree program and UNCC has a Graduate Certificate program, although it looks like I would need to take some basic IT classes first at CPCC. Any thoughts on the quality of education at these programs or others in the Charlotte area that I do not know about? Thanks!
(The title should read Information Systems Security- Oops!)
Last edited by shadowpumpkin; 01-08-2010 at 07:55 AM..
Reason: error
Both schools offer good programs related to computer science. If you are a resident of NC, both are excellent values as well. IS security is a very wide topic however. Can you be more specific in what you might be looking for?
Both schools offer good programs related to computer science. If you are a resident of NC, both are excellent values as well. IS security is a very wide topic however. Can you be more specific in what you might be looking for?
I would like to eventually be involved with keeping networks safe from hackers/being a network security administrator.
I would start with obtaining your Security+ certification, then. It is decent "bang for your buck" and a minimum for anyone in the IS field. Do you have any background in IT work at all?
I would start with obtaining your Security+ certification, then. It is decent "bang for your buck" and a minimum for anyone in the IS field. Do you have any background in IT work at all?
Where is the best place to get Security+ training? I also saw classes at New Horizons. I do not have any IT experience formally, just playing around and fixing my own. I know I will need to take some base classes and would love to get an entry level IT position while I continue my studies.
I would like to eventually be involved with keeping networks safe from hackers/being a network security administrator.
The traditional way to go about this, if you are looking to work in a large corporation is to get a degree in computer science with a focus on one of these areas. In this regard, UNCC is probably your best bet as it offers a more comprehensive set of curricula related to it. Most of the major corporations are going to be looking for at least a bachelors in CS.
Security generally falls into two different areas:
System security. This means securing the OS, Applications, and hardware from threats both internal and external. If it is a large system then it is such things as user permissions, system settings, etc. Even mundane things as physical access, etc. It requires detailed knowledge of operating systems, programming, applications, and so forth. Many corporations use systems that are not based on windows. Other items in this category are health checking, compliance checking, asset control, antivirus and malware.
Network security. This means securing the network from threats both internal and external. You will need to know about networking hardware, network protocols, firewalls, internet connections, vpns, traffic control, cabling, etc.
This is why the degreed approach. It's very wide ranging and a computer degree shows that you have covered the theory behind most of this.
The other approach is to attend classes and get a certification for some sort of security, but this will be much more specialized and more limiting given that a company that doesn't use the products you train on, won't be interested in talking to you. If you rule out very large corporations and want to minimize the work involved, I recommend that you go and get a background and certification on Microsoft corporate products. Namely Active Directory, SCCM, and some of their security tools. Many medium sized shops while use this combination of tools so it gets you the biggest bang for the buck. On that, I am not sure which school would be better.
New Horizons is a good place to start. I would check with CPCC and see if they offer any classes that include the Security+ testing/certification. I had a couple of classes at a community college in Lansing, MI that the coursework centered around what the certs tested for and included the exam fee as part of the cost of the course. Two birds with one stone, there.
I have an information security background, and I think you're taking the right approach. It is extremely helpful, if not mandatory, to have a good general understanding of computer technology--programming/systems development, networking, operations, operating systems, database administration, etc. While I'm not familiar with the Charlotte schools, I think you could get this type of knowledge from the programs you mentioned. Once you have this knowledge base, then you could zero in on more specific areas that may be of interest to you, such as Microsoft certification, UNIX/Linux, Oracle database security, etc.
Gents I too
am considering transitioning from the financial field into the IT field with no IT experience and was wondering how hard would it be to jump to Security+. would I need some prerequisite courses? This is something I would like to accomplish quickly so that i find a job...Please advise?
So for a beginner would the A+ certification be a good place to start, from there move on to networks?
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