Certification - May 2008 - (Page 16) VIRTUAL VILLAGE IT Is a Battlefield BEN WARDEN The ancient Greek historian Plutarch famously said that when Alexander the Great “saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.” This is a fitting statement from a military commander who never lost a battle. Similar dominance is sought after today in every field: politics, entertainment, sports and certainly IT. Our CertMag.com forums recently saw a poster who finds no more cert worlds to conquer and weeps at what he perceives as a lack of breadth in his domain. “Even with having an MBA with a focus in information security, I am unable to find a higher position than where I am at,” said CertMag forum poster Cymric. “Despite the fact that I have my A+, Network+, INet+, Security+, CIW, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCSA: Security and MCSE: Security, my current employer is unwilling to advance me or give me the experience I crave. Thus I am seeking employment elsewhere. Where can one go or what can one do in order to receive experience? My employer’s usual response is ‘What are you going to do with that?’ Our Security Group is something to admire as well … NOT! “I didn’t even ask my employer for reimbursement so it didn’t cost them anything for me to go!” Cymric exclaimed. “Prior to my graduating with my master’s degree I would schedule a meeting with the CIO and the security supervisor to see how I could best use my new skills and benefit the organization. I had done this twice now and that was two years ago. I really never received a good answer from either of them. I am still in the same position!” “Cymric, what experience do you have?” asked CertMag poster Wagnerk. “As you already have gained your MCSE, can I assume that you’re doing level 3 support? I agree with your choice of looking for better prospects elsewhere. If you’re unhappy with your current work situation, then a change of employment into a field that you want to enter may be a better option for you.” “I am doing desktop support (level 3),” Cymric replied. “As to looking elsewhere, I am, but again, I have no upper level technical experience even though I have had some management experience. One recruiter confided in me that this area (where I live) is a ‘technology dead-zone.’ I am not sure how true that is but I know of other technicians who are looking as well. I may have an interview soon for a computer operations manager position. I think that my certifications and MBA will be a factor in me being called. Besides 16 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE May 2008 looking elsewhere, where or how can I get additional experience when my employer is unwilling? Considering the number of certifications that I have, as well as an MBA in information security, I was wondering what my next step would be.” “Leave,” CertMag poster Iamregin said. “Your employer obviously knows you’re worth something, or they should, at least. If they don’t they’re are ignorant and you should leave. Maybe they are scared of your abilities and don’t want to promote you because you might take their jobs later. I’d say start looking. Find a job, and go to your boss, tell him you have another offer. You like your company and you want to stay, but they aren’t giving you want you want. They will either counteroffer or let you go, in which case you’ll be better off either way.” IT professionals encompass a wide range of competencies; some like Cyrmic above have too many certs while others are still trying to determine how to proceed with their education. “I see a lot of colleges out there now that offer a bachelor’s and master’s degree in information assurance,” forum poster Lyngx said. “Is this a new emerging field or just another name for information security? From what I understand, it relates closely with national security, and the colleges who have these programs are designated Centers of Academic Excellence by the NSA. Is this more of a management type field or a hands on-type field? What type of work does this field involve? I’ve been looking for more information on this but I usually only get as far as government Web sites. Any thoughts?” WayneAnderson answered back: “In the U.S., the term information assurance is a government coined term that refers to the oversight or implementation of information integrity. This does include many aspects of information security but can also mean senior positions that have oversight duties for the integrity of more general IT programs.” “Information assurance is a broader term than IT security,” ChuckH added. “It is the terminology used for the activities surrounding the practice of confidentiality integrity and availability of data (CIA). Since it is broader than just electronic media it falls in with information assurance (IA). IT security is the practice of IA within electronic mediums or modalities. Yes it is an up and coming field that was meant to be here all http://CertMag.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.