Concerns for the security breach have reached the corporate boardrooms. There has been a growing demand for security professionals who can understand the information security and its implications. Requirements for those who can understand and troubleshoot problems related to information security have increased over the past few years. This means more and more certified professionals certified in the relevant field have been in demand.

Network and security specialist with a few years of industry experience prefer to go in for vendor neutral CompTIA’s Security+ certification. The SY0-101 exam code for the certification was introduced in December 2002. It is a first step towards more advanced certifications such as CISSP, SSCP, ISC2 and SANS GIAC. The certification exam consists of 100 questions to be completed in 90 minutes. It is multiple choice question paper in English language. The certification questions are grouped into categories in the follow proportions:

• General Security Concepts (30%)
• Communications Security (20%)
• Infrastructure Security (20%)
• Basics of Cryptography (15%)
• Operational/Organizational Security (15%)

If you are not successful in the first attempt, there in no time limit for taking the second attempt. However, after the second failure and any subsequent failures thereafter you need to wait for 30 days before the next attempt. If you have passed the certification exam but need to reattempt for any reason then you need to give a break of minimum 12 calendar months.

CompTIA offers online training and certification equivocally. Students get to learn about IT industry specific topic related to networking, communication security, access control, authentication, protocols, infrastructural security, etc. The official site for the certification is at www.comptia.org. The official FAQs for the exam and related topics are available at http://www.comptia.org/certification/security/faqs.aspx.

You can get relevant study material on the internet easily. One of my favored free tutorials is http://www.techtutorials.net/. You can also get a free study guide from http://www.mcmcse.com/comptia/security/guide.shtml. You can also get free study guide at http://www.cramsession.com/certifications/studyguides/free_studyguides.asp?product_ID=1591. You can also get practice tests http://www.mcmcse.com/forums/exams/. Some of the recommended readings are:

• Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals - Cisco Learning Institute
• Security+ Study Guide and DVD Training System - Syngress Media Inc
• Mike Meyers' Security+ Certification Passport - McGraw-Hill

These books are readily available at your nearest bookstore or can be purchased online from popular websites like Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles, Quantum Books, etc.

The SANS GIAC certification (http://www.sans.org/) has been designed for validating computer security skills of networking IT professionals. It addresses are varied range of sets of skills including firewalls, hacker techniques, perimeter protection, audit, incident handling, forensics, intrusion detection, and Windows and Unix operating system security. This certification are unique are they test specialized skill sets rather than general security skills of a professional. They start from entry level certifications to board based security essentials (like GSEC). You need to take two online exams each containing 100 questions with a time limit of three hours. These certifications are valid for four years and you would need to take the exams every four years to remain certified. This ensures that you remain updated with the latest security measures and industry requirements.

You can sign up for the exam at their site. Fill in your personal information and check for the certification that you need to take. Complete the payment process and you shall receive a confirmation email explaining how to take the exam. To get GIAC certified you need to complete at least one or two exams depending upon your track - the most common one, being a starting point for more advanced levels - is the GSEC exam.