TrainACE - IT and Cybersecurity Training Blog

When it comes to building a long-lasting and successful career, there are few industries that offer the exciting opportunities and financial rewards available in Information Technology (IT). But as with all good things, those rewards take time and experience to attain. To succeed in the IT world, you need experience and certifications.

While you can build a technology career without certifications, you will find it much slower and much harder. So, why are certifications so important, and where do you start? In this article, we’ll dive into CompTIA’s A+ certification and how it can help you create a strong foundation from which to build a successful IT career.

As one of TrainACE’s top instructors, Azure administration is just one of John Eberle’s specializations. With years of industry experience, he has tracked the evolution of Microsoft's administrative tools with the eye of an expert practitioner -  from early Windows versions to the latest cloud technologies. In his latest blog he discusses Azure Administration certification prerequisites and offers advice on preparing for the exam.

Cybersecurity skills are at a premium in the Washington DC region. IT professionals with the ability to assess the cyber threat landscape are in demand. CompTIA’s CySA+ Certification demonstrates you are ready to take on higher levels of responsibility in the industry. Still, before you commit to training, you want to know how hard is the CySA+ exam, and can I do it?

Learn more about CySA+ and what is expected in the exam.

As more and more organizations move all, or parts, of their operations into the cloud, Microsoft has built the Azure platform to stake its claim as a leading player in the technology. But as its popularity grows, who will need Azure Administrator certification, and why is it so important around the Washington, DC region?

Suppose you are thinking about becoming a system administrator in your organization's information technology (IT) department. In that case, you need to have specific training and experience and get things done. To know if you are a good fit for a system administrator role, it's important to understand what it is, what you'll do in that role and the benefits of this career path.

Getting into information technology (IT) career is an exciting choice because of the numerous paths you can take and roles you can fulfill. Progressing in an IT career can take you to many different places, and your progression may not look like anyone else’s. If you are looking to advance in this industry, IT project management is an area you should consider.

Being an IT project manager requires that you have technical skills as well as traditional business acumen, a combination that allows you to keep critical IT initiatives on track. If this sounds intriguing to you, take a closer look at what an IT project manager is, what they do, and why it’s a solid career path, especially in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.

Security and risk management are huge concerns for most organizations, especially those in the government. The Risk Management Framework (RMF) is a set of criteria that directs how organizations’ IT systems must be built, protected, and monitored. RMF is the process that is used by all federal government departments, including the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The RMF incorporates information security and risk management activities into early development stages to help avoid risk.

If you are in a job role that focuses on or around authorizing and maintaining information systems, or you would like to be, then earning the Certified Authorization Professional (CAP) certification is the best way to deepen your skills and advance your career. The CAP credential demonstrates that you have the skills and abilities to assess risk associated with IT security and your ability to implement security requirements and maintain documentation.

If you’re looking to build an IT career and are trying to decide whether a network engineering career path is right for you, one question you’re probably asking yourself is how much salary you will be able to make once you have your CCNA.

Let's outline what CCNA is and why it’s important, then break down the CCNA average salary both nationally and locally for the Washington DC region.