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TrainACE - IT and Cybersecurity Training Blog

Paul Ricketts

Paul Ricketts
Originally from the UK, Paul Ricketts is the Director of Marketing at TrainACE in Greenbelt, MD. Having started out in the field of Geographic Information Systems, Paul has a wealth of experience in a wide variety of industries, focused on tech., graphics and data analysis. Having finally settled in the field of marketing, he has spent the last 8 years fine tuning his skills in the art of communication and persuasion.

Recent Posts

How to Become a Project Manager in Washington, DC

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 19, 2023 10:56:00 AM / by Paul Ricketts

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The Project Manager career path prepares students for a management-level role in an organization’s IT department. Professionals on this path will learn how to lead, coordinate, integrate, and be accountable for the success of an organizational project while maintaining alignment with the organization’s priorities. The project manager career path will help individuals develop a core technical project leadership skillset. These technical skills apply to leading an IT team and adopt the essential communication and leadership skills required for the role.

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Preventing Employee Turnover in Your IT Team

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 12, 2023 11:40:00 AM / by Paul Ricketts

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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2021 turnover rate in the information technology (IT) industry was 22.1 percent, which is higher than many of the other business sectors included in the reporting. Why is there such attrition in technology roles? Is it something that organizations simply have to live with?

Absolutely not. But to prevent employee turnover, organizations have to understand why it’s so important and what they can do to reduce the number of IT employees who leave.

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How Does Ethical Hacking Work?

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 5, 2023 11:35:00 AM / by Paul Ricketts

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Information security breaches happen. You’ve probably heard about more than a handful in the last several years. Data breaches are a challenge that all organizations face in today’s technologically advanced world.

With those advances comes the darker side of technology – malicious hackers, cybercriminals, and cyberattacks. Protecting sensitive data is more important than ever, and companies are acknowledging the potential risks and finding ways to mitigate them. One solution is ethical hacking.

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IT Certifications Aligned with the Investigate NICE Category

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 2, 2022 2:32:08 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow and the pool of available talent struggles to keep up, hiring managers and recruiters are tasked with finding the best candidates to fill open positions. It's important that they identify, recruit, develop, and retain qualified employees to protect their organizations' data and digital assets. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework is designed to help hiring managers create successful cybersecurity teams and do just that.

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IT Certifications Aligned with the Operate and Maintain NICE Category

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 26, 2022 3:02:00 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework is a blueprint that classifies, explains, and manages cybersecurity work. The framework uses a building block approach that allows companies and agencies to speak a common language regarding cybersecurity roles.

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What Are the Components of the NICE Workforce Framework?

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 18, 2022 2:57:34 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) is a partnership between academia, the government, and the private sector. The framework focuses on cybersecurity education and workforce development. It is designed to denote and encourage successes in cybersecurity learning as well as to promote change and improvement where it is needed. The NICE Framework is part of the Applied Cybersecurity Division within the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

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Top Cybersecurity Roles That Align with the NICE Framework

[fa icon="calendar'] Sep 29, 2022 3:11:51 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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NICE, or the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NICE works within private and public sectors, the federal government, and academia to improve the quality and quantity of solutions to cybersecurity challenges. It accomplishes this with the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. Since 2014, the Framework has been available to the public, initially used voluntarily. However, in 2015, the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act was passed. The Act required federal agencies to use the NICE Framework to recruit technology and cybersecurity professionals to fill federal roles.

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What Does an AWS Developer Do?

[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 31, 2022 9:52:42 AM / by Paul Ricketts

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the top cloud computing platform worldwide. In Q1 2022, AWS held 33% of the cloud computing market, with the closest competitor at only 22%. Since its launch in 2006, the AWS platform has grown year over year and shows no signs of slowing down. This growth means that the demand for professionals like AWS Developers also continues to increase.

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What is it Like to Be an Ethical Hacker?

[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 16, 2022 12:37:00 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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While more and more people are becoming familiar with the terms “ethical hacker” and “white-hat hacker,” there is still some mystery about what they do exactly. Organizations and businesses employ ethical hackers to help prevent data theft and fraud and to help improve the security of their computer systems, networks, and applications.

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What Are the Benefits of Instructor-Led Training for IT Teams in Maryland?

[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 8, 2022 12:33:07 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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Instructor-led training is just one of the ways that today’s trainees learn. However, it remains beneficial for a variety of reasons. The personalized, hands-on learning students receive from a live instructor is irreplaceable. An interactive classroom, whether in-person or virtual, is important for those learning technical skills that may be complex, like many IT and cybersecurity topics are.

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How to Build an Effective Cybersecurity Team

[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 28, 2022 10:20:04 AM / by Paul Ricketts

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Cybersecurity is a vital concern for businesses today. While in the past, most companies only needed a physical security team, in the current technology-driven world, they now need much more. Today, an inadequate cybersecurity team could quickly put an organization’s assets at risk without the criminals even having to set foot on the business’s premises. Effective cybersecurity teams have the potential to protect business assets and stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. 

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Why is the CISSP a Top-Paying Certification?

[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 20, 2022 1:17:00 PM / by Paul Ricketts

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The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification has set the standard for security certifications since its launch in 1994. However, adding those letters to resumes is no easy task for cybersecurity professionals. The certification exam for the CISSP is typically described by those who have taken it as difficult. The certification requires five years of full-time paid work experience in a relevant security field.

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