Social networks are social by design. They mean to foster interaction, to put you in touch in one way or another. Some put you in touch with friends and family. Others put you out there for the whole wide world to see. Some uses are personal. Others are all business. In the end, though, social media platforms are all designed to be easy to access and easy to use. They’re intentionally informal. They’re the last place you’d expect to find classified intelligence or the kind of business secrets that companies diligently guard.
As cyber attacks increase in frequency and scandals involving governments hacking into private computers become more commonplace, it's no wonder that one of the most promising fields in the current IT sector would be cyber security. In fact, recent research has indicated that cyber security has grown by more than one hundred percent in the last year. Clearly, anyone seeking a job in the information technology area would do well to start at the first line of defense against hackers.
Criminals have been breaking into websites and electronic databases for many years. Although this can result in huge monetary losses, it rarely injures anyone or causes physical damage. However, hackers are gaining more destructive power as manufacturers add network interfaces and microprocessors to mechanical devices. This is a security threat that we cannot afford to ignore.
As the recent scandal involving the National Security Agency demonstrates, cyber security is more relevant than ever. While computer companies continue to push the idea of saving and accessing information on the cloud, an important question remains largely unanswered: Just how secure is the cloud?
Professionals who hold the Cisco CCNP certification today qualify for senior networking roles that pay a national average of roughly $109,000, with specialized tracks like CCNP Security commanding averages above $130,000. The CCNP has evolved considerably since its original ROUTE, SWITCH, and TSHOOT exam structure, and understanding today's certification format, career paths, and realistic salary expectations matters for any networking professional deciding whether to pursue this credential. Below is a current breakdown of the most common CCNP-qualified jobs, what they pay in 2026, and the questions most salary guides fail to address.[ziprecruiter][examcert]
With over 100 attendees, our latest Hacker’s Breakfast Training Seminar was a huge success. We partnered with FireEye to bring those in attendance two subject matter experts speaking on a theme of Advanced Persistent Threat. TrainACE’s key note, Timber Wolfe, spent over an hour discussing the emerging technology of Honey Pots and how vital these tools are becoming to help analyze and catch unwanted visitors of a network. The wait is now over and this seminar can be viewed in its entirety here: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/990401775
Professionals who are certified through the Cisco CCNA program are qualified for a number of jobs in the technology field. The exams required for this certification demand that each candidate demonstrate an ability to install, configure, and operate a variety of networks, making these qualified individuals flexible workers. Successful CCNA graduates are able to troubleshoot systems, operate under a number of different protocols, and demolish threats to a network’s security. This is a broad range of skills, and the Cisco CCNA certification provides each professional with a comprehensive understanding of networks. These skills allow CCNA certificate-holders to tackle a number of technology-related occupations.
The Most Common Jobs for People Who Hold the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Certification
The word "hacker" still makes most people think of crime. But a large and growing group of hackers work entirely within the law, attacking systems only with permission so they can find weaknesses before criminals do. For people who hold the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification from EC-Council, that work leads to a range of well-paid careers. The most common are penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics and security analysis. Penetration testing is still where many new ethical hackers start, and plenty later move into engineering, leadership or more specialized roles.
CISSP-certified professionals qualify for some of the highest-paying and most senior roles in cybersecurity, spanning security architecture, risk management, and executive leadership positions that command median salaries between $127,000 and $150,000 in North America. Earning the Certified Information Systems Security Professional credential from ISC2 signals to employers that you've combined at least five years of hands-on security experience with a rigorous exam covering eight core domains, and that combination opens doors across nearly every industry that handles sensitive data. Understanding which roles CISSP holders actually land — and what those jobs pay in today's market — helps you plan your next career move with real numbers instead of guesswork. coursera
The Cisco ISR-AX, once positioned as a game-changing appliance for branch office application optimization and security, is now fully retired — Cisco's ISR G2 platforms (1900, 2900, 3900 series) that hosted ISR-AX reached end-of-life years ago, with all support services now unavailable as of November 2026. Understanding how branch networking has moved from ISR-AX to today's Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms helps IT professionals and network architects plan infrastructure decisions that will actually hold up over the next hardware refresh cycle.[cisco]
RMF for DoD IT: What Replaced DIACAP and Why It Still Matters in 2026
The Risk Management Framework (RMF) for DoD IT is the cybersecurity authorization process the Department of Defense now uses instead of the old DIACAP system, and it has been the mandatory standard since DoD Instruction 8510.01 took effect in 2014. The term "DIARMF" that circulated in early transition discussions never became the official name — DoD formally adopted "RMF for DoD IT," built on the same NIST Risk Management Framework used across the rest of the federal government. Understanding how RMF works, and how it evolved from DIACAP, is essential for anyone managing DoD system authorizations today.[doncio.navy]
Researchers at security company FireEye have revealed an advanced persistent threat targeting the U.S. defense and aerospace industries and likely originating in China. Named Beebus after an early sample, the campaign's attacks come in continuous waves over time against strategically chosen individuals. According to an unnamed inside source, the Beebus campaign began in early 2012 when FireEye noticed suspicious activity on the systems of some its defense and aerospace clients. Of 261 discovered attacks, 123 targeted unmanned aerial vehicle or systems vendors. The most recent exploit used a Deloitte industry analysis report sent in a weaponized email. Researchers believe that the campaign has so far touched 214 servers with 60 unique IP addresses.