Security+ is one of the two newest CompTIA certifications (the other being the HTI+). This certification aims to identify individuals with knowledge of and experience in IT security. CompTIA recommends that candidates have at least two years’ experience in networking and thorough knowledge of TCP/IP before taking the Security+ exam.
The Security+ exam was created by a mix of leading industry training and security organizations, such as Argonne National Laboratory, Course Technology, Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Microsoft, among several others. The exam covers five topic areas, which include general security, communications, infrastructure, cryptography, and operations/organization issues.
The live exam was released in December 2002. Although it’s too soon to measure the success of the program, industry experts indicate that the Security+ could soon become a prerequisite for other vendors’ higher-level security certifications. For more information about Security+, please visit http://www.comptia.org/certification/Security/default.asp.