Network Security Guidance Needed

Fulcrum45

Hey gang! So long story short, I would like to be more involved with the security side of things but I'm not sure where to go next on my certification path. I will wrap my CCNA up next month but what next? I had considered Sec+ and then a look into CISSP but I'm not sure. CISSP to big a jump just yet? Is Sec+ necessary? Is there something else I should be looking at instead? Perhaps I should be looking for certain stepping stones in terms of experience instead? Something to layer between certifications. As always, any guidance would be appreciated.

bpenn

How many years of experience do you have working with the domains of the CISSP? If you have 5 or more, I would consider the CISSP. If you have a degree or Security+ (few others certs, too) that will take you down to 4 years. I think Security+ is a good stepping stone and one you should consider.

Fulcrum45

Appreciate the response bpenn. Over the years I may have touched on different aspects of network security but I suppose nothing that could be considered fully applicable to CISSP domains. I figured Sec+ would be a good place to start as its vendor neutral and would give me a nice 50,000 ft. view.

soccarplayer29

I would recommend reviewing/studying the Sec+ information and see how interesting it is to you. And then either take the exam or not depending on if you want to pay that much for the exam. And after that if you're still driven to dive deeper into security then look into CCNA Security and/or CISSP. Jumping straight into CISSP might feel daunting and might not have enough motivation/desire to complete...Sec+ material could be a good stepping stone. Try checking out Professor Messer or Cybrary.it for some good quality free Sec+ and CISSP videos.

aderon

The sec+ will clear a lot of government requirements if you're interested in working in that sector. Here's a good look at which certifications clear out which government requirements. It might give you a better idea of what you'd like to pursue.

http://iase.disa.mil/iawip/Pages/iabaseline.aspx

Fulcrum45

Wonderful, thanks for the info gang! Looks like Sec+ will be the next step then.