Is Network+ mandotory before Security+

atulpol

Hello everyone , I am extremely interested in career in Infoesec , I know i have long way to go ,So i have decided to start out by getting Security+ certification . I being a Telecommunications engineer am well aware of networking in computers ,So wanted to ask whether is it neccesary to get Network+ before Security+ ?? or should i directly go to Security+ ?

THANK YOU

lsud00d

No, definitely not. There will be some overlap but more conceptual, less technical.

I would recommend going straight to S+. Good luck!

nacis

No. I passed the security+ without network+ today. It is not mandatory, but it will be good to check sources with some networking introduction topics. The questions do not directly address network knowledge but you will feel more confident.

But if you're are well aware of networking in computers, you definetly not need to get the N+ exam.

aftereffector

Just skip straight to S+. I got my S+ before taking N+, and really only went 'back' to N+ to give myself a comfort blanket for CCNA. Security+ doesn't really cover much more than the OSI model, some subnetting, and a tiny bit of LAN/WAN theory, so you should already be quite familiar with that content.

Good luck!

atulpol

Thank you so much for replying ..I had couple more questions ..Is Darril Gibson study guide enough for S+? and I dont have any experience till date , I will be passing out my Engineering in couple of months ..So will it be fine if i take S+ directly after my Engg. or shud i add up some experience and then go for it?

CoolAsAFan

Darril's study guide should be sufficient, but some people use multiple sources. He is actually pretty active on these forums (which is uber cool), I am sure you will see him around. There are plenty of "just passed security+" threads where people typically list the resources they used to pass, you should definitely check a few of those out by searching for them.

And yes, you will be fine taking S+ directly after your Eng degree without any experience.

LittleBIT

That is all I used, was Darril Gibson's book, did the practice tests and passed. I studied about two weeks - his stuff is pretty well written. If you are not comfortable, you should use his book, Trainsignal/Pluralsight or CBT Nuggets to reinforce the concepts. Hope this helps.

Also, there was minor Network+ stuff in Sec+. I passed Sec+ and went back and obtained my Net+ afterwards just to complete the trio (A+, Net+, Sec+).

Good luck!

Darril

Mandatory? No. Recommended? Yes. More specifically, CompTIA recommends people complete the Network+ certification and have two years of technical network experience. Telecommunications often means working with phone lines so you are probably the best judge of whether "well aware of networking in computers" equates to that level of knowledge.

That said, I have taught many classes where people didn't have any Networking knowledge but were required to get the Security+ certification for their job (mostly DoD folks in physical security and security administration positions). They were able to pass but they had to work harder than others that had the recommended Network+ certification or knowledge.

Especially challenging for some people are the new performance based questions that CompTIA added after releasing the original SY0-301 objectives. Some of these hit networking topics more heavily than the multiple choice questions making them seem more difficult. You can Google "security+ performance based questions" to read more about these.

Bottom line, if you think you have the relevant networking knowledge, skip the Network+ and do the Security+.

Hope this helps.