Network Administration
Working from the concept upwards, network administration involves configuring and managing LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks) and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). You will be responsible for analyzing, installing and configuring the company’s network even from a remote location. Monitoring network performance, troubleshooting problems and maintaining network security has to be done on a daily basis. With the proliferation of B2C (business to customer) websites, e-commerce, e-governance, VPN (Virtual Private Networks) and other Internet and telecom-based applications like remote servicing and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) the demand for network administrators is expected to peak in the next couple of years.

Familiarity with the intricacies of the specific systems being used by a company: Windows NT, Novell, Unix, Linux and so forth, thorough knowledge of networked applications, security and virus-protection schemes, system diagnostic utilities and experience with routers, hubs and bridges is also necessary.

Network Technicians
Focus more on the set up, troubleshooting and repair of specific hardware and software products.

Service Technicians
Visit customer sites to perform “field” upgrades and support functions.

Network Programmers and Analysts
Write software programmes or scripts that help evaluate third party products and integrate new software technologies into an existing or new network environment.

Network Managers
Supervise the work of administrators, engineers, technicians and programmers. They also work at long-range planning and strategy. At the entry level you will be focusing on tasks such as troubleshooting, monitoring, LAN performance, adding or deleting users, adding new servers, etc.

Network Security
As more and more organizations move their offline transactions online and vast quantities of vital and sensitive data travels through networks, the need for developing “fool proof” e-security systems to safeguard the networks and databases from rampant cracking has emerged as the number one IT concern globally. And consequently, it is one of the hottest and most sought-after specialties.

With over 300 new viruses released everyday and rampant hacking (82,000 recorded cases, according to a Carnegie Mellon University study, governments and corporations have beefed-up their IS spend and tightened access to their systems and core applications. They are looking for people who can administer their enterprise network security safely and securely as a strategic priority.

To excel in this field, you must be as familiar with system programming and administration as with security configuration and firewalls. This also includes knowledge of advanced TCP/IP, security fundamentals, security implementation, router security and attack routes.