The not-for-profit institution 'CompTIA' - 'Computing Technology Industry Association' - was established in 1982. They have developed over time to become the number one in vendor neutral I.T. accreditation. Which means they're able to freely create & control an entire collection of I.T. industry exams & produce their very own qualifications that don't apply to just one particular company's products. With today's move towards inter connectivity & systems 'convergence', this is seen as a welcome move for the IT trainee, because it offers cross platform learning & an understanding of 'integration'. Every time new syllabuses are produced, CompTIA invites numerous educational & industrial groups to join them & confirm that every aspect has been regarded equally, & the training programs are appropriate from a commercial perspective.

New entrants into the IT sector can look to CompTIA for quite a number of their preliminary training packages. Anyone looking to get into networking and support, or systems, servers & security should usually begin with 'CompTIA', though it's reasonable to say that 'CompTIA' qualifications can enhance just about any CV geared for the IT industry. There is also now a thrust at 'CompTIA' to provide their starter level 'STRATA' courses to those individuals who do not actually work in IT, but would gain from an understanding of basic IT and how it impacts their work.

The two exams have quite recently been subject to a 2009 upgrade in line with the company's efforts towards 'ISO' standardisation. The earlier 'A+' (edition 2006-2007) exams that were categorised with the 600 pre-fix are now being retired globally throughout 2010. At the close of August 2010, the exams will retire in Great Britain. As 2009 examinations ('700') are currently available at test-centres up and down the country, these newer study programs would be a more sensible solution for someone just about to start. The specific 'A+' 2009 examinations are now: CompTIA A+ Essentials (exam 220-701) & 'CompTIA' A+ Practical Application (exam 220-702.) The main changes were an entire restructuring of the past 4 examinations into only 2 examinations, & the addition of some information on more recent relevant technologies. The old structure was 1 compulsory Essentials examination & three 'electives', of which just one needed to be taken. Over the last several years, the market has developed to the point where all 4 examinations have become thought to be necessary - hence the reformatting into two essential exams. Those who have formerly achieved the '600' examination is allowed to bring their qualification up to date by taking an up-grade exam - BR/003. Successfully passing the bridging examination will usually demand additional study, but this shouldn't be too much of a challenge for people who originally studied all 4. Enough training hours should be factored in for the newer technology elements though.

On to the '2009' edition of the Network+ - N10-004 is now the exam reference. In addition to retaining it's teaching on network management and infrastructure, the updated '2009' exam points to a greater importance on security, wireless-networking abilities & network-design principles.

If you are focused on any of these roles, the A+ will work for you - Remote Support Technician, Call Centre and Depot Technician, Help Desk Technician, Field Service Technician, IT Administrator and PC Technician . With CompTIA 'Network+' as well, you can look at becoming an IT Cable Installer, a Network Installer, a Network Administrator or a Network Technician .

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