CompTIA Network+ Exam Objective Review: Aligning technical knowledge with business strategy

Updated: 02/22-2021

By Brian K. Arrowood, A+, Network+, Project+, ITIL V3 Foundation, PRINCE2 Foundation

Enhancing IT/business relationships with the Network+ certification

Whether used to describe social media or the arrangement of devices within a given topology, the term “networking” has profound meaning. Indeed, “staying connected” is a current trend in both IT and life. Consequently, aspiring IT professionals should seek to gain familiarity with the multifaceted world of networking. However, today’s IT professionals cannot afford to become functionally isolated; they must understand how technical requirements align with business needs. CompTIA’s Network+ certification helps candidates achieve a solid foundation of networking knowledge and initiates a vital step towards IT professionalism. Numerous objectives from the exam illustrate opportunities for strengthening IT/business relationships. This article describes a few of them and shows candidates how each fulfills larger holistic business goals.

Working symbiotically with business leaders

Undoubtedly, working symbiotically with business leaders is essential for a successful IT career. Granted, businesses come in all shapes and sizes but commonalties remain (i.e., the critical factors of cost and quality). Embracing such needs, then, should be an intense focal point within IT departments—specifically, driving down costs by utilizing more efficient resources and improving quality through increased availability and service performances. Business leaders will love you. Not only are you augmenting your value to the organization but also its value to customers. Objectives 1.1 Explain the purposes and uses of ports and protocols, 1.7 Summarize cloud concepts and their purposes, and 2.4 Explain the purposes of virtualization and network storage technologies are especially relevant to this vision of an IT professional who is capable of aligning technical knowledge with fundamental business strategy.

Virtualization and the cloud

this combines two closely related concepts that should excite candidates’ interests—that is, virtualization and the cloud. Both are frequently used throughout discussions of technological trends and/or breakthroughs. They might be the reason why many of us got into IT in the first place. Virtualization is typically thought of as taking place onsite, while the cloud is more commonly viewed as an enabler of services from afar. In reality, however, both constitute some sort of emulation by which the company’s ability to optimize performance is greatly enhanced. Add increased customer awareness and what former HP IT Operations Senior Vice President, Ajay Sigh, calls “connected intelligence” (HP Development Co, L.P., 2016, p. 1), and you’ve got another industry buzzword: competitive advantage. Conclusively, virtualization and the cloud epitomize today’s sought-after ideal of streamlining resources in order to accomplish more tasks in a cheaper, more effective manner.

Each item is listed under the objective’s subsections as Virtualization and Cloud concepts. You’ll notice immediately that practically every network device or component, whether it is hardware or software related, can be placed within a virtual setting. Just as VRRP and HSRP provide redundancy through Virtual IP addresses, other devices achieve similar feats as they become virtualized. As the last subitem under Virtualization indicates, this direction of increased hardware/software emulation is leading us towards a more highly structured system of software-defined networking that is easier to maintain, more apt for troubleshooting, better at handling big data, and, quite simply, less cumbersome on businesses overall.

Virtualization on steroids

Many of you have probably come across the phrase referring to WiMax as “Wi-Fi on steroids.” The comparison is often made. If such is the case, I’d like to think that the cloud is virtualization on steroids—maybe even Gamma radiation. It’s taking the idea of having something that is not physically there to begin with but to another whole level altogether. For the Network+, CompTIA wants candidates to be familiar with two basic elements of cloud computing, and both have to do with ways in which services are implemented. For example, IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service, but it can come in a variety of forms including private, public, hybrid, or community. The same can be said for Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).

Be prepared to identify how cloud services are being implemented according to whatever scenario is given. Understand that “private” means the cloud provider is rendering access of cloud services only to the client, or business. Obviously, “public” means they are ultimately being accessed by the business’ customers via the Internet. As one might also imagine, “hybrid” blends these situations, and “community” simply means several organizations are sharing services. Interestingly, the word “hybrid” is not used to describe an organization’s possible blending of some IaaS and some PaaS. It only describes a mix of public or private cloud services. The table below should help candidates prepare for the exam by distinguishing what services go into an IaaS, SaaS, or PaaS cloud implementation.

Keeping the ball rolling

As IT professionals, we have to keep the ball rolling. Fault tolerance/redundancy methods are especially vital in our department. Business leaders are relying on us to ensure that both employees and customers are receiving timely access through the networks. Moreover, the network presents a huge opportunity to implement cost savings tactics and enhance our role within the organization. Candidates compelled to master the objectives in the CompTIA Network+ exam and who end up gaining the certification will be glad for doing so. Not only are you acquiring an industry-recognized credential, but you’re also gaining knowledge that will make you better prepared when you go out in the real world. What have you got to lose? I’ve said it before, but CertBlaster is here to help, and I’d encourage you to take a look at some other preparation tools located on their website. Hopefully, this article has helped those of you thinking about sitting for the exam. And finally, Good luck!

References

HP Development Co, L.P. (2016). IT Operations Management – Achieving competitive advantage through Connected Intelligence. HP. Retrieved from

CompTIA’s published Network+ N10-007 Exam Objectives:

1.1 Explain the purposes and uses of ports and protocols
1.7 Summarize cloud concepts and their purposes
2.4 Explain the purposes of virtualization and network storage technologies