CompTIA updates Network+ certification

CompTIA today introduced an updated edition of its Network+ professional certification, which the nonprofit organization says will enable network practitioners to understand and apply both networking and security concepts to configure and harden networks.

CompTIA Network+ will give early career professionals the networking foundation needed to configure networks by understanding routing technologies and factors of physical installations as well as configure switching technologies and wireless devices. The cornerstone certification can help technology professionals validate a range of practical skills that can ensure network availability as well as security, CompTIA says. (See also: Network World’s hiring, skills and certification tracker)

“Network+ equips employees with the foundational network security skills crucial for identifying vulnerabilities, managing network access, and implementing network security controls,” said Teresa Sears, vice president of product management at CompTIA, in a statement.

The Network+ certification can result in roles such as junior network administrators, data center support technicians, network engineers, systems administrators, network operations center technicians, telecommunications technicians, and cable technicians, CompTIA says. Separately, CompTIA research found that employers listed some 1.1 million job postings in the U.S. for systems administration and other network-related skills in 2023.

“Professionals who earn this credential have demonstrated their ability and confidence to provide critical network support to organizations of all sizes,” Sears said.

The updated Network+ exam, or N10-009, includes more extensive coverage of modern network environments and factors related to physical network installations. Essential skills that CompTIA includes as key parts of the program include:

• IP addressing
• Connecting networks
• Wireless standards and technologies
• Network Availability
• Securing and hardening networks

Software-defined networking (SDN) and software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) are also covered with the Network+ cert. According to CompTIA, “the program introduces infrastructure as code (IaC), which is considered a transformative approach that leverages code for improved provisioning and support for computing infrastructure.” As networking and security skills continue to converge, the updated Network+ cert now integrates zero-trust architecture and other forms of network fortification.

The updated Network+ certification program also now includes large-scale network deployments and scalability via the use of virtual extensible local-area network, or VxLAN, intermediate distribution frames (IDF), and main distribution frames (MDF). CompTIA Network+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements.

With the release of the new Network+ exam, CompTIA also updated its suite of eLearning solutions for CertMaster Learn Network+. The learning products for the exam now include:

• CertMaster Learn Network+:  A self-paced eLearning experience that includes instructional content, videos, performance-based questions, skills assessments, and simulated labs.
• CertMaster Perform Network+: Live labs for practical skills training for more advanced job tasks and scenarios.
• CertMaster Labs Network+: Labs that run simulations of hardware and operating systems as well as live labs that run in an environment with a fully functional range of virtual machines, networks, and cloud accounts.
• Network Modeler: A graphical simulation tool that provides students with practical experience in understanding, designing, testing, and resolving network issues.
• CertMaster Practice Network+: An adaptive knowledge assessment tool that determines what a learner has already mastered and what they still need to learn to prepare for the Network+ certification exam.
• Network+ Student Guide:  A guide to help learners master the material for their certification exams.