Exploring The Impact of IAT Level II on Professional Development
The Department of Defense has measures regarding the qualifications of information assurance employees. Many assume these measures apply only to military employees, but they also apply to civilian employees and contractors. Individuals who wish to move up to the next level of certification must be aware of these qualifications.
What Do IAT Level II Employees Do?
The DoD Directive established three levels of professional development. Individuals with IAT Level II certification handle the agency’s network environment infrastructure. They provide end-user support and manage the accounts for these users. When doing so, they may create a username and password for a worker or create remote worker permissions. These men and women also analyze system performance, such as installing software upgrades and patches.
Individuals in any federal government agency must have IAT Level II certification to complete these tasks. This includes men and women working in DoD field activities, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Certifications Required
The Department of Defense requires individuals to obtain two levels of certification before taking on the tasks outlined above. They must possess information assurance certification and certification in the computing environment. This computing environment certification is based on their current IAT level and the type of hardware and software they use daily. IAT Level II required certifications include CompTIA Security+ and Systems Security Certified Practitioner. They may also pursue other certifications, such as CCNA Security and GSEC.
The CCNA Security certification program covers networking fundamentals, infrastructure services and security, and other topics. A person might want to become CySA+ certified to become a cybersecurity analyst. This certification covers firewall technology and threat detection tools. However, some men and women opt to become Global Industrial Cyber Security Professionals. This certification program focuses on industrial control systems, cyber threats, security audits, and more.
The GIAC Security Essential or GSEC certification enhances a person’s skills in Linux OS security, security policy framework, and incident response handling. Wireless networking protocols and communications security are covered in this certification course, and the student learns about the fundamentals of cryptography. The Security+ certification remains very popular as it serves as a stepping stone for specialized cybersecurity certification. Students undergo risk management and mitigation training, instruction detection, threat management, and penetration testing. The SSCP or Systems Security Certified Practitioner program covers multiple domains, including access control, risk management, and network communications security. Each person must determine which additional certifications will help advance their career.
Common Job Titles
How can a person know which positions require DoD IAT Level II certification if it is not mentioned in the job listing? Systems administrators, network and systems engineers, and network administrators or specialists must be certified at this level. A site lead Army CoE, senior systems administrator, and information security analyst also need this certification. Anyone wishing to serve as a help desk analyst or IT security system in the DoD or for one of its contractors must pursue Level II certification.
People should learn everything possible about DoD IAT Level II to determine whether to pursue this certification. They should consider their job functions and requirements to decide which certifications are required. With this information, they can determine whether pursuing certification will help them advance their careers and expand their job opportunities.