Many people just assume that computer networks and the Internet will be there, run smoothly, and never be affected by hackers or malware. But last month, the so-called “WannaCry” ransomware attack brought down a number of computer systems all over the world, resulting in losses of time and money. Starting with a few simple requests via email to click onto a Google Doc link, it showed how potent and crippling a cyberattack can be. It also serves as instruction to how to best defeat one. Some articles claimed that a common Microsoft patch could have been enough to stop WannaCry had [...]

When I’m teaching Cybertex students about Microsoft networks, I like to go beyond what’s in the book. What I’ve found most helpful for students, in teaching them how a Microsoft network operates, is to have them build one from scratch. It seems like a daunting task at first. Many students are just used to memorizing information from a textbook and showing that knowledge in a test. And while having knowledge from a textbook helps students to a degree, it doesn’t cover everything that an IT student needs to become an IT worker. In our Network Engineer program, we believe in going [...]

That might seem like a shocking statement, but it’s one that I can attest to both from my experience and from what I’ve seen. A person can do well in high school, get good grades, and look like he or she is ready to go to college. But upon getting there, that same person who seems confident and ready for college can be lost to the pace, the demands, and the diverse curriculum of a university or even a community college. It can be a shock to one’s system. Some people know what they want to do in life, and college [...]

I like to think of certification like a driver’s license. You can be an experienced driver, and you can have all the skill in the world, but if you don’t get your driver’s license, you won’t be able to drive. In the IT professional world, certification is akin to a driver’s license. Having a certification shows a prospective employer that you have training in that area. That’s important because many jobs, from entry-level jobs to overseeing networks, rely on the sets of skills that certification provides. At Cybertex Institute of Technology, our Network Engineer program is designed for students to [...]

If you’re like most Americans—even with employment trends shifting a bit toward evening and night shifts—you work a job that starts in the morning and ends in the late afternoon. If you want to take a class to improve your situation, and pursue a field of study that really appeals to you, you have to do it in the evening. (Or you have to quit your daytime job to accommodate daytime classes, and find an evening or night job to pay your bills.) At Cybertex Institute of Technology, we understand the realities of balancing school, which is why we offer [...]