April 7, 2015 at 11:17CompTIA Certifications for IT Professionals. Part 6 of 7. CompTIA Storage +
Part 1 of 7: CompTIA A + and the webinar entry on preparing for IS certification
Part 4 of 7: CompTIA Security +. CompTIA Certifications for IT Professionals
Part 7 of 7: CompTIA CTT + (Certified Technical Trainer)
Pashkov Kuzma - Lead InfoSec , EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua
The capitalization of companies that have achieved a high level of automation of business processes, increasingly consists of information assets, the cost of which often exceeds the cost of the automated system in which they are stored and processed. The exponential growth in volume and the complexity of the semantics of these assets force business owners to continuously evaluate and minimize the information security risks associated with these assets.
One of the necessary conditions for economically feasible risk minimization is the implementation of the ILM strategy - Information Lifecycle Management (information management and storage strategy), which assumes a differentiated approach to storing and managing company information at all stages of its life cycle.
In turn, a necessary condition for implementing the ILM strategy is the use of ISS - Intelligent Storage Systems (intelligent storage systems) and SAN - Storage Area Networks (storage networks).
The non-profit association of leading manufacturers ( EMC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, etc. ) is engaged in the development and implementation of standards in this industry . SSHD - SNIA - Storage Network Industry Association. The Association is the operator of a developed program of vendor-independent certifications for all relevant categories of specialists in storage systems: engineers, architects and experts. In 2011, SNIA delegated the compulsory entry test for SSDS to the CompTIA association, already known in previous articles in this series.- so one of the most popular "young" Storage + certifications was born .
I was introduced to it by my mentor Ting-Ying Li from EMC, when I began to specialize in the storage systems of this manufacturer.
Certification CompTIA Storage + is recognized by leading manufacturers of storage systems and is the "entrance ticket" to vendor-specific certification for their products, for example, EMC Storage Administrator . To receive it, you must pass a test with code SG0-001 worth $ 270 in English in a controlled environment of the Prometric testing center. In 90 minutes (plus 30 for those who are not native speakers), you need to answer 100 questions that test knowledge and skills on the basics of SSHD, namely:
1) components
2) communication technology
3) management
4) data protection
5) performance
Even for those who have graduated in IT and have the recommended work experience, I highly recommend getting or at least preparing (without passing exams) for the CompTIA A + , Network + , Server + and Security + certifications - these are indicated in the entry requirements for Storage + candidates.
For ease of preparation, I recommend presenting a detailed list of requirements for candidates for examinations in order from simple to complex, from general to private:
1) familiarity with the basics of information storage
2) the environment of data centers
3) RAID technology
4) intelligent data storage systems
5 ) Fiber Channel SAN
6) IP SAN
7) NAS
8) object-oriented and unified storage
9) fundamentals of business continuity
10) backup and archiving
11) local replication
12) remote replication
13) cloud computing
14) protection of storage infrastructure
15) management of storage infrastructure
theoretical parts of the exam can be prepared using self-study guides recommended by CompTIA. The Data Storage Networking book helped me a lot.from the publisher Sybex. But one must understand that such literature only “pulls” to the short-term goal - successful passing the exam, and the longer-term perspective is more interesting - understanding the principles of construction and operation of storage systems and the willingness to quickly learn the features of their implementation in the products of a particular manufacturer. For this, I highly recommend reading a book on the basics of information storage and management, written by a team of authors from among the leading industry experts and teachers of leading technical universities - Information Storage and Management , currently (2015) the second edition of this wonderful book (version 2) is relevant.
Perhaps these principles will be revealed to you by computer-based training (CBT) teachers who can be found in search engines by the names of their leading world companies, for example, Pluralsight (formerly CBT Nuggets), developers, as well as by the names of certification statuses and exam codes.
The passage of the authorized course of EMC Information Storage and Management Corporation , which is held at leading training centers and technical universities in Moscow , Kiev and St. Petersburg, helped me a lot .
If you can prepare for the theoretical part of the exam only with the help of books, then questions checking the existence of practical skills require, albeit minimal, experience with real equipment and software for storage systems.
Unfortunately, the specifics of storage systems even at the initial level (not to mention enterprise-class solutions) imply an unbearably high cost for creating a laboratory bench, and manufacturers of storage systems almost never release virtual lite versions of their products, except for the extremely limited capabilities of simulators.
Therefore, I can advise you to use the already created training laboratories. For example, the first SSHD laboratory in the CISon the basis of the Faculty of Retraining Specialists of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, where my fellow enthusiast Evgeny Norka has been teaching bachelors, masters and specialists undergoing professional retraining for many years .
The same laboratories lease the training centers of Moscow and Kiev authorized by them for manufacturers of storage systems, but the cost of training makes them available only to corporate customers who purposefully train their employees.
Also, do not forget that each attempt to pass the exam is paid, so you should “train” yourself in paid testing systems (Boson, TestOut, MeasureUp, etc.) with a pool of questions of the level corresponding to the exam, emulating what happens on a real exam. In search engines and topic forums like www.certcollection.org you can always find these testing systems by exam codes. Having achieved a consistently high percentage of correct answers (> 90%), we can hope for successful passing the exam on the first attempt in the real testing system Prometric (www.prometric.com).
At the moment (2015), the first version of the exam from 2011, SG0-001, is still relevant, but in light of the rapid development of SSHD, a new iteration should be expected in the next year or two. It is also important to remember that Storage + status is granted for 3 years and to renew it you need to regularly confirm to the CompTIA operator that you keep your qualifications up to date as part of the Continuous Education continuing education program .
Even during the crisis years in the CIS, the SSHD market is constantly expanding and requires qualified specialists, the training of which should begin in the academic environment in accordance with the latest standards of this dynamically developing industry. Storage + is a convenient starting point in the career of a storage specialist and will soon be counted in the certifications of the leading manufacturers of these products (EMC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, etc.)
Also, for those who have not read other articles from the CompTIA Certification series, I remind you that in many American universities in the undergraduate / graduate programs, as well as in the framework of additional professional education, CompTIA certifications are counted, saving time and money for training.
My interest in networks and storage systems was originally generated by the desire to significantly increase the cost of my standard hour, having received admission with products, the cost of which is often measured in millions of dollars. This led me to the EMC technology universe, about the certification program of which I will write a separate series of articles.
I look forward to questions on CompTIA training and certification at [email protected]
Information security training courses taught by the author of the article (CC MUK - Kiev)
EMC training courses (Kiev)
April 15-17, VNX Block Storage Management / Storage Management VNX BlockStorage
May 5-8, Data Domain System Administration Data System Administration Domain
May 18-22, NetWorker Installation, Configuration & Administration Installation, configuration and administration of EMC NetWorker
MUK-Service - all types of IT repair: warranty, non-warranty repairs, sale of spare parts, contract service
Part 4 of 7: CompTIA Security +. CompTIA Certifications for IT Professionals
Part 7 of 7: CompTIA CTT + (Certified Technical Trainer)
Pashkov Kuzma - Lead InfoSec , EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua
Networks and storage systems (hereinafter referred to as storage system)
The capitalization of companies that have achieved a high level of automation of business processes, increasingly consists of information assets, the cost of which often exceeds the cost of the automated system in which they are stored and processed. The exponential growth in volume and the complexity of the semantics of these assets force business owners to continuously evaluate and minimize the information security risks associated with these assets.
One of the necessary conditions for economically feasible risk minimization is the implementation of the ILM strategy - Information Lifecycle Management (information management and storage strategy), which assumes a differentiated approach to storing and managing company information at all stages of its life cycle.
In turn, a necessary condition for implementing the ILM strategy is the use of ISS - Intelligent Storage Systems (intelligent storage systems) and SAN - Storage Area Networks (storage networks).
The non-profit association of leading manufacturers ( EMC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, etc. ) is engaged in the development and implementation of standards in this industry . SSHD - SNIA - Storage Network Industry Association. The Association is the operator of a developed program of vendor-independent certifications for all relevant categories of specialists in storage systems: engineers, architects and experts. In 2011, SNIA delegated the compulsory entry test for SSDS to the CompTIA association, already known in previous articles in this series.- so one of the most popular "young" Storage + certifications was born .
I was introduced to it by my mentor Ting-Ying Li from EMC, when I began to specialize in the storage systems of this manufacturer.
1. Acquaintance with certification
Certification CompTIA Storage + is recognized by leading manufacturers of storage systems and is the "entrance ticket" to vendor-specific certification for their products, for example, EMC Storage Administrator . To receive it, you must pass a test with code SG0-001 worth $ 270 in English in a controlled environment of the Prometric testing center. In 90 minutes (plus 30 for those who are not native speakers), you need to answer 100 questions that test knowledge and skills on the basics of SSHD, namely:
1) components
2) communication technology
3) management
4) data protection
5) performance
2. Methodology of preparation
Even for those who have graduated in IT and have the recommended work experience, I highly recommend getting or at least preparing (without passing exams) for the CompTIA A + , Network + , Server + and Security + certifications - these are indicated in the entry requirements for Storage + candidates.
For ease of preparation, I recommend presenting a detailed list of requirements for candidates for examinations in order from simple to complex, from general to private:
1) familiarity with the basics of information storage
2) the environment of data centers
3) RAID technology
4) intelligent data storage systems
5 ) Fiber Channel SAN
6) IP SAN
7) NAS
8) object-oriented and unified storage
9) fundamentals of business continuity
10) backup and archiving
11) local replication
12) remote replication
13) cloud computing
14) protection of storage infrastructure
15) management of storage infrastructure
theoretical parts of the exam can be prepared using self-study guides recommended by CompTIA. The Data Storage Networking book helped me a lot.from the publisher Sybex. But one must understand that such literature only “pulls” to the short-term goal - successful passing the exam, and the longer-term perspective is more interesting - understanding the principles of construction and operation of storage systems and the willingness to quickly learn the features of their implementation in the products of a particular manufacturer. For this, I highly recommend reading a book on the basics of information storage and management, written by a team of authors from among the leading industry experts and teachers of leading technical universities - Information Storage and Management , currently (2015) the second edition of this wonderful book (version 2) is relevant.
Perhaps these principles will be revealed to you by computer-based training (CBT) teachers who can be found in search engines by the names of their leading world companies, for example, Pluralsight (formerly CBT Nuggets), developers, as well as by the names of certification statuses and exam codes.
The passage of the authorized course of EMC Information Storage and Management Corporation , which is held at leading training centers and technical universities in Moscow , Kiev and St. Petersburg, helped me a lot .
If you can prepare for the theoretical part of the exam only with the help of books, then questions checking the existence of practical skills require, albeit minimal, experience with real equipment and software for storage systems.
Unfortunately, the specifics of storage systems even at the initial level (not to mention enterprise-class solutions) imply an unbearably high cost for creating a laboratory bench, and manufacturers of storage systems almost never release virtual lite versions of their products, except for the extremely limited capabilities of simulators.
Therefore, I can advise you to use the already created training laboratories. For example, the first SSHD laboratory in the CISon the basis of the Faculty of Retraining Specialists of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, where my fellow enthusiast Evgeny Norka has been teaching bachelors, masters and specialists undergoing professional retraining for many years .
The same laboratories lease the training centers of Moscow and Kiev authorized by them for manufacturers of storage systems, but the cost of training makes them available only to corporate customers who purposefully train their employees.
Also, do not forget that each attempt to pass the exam is paid, so you should “train” yourself in paid testing systems (Boson, TestOut, MeasureUp, etc.) with a pool of questions of the level corresponding to the exam, emulating what happens on a real exam. In search engines and topic forums like www.certcollection.org you can always find these testing systems by exam codes. Having achieved a consistently high percentage of correct answers (> 90%), we can hope for successful passing the exam on the first attempt in the real testing system Prometric (www.prometric.com).
3. Result
At the moment (2015), the first version of the exam from 2011, SG0-001, is still relevant, but in light of the rapid development of SSHD, a new iteration should be expected in the next year or two. It is also important to remember that Storage + status is granted for 3 years and to renew it you need to regularly confirm to the CompTIA operator that you keep your qualifications up to date as part of the Continuous Education continuing education program .
4. Prospects
Even during the crisis years in the CIS, the SSHD market is constantly expanding and requires qualified specialists, the training of which should begin in the academic environment in accordance with the latest standards of this dynamically developing industry. Storage + is a convenient starting point in the career of a storage specialist and will soon be counted in the certifications of the leading manufacturers of these products (EMC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, etc.)
Also, for those who have not read other articles from the CompTIA Certification series, I remind you that in many American universities in the undergraduate / graduate programs, as well as in the framework of additional professional education, CompTIA certifications are counted, saving time and money for training.
5. Continuation of the story
My interest in networks and storage systems was originally generated by the desire to significantly increase the cost of my standard hour, having received admission with products, the cost of which is often measured in millions of dollars. This led me to the EMC technology universe, about the certification program of which I will write a separate series of articles.
I look forward to questions on CompTIA training and certification at [email protected]
Information security training courses taught by the author of the article (CC MUK - Kiev)
EMC training courses (Kiev)
April 15-17, VNX Block Storage Management / Storage Management VNX BlockStorage
May 5-8, Data Domain System Administration Data System Administration Domain
May 18-22, NetWorker Installation, Configuration & Administration Installation, configuration and administration of EMC NetWorker
MUK-Service - all types of IT repair: warranty, non-warranty repairs, sale of spare parts, contract service
