IT certification may come in three main forms: those with sponsorship by software vendors; those with backing from vendor-neutral groups; and those supported by educational institutions. Some tech certificates are easier to get than others though.
There are seven technologies which are expected to have key importance in the IT Management world come year 2008.
The first is the CCSP certificate which stands for Cisco Certified Security Professional. This encompasses five exams which you must re-take every three years to keep your certification up to date.
The second is the CISSP which is the acronym for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional. This is a non-vendor-specific certificate awarded by the (ISC)2 organization.
The third is the SSCP which means Systems Security Certified Practitioner, which is also granted to applicants by the (ISC)2 organization. You only need to take a three-hour exam to be awarded this certificate.
The fourth is the GIAC Security Expert certificate (also called GSE.) This is given out by the SANS Software Security Institute. To qualify to take the GSE, you must pass three other certifications first, namely, the GSEC, the GCIA, and the GCIH.
The fifth is the Red Hat Certified Engineer (or RHCE) certificate which only covers Linux networks. Its advanced form is the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA.)
The sixth is the popular ITIL® certificate series which starts at the Foundation level, proceeds to the Practitioner status, and culminates with the Manager certificate.
The last category actually covers certain sub-areas in IT training, such as Voice over IP, wireless networking, database administration, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, and compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.)