Saturday, 17 October 2015
Becoming a computer technician is a great point of entry into the IT field, and computer hardware certifications will help demonstrate your knowledge and competency in maintaining computers, mobile devices, printers and more. These top five computer hardware certs can get your IT career off the ground.
To a certain extent, the title of this article is something of a misnomer. In the interests of increased specificity, it might be more appropriate to add the words "general" or "mostly vendor-neutral," although we do include a credential from Apple in this list that focuses exclusively on Apple hardware. And in fact, it's possible to view some certifications from hardware vendors such as HP, Dell, Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet and so forth as hardware focused, at and beyond the entry level. Thus, as you peruse this guide, don't forget that there are lots of other options from which you can choose if you're interested in demonstrating your knowledge and abilities with particular vendor's products and devices.
There's another misnomer involved in calling these credentials hardware certifications, too -- namely, the idea that hardware can exist or operate independently of software (or vice versa). If you dig into the curriculum for any specific hardware-related certifications in any depth, you'll quickly realize that by and large software is in control of hardware nowadays.
Software comes into play for installation, configuration, maintenance, troubleshooting and just about any other activity you can undertake with hardware. We don't want to misrepresent the focus and coverage of these certs, so it's important to understand that the hardware label simply indicates that devices are involved, not that hardware is ALL that's involved. Here are the best computer hardware certification listed below :
Apple Certified Mac Technician Certification ACMT :
Apple Certified Mac Technician (ACMT) certification verifies the ability to perform basic troubleshooting and repair of both desktop and portable Macintosh systems, such as iMac and MacBook Pro. ACMT certification exams emphasize identifying and resolving common Mac OS X problems, and using Apple Service and Support products and practices to effectively repair Apple hardware.
BICSI ITS Technician Training :
Take your installation performance to the next level through the study of specialized systems and advanced copper and optical fiber structured cabling systems. TE350 is an intensive 5-day course that provides the necessary skill set of a structured cabling systems technician. An advanced study of copper splicing, testing and troubleshooting will open this course. A significant amount of course time will then be spent on the splicing, testing and troubleshooting of optical fiber cable. The third major topic covered in this class will be field coordination, including site surveys, blueprint reading, network infrastructure and project management.
CompTIA A+ :
A+ Certification is a widely-acknowledged, general computer certification for entry-level service technicians or anyone who wants to learn how to install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot and repair computers. A+ Certification is a valuable computer certification on its own. But it's also a solid foundation for advanced computer certification tracks, such as those linked below under the heading Computer Certifications.
CWTS: Certified Wireless Technology Specialist :
The Certified Wireless Technology Specialist (CWTS) is the entry-level credential for the Certified Wireless Networking Professional (CWNP) program, which includes professional- and expert-level credentials, as well as specialist certs in the areas of wireless networking design, analysis and security. Wireless networking skills and knowledge are in high demand, and involve hands-on, in-depth knowledge of and interaction with wireless networking devices and interfaces.
