by Andrew Pilling

I get many emails from customers asking me what measures they can employ to keep their computers and their bank balances safe when they are shopping online. Keeping your data safe on your computer can be broken down into a few golden rules.

Computer hardware training is a specialised course. One can specialise in computer hardware in a computer engineering degree course or in a computer science degree course run by a college or university. Alternatively, there are less recognized but equally informative computer hardware training courses which are run by commercial institutes offering computer education. A computer hardware training course run even by these institutes will offer a degree at the end as computer hardware training is a specialised vocation and requires a certificate to prove it specially.

Computer technician training is provided by two types of institutes. There are two kinds of computer technicians – computer engineers (with recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science from a college or university) and computer technicians (with a basic knowledge of computer hardware and software with or without any recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science). Basic computer training, such as the parts of a computer system and their functions are sometimes part of some school curricula. Also, such information is part of basic computer training courses provided by specialised computer training institutes. However, being a computer technician requires more knowledge than the basics provided by such courses. A computer technician needs more specialised knowledge about computer hardware. For such computer technician training, one can enroll at a local computer training institute. Some employers require a certificate such as an A+ or a MCSE certificate. The A+ certification is also called the ComTia A+ Certification (after the Computing Technology Industry Association). This certificate is vendor neutral which means it covers products made by different hardware and software manufacturers. The course outline is roughly as follows: basics of computer installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. Some other topics in this course are the domains of security, safety, and even environmental issues and professional standards. A+ boot camps are intensive training courses which provide a lot of practical experience. CompTIA Network+ consists of fundamentals about computer networking. CompTIA Linux+ is a certification that validates the knowledge of computer technicians with at least six months of practical Linux experience.

            Computer technology training is provided in several forms. Computer technology training is part of several school programs. In schools however, advanced computer technology training is seldom provided. What is provided, rather, is a basic training to be able to use some features of a computer like word-processing, being able to surf the internet, sending an email, etc. For more advanced computer technology training like programming in languages like Java and C or web page designing, one usually enrolls for a higher course in colleges and universities or other institutions like computer training centers. In addition, if one has a basic knowledge of computers, one can acquire specialized skills from researching through the internet. Special software, available for download online (either paid or free), and software available on CDs and DVDs also provide computer training. But that is not a conventional method of advanced computer technology training. Such advanced training is provided through full time courses at colleges and is usually termed computer science or computer engineering.