CompTIA’s Security+ is a well-respected, vendor-neutral security certification. Security+ credential holders are recognized as possessing superior technical skills, broad knowledge and expertise in multiple security-related disciplines.
While Security+ is an entry-level certification, successful candidates should possess at least six months of experience working in the areas of network administration and network security. Candidates who want to obtain this certification should consider first obtaining both the A+ and Network+ certification. IT pros who obtain the certificate possess expertise in areas such as threat management, cryptography, identity management, security systems, security risk identification and mitigation, network access control, and security infrastructure. The CompTIA Security+ credential is also approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet Directive 8140.-M requirements.
The Security+ credential requires a single exam, currently priced at $311 (discounts may apply to those who work for CompTIA member companies, and to full-time students).
IT professionals who earned the Security+ cert prior to Jan. 1, 2011 remain certified for life. Those who certify after that date must renew the certification every three years to stay current. To renew, candidates are required to pass the most current Security+ exam, pass a higher-level CompTIA exam or complete 50 continuing education units (CEUs) prior to the expiration of the three-year period. CEUs can be obtained by engaging in a variety of activities, such as teaching, blogging, publishing articles or white papers, and participating in professional conferences and similar activities.
Job Outlook for CompTIA Security +
The US Department of Labor states job candidates who have a certification in cyber security, which includes the CompTIA Security + will experience job growth, which is 15% ahead of regular information technology positions in the industry. Organizations large and small are looking for network administration candidates who have a cyber security certification.
The CompTIA Security + certificate informs potential employers that you have the skills to protect their network. ABCO Technology teaches a comprehensive program for cyber security. One of the courses in this program is the CompTIA Security +. Our next class for CompTIA Security + begins on October 24, 2017.
If you want to obtain a fulfilling career in cyber security, it’s time for you to contact ABCO Technology to receive more information about this cyber security career opportunity. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach us by telephone at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can successfully qualify for the funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304 Cyber security is a growing field, get trained and certified today!
Pizza Hut’s customers had their online accounts compromised. Cybercrime is growing at such a rapid rate, even companies selling products as safe as pizza are under cyber-attack. The increase in cybercrime to this level continues to create more cyber security jobs.
Pizza Hut told customers by email on Saturday that some of their personal information may have been compromised. Some of those customers are angry that it took almost two weeks for the fast food chain to notify them.
According to a customer notice emailed from the pizza chain, those who placed an order on its website or mobile app between the morning of Oct. 1 and midday Oct. 2 might have had their information exposed.
The “temporary security intrusion” lasted for about 28 hours, the notice said, and it’s believed that names, billing ZIP codes, delivery addresses, email addresses and payment card information — meaning account number, expiration date and CVV numbers — were compromised. Would you like to be that special person who saved your company from a devastating cyber-attack?
A cyber-attack of this level could only occur if the network administrators didn’t use or have the correct cyber security skills. The media fails to report that most cyber-attacks occur over time. Before the attacker intruded into Pizza Huts network, a great deal of time was spent in making login attempts, port scanning, analyzing for network weaknesses and stealing passwords. The activity could have been detected if the company had the right tools in place. The fact Pizza Hut was attacked for 28 hours clearly demonstrates someone in cyber security failed to do their job. You could be the network administrator who picks up where those cyber admins left off.
The skills we are talking about in this article involve cyber security. Courses including CompTIA Security +, Certified Ethical Hacker, Linux Fundamentals and Cisco Certified Network Associate will create a library of cyber skills, which will help any network administrator implement cyber security policies.
A thorough understanding of the computer and network servers is also required for this job. The network administrator must think of any network as an electronic eco system. Maintaining such a mindset will go a long way towards preventing the type of cyber-attack, which occurred at Pizza Hut.
If you want to have an exciting career in cyber security, please contact ABCO Technology. Reaching our Los Angeles campus is easy. We are available by telephone from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email all questions to info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304.
Cyber security is a growing field in information technology. Train for a cyber security position today!
For local businesses, having a strong presence in local search results is fundamental to those all-important conversions
Just to be clear, a “local business” refers to any business that has either a physical location that offers face-to-face contact with the customer, such as a showroom or shop, or one that offers a face-to-face service within a certain area.
When it comes to local search, it’s simple: if searchers can’t find you on the web, then frankly, you are web invisible. It’s the way of the modern world.
It’s all very well dominating the SERPs for your more general target keywords, but if you fail to rank highly for location-specific terms then you are missing a great opportunity.
When users are searching for a local term, they are far more likely to be looking for a service or product. Hence why the conversions on local search tend to be higher, and why you need to ensure that your local search engine marketing is on target for your business.
Of course all the usual SEO 101 knowledge applies. Offer an unrivaled user experience, nail your on-site optimization, provide exceptional content and build quality links.
Those fundamentals will set you up for ranking well for local search terms, but there are extra steps you must take to differentiate yourself from the competition and really bolster your local SEM strategy.
Local business listings
The first place to start is with local business listings. Ensure that your business is included in all the major directories (Yell, which is the UK’s local directory, Yelp, Thomson Local, etc.), as well as any industry specific ones. Some listings may already exist, and it may just be a case of claiming your business so that you can take ownership of the listing.
We recommend keeping track of all your business listings in one comprehensive spreadsheet to save you repeating or forgetting any entries. It also enables you to be consistent (more on this in the next point) in your information across all listings.
Remove all duplicated entries, as multiple listings for one business or location can become confusing, both to potential customers but also to Google. And we certainly don’t want to be confusing the Big G.
Be thorough but don’t be reckless. Avoid spammy directories as these could have a detrimental effect on your SEO. Deploy a spot of common sense to identify the spammy directories but if you are really unsure then it’s worth checking the spam score via Moz’s Open Site Explorer or via other similar tools.
Google My Business
So this technically falls under business listings, but it’s so important we’ve given Google My Business its own subheading. Arguably the most important business listing because, well, it’s Google. Remember to implement the following: ◾Claim your business via a verification process ◾Include accurate information: contact details, location and opening hours ◾Carefully select a small number of highly relevant categories to represent your business ◾Ensure up-to-date branding, such as in any images of logos or premises ◾Use high quality images to represent the business
Be comprehensive and accurate in the information you provide in order to strengthen your Google My Business profile and improve your chances of being featured in Google’s three-pack.
For further information, have a read of Google’s guidelines on representing your business. Don’t forget to also cover off the equivalent for Bing and Yahoo with Bing Places and Yahoo! Local.
NAP consistency
NAP consistency sounds a like a fancy term but the concept is very simple. NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone number, although it is sometimes expanded to NAP+W to include website address too. As mentioned above, it is crucial that your business information appears consistently across the web.
This is particularly important to consider if your business has changed address, contact details or even rebranded. Any mentions of your business will need to be checked and updated to ensure accuracy.
Simply google your business name (do the same with your previous business name if you have undergone a name change) and work your way through the listings. Maintain a spreadsheet of your progress so you can keep track.
Reviews
Reviews can bring both utter joy and absolute misery to any business owner. Unfortunately you cannot simply ignore them, as reviews are indeed used as ranking signals in the eyes of the search engine. This is especially true for your Google My Business reviews.
Not only are reviews important in terms of local rankings, they are also key in terms of click-through rates. According to a recent study by BrightLocal, 74 per cent of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more.
Apart from providing the most incredible customer service you can muster, how else can you seize some control over your reviews? No, this isn’t about getting your mum, brother and great-nan to write a review for your business. It’s about a bit of gentle encouragement and managing a bad customer experience before it reaches the review stage.
It is also important to check the rules and regulations of each review platform, as they all have very different policies on asking customers for reviews and responding to them.
We’ve had several students who have received a negative one-off, anonymous review for their business or website that is either quite clearly spam, or in some cases, a bitter competitor or personal enemy. These situations can get a bit sticky, but sadly there isn’t an awful lot you can do.
Generally people won’t be deterred by one bad review, and the best course of action is to encourage other happy customers to get reviewing. This will push the bad review down and push the average star rating back up.
Many review platforms allow you to reply to reviews. This can be a good opportunity to set the record straight but you have to be careful about it. For this reason, sometimes it is best to get someone who is not as emotionally invested in the business to either write the response or edit it before it gets published. Be professional, remain calm, and kill them with kindness.
Location pages
If you don’t already have location pages on your website, then you could be missing a valuable opportunity to target all the relevant locations. For each key location that your business operates within, create a page dedicated to that location on your website. This is easier if you have a unique physical address in each location, as it is important to include as much location-specific information as possible.
Where there is a physical location, be sure to include an interactive map and images to further enhance the page. If you do not have separate physical addresses, try including testimonials and case studies relevant to each location.
This will help you to avoid duplicating content across your location pages; it’s a fine art to differentiate the copy, but do it right and it can have seriously good effects on your local SEM strategy.
Schema markup
Once you have your location pages set up, the cherry on the cake is schema markup. The whole concept of structured data can sound very daunting to markup newbies, but it’s easier than it sounds. Schema markup simply helps search engines to understand what your website is about.
This is particularly important for local information, as it will help those spiders crawl your location pages and you’ll benefit as a result.
According to a study by Searchmetrics, pages with schema markup rank an average of four positions higher in search results. Now that’s a pretty good incentive. Get your head around schema markup and you’ll have that crucial advantage over your competitors in the local search results.
Ensuring your local search marketing strategy is up to speed shouldn’t be difficult or convoluted. Follow the above steps and obey the usual SEO rules. With some hard work and perseverance, you’ll start dominating those coveted top spots and see your conversions skyrocket in no time.
ABCO Technology teaches a comprehensive program for web design, which includes search engine marketing and social media strategy. Call our campus to receive information about this program or other classes. Call us between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Build highly successful websites today!
Many people still rely on guest blogging as an ongoing part of their link-building strategy.
If you analyze this for a moment, getting links through guest blogging is much easier than getting links through some other channel.
So it’s no wonder that a lot of bloggers and SEO experts still favor this method. The main question is, are these guest post links still safe and viable?
The answer is yes.
It is very possible to build our link portfolio by contributing on authoritative websites. However, there are certain rules that we need to follow in order to avoid any issues with Google.
Guest blogging 101
One of the beautiful things about guest blogging is that it gives us the opportunity to score some great links from high-tier websites.
To be honest, we probably couldn’t have gotten those links with any other method. This is why guest blogging is always worth bearing in mind as a link-building strategy.
But, we need to be very careful when choosing the websites we guest post for.
Although guest blogging can be carried out on a large scale, you should probably avoid it. This method is optimal in small dosages while cooperating with the biggest domains.
Google trusts authoritative domains. If they notice that your links are coming only from reputable sources, they will not impose a penalty. However…
1) Be Careful not to overdo it!
The biggest problem with guest blogging is that people tend to overdo it.
Your articles should be coming from various sources, with different anchors. If your only source of inbound links is from guest articles, Google will notice this pattern and you will soon get into trouble.
Instead, you should choose your battles carefully. You need to diversify your link profile.
If you already decide to do some guest posting, make sure it counts. Otherwise you’ll waste all that time you spent building up relationships and writing your posts – with only a Google penalty to show for it.
2) Focus on quality
This is where most people go wrong.
Google assesses the articles from which you are getting links. If the article is of high quality, your link will also be regarded as a quality one.
This makes sense, right? After all, why would anyone bother creating a great piece only to place crappy links throughout?
So when you put together a guest post, make sure it’s a good one.
After creating their own article, people try to promote it by writing guest posts. These guest posts will usually be of much lower quality and they will have the same regurgitated content which you published on your own blog.
By doing this, not only are you getting a devalued link, but you are also endangering your original piece. Google will flag up the regurgitated versions of your article as possible duplicate content. And because there are any number of similar, low-quality pieces out there online, it may conclude that your article is low-quality as well.
Everything you create has to be unique and to provide value to the reader. When you write a guest post, ask yourself: would I link to this piece?
If the answer is yes, you are in the clear.
3) Add images, links and formatting
As I mentioned, each guest post you make needs to be distinctive. Even if you are employing this strategy on a larger scale, at least make sure that everything you create is a separate entity.
One of the best ways to differentiate articles is by using varied formatting.
Blogs always have use different fonts and that is something you have no control over. But you have the ability to break up paragraphs and add things like bullet points, subheadings, block quotes and more. These increase the readability of your piece, and also make it easier for search engines to crawl it and interpret the content.
Another way to improve the look and layout of your text is to add images and other media.
Do not be shy and don’t wait for the website editor to insert them for you. Instead, be proactive and use your own images. Add a couple of them if necessary. If they make sense and the text looks better because of it, the editor will be more inclined to ask you for additional guest posts.
You can even go the extra mile and write titles and alt text to optimize the images for SEO – the editor will thank you, as it will save them the effort, and it will improve the overall SEO value of your piece.
Lastly, we come to links.
Now, editors usually allow one link in your bio, or one link within the article. Most of them do not like it when an author writes a piece with numerous links pointing to different websites.
However, if the editor allows it, make sure to add some highly relevant links that will make the article even more authoritative.
4) Vary your anchor text
You are trying to rank for a certain keyword. In an attempt to rank, you try to spam the same anchor text over and over.
This strategy is pretty much obsolete. Instead, just as with everything else that we’ve mentioned so far, make sure to diversify things.
Anchor text should vary.
When people place links with purely editorial value, without trying to cynically rank for a specific keyword, they will rarely link with the exact same phrase every time. This is highly unnatural behavior and can get you in trouble.
Instead, make sure to use different phrases. Place links in different sentences, with different anchors. Focus on writing naturally and place your link accordingly.
Conclusion
Guest blogging is NOT dead. As far as we know, there is no Google system or algorithm that will penalize the creation of such articles.
Nevertheless, it is better to be conservative. Like always, it comes down to whether your link profile looks natural. There should be no indication that you are purposely trying to push a keyword (even if you are).
People usually think about guest blogging in terms of links. However, you should observe it from a different perspective. By using this strategy, not only should you get links, you should also get some good exposure.
Your articles should promote your skills as well as your blog.
By placing emphasis on this, you will be able to accomplish much more with guest posts and as a result, links will start coming from various sources without you forcing them.
ABCO Technology teaches a comprehensive course for web development, guest blogging and search engine marketing. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach us at: (310) 216-3067. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for the federal funding. ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304 Start building successful websites today!
Cybersecurity is a fundamental consideration for all organizations operating in today’s connected and data-driven world. While all who work across your business – from the IT department, to the PR team and beyond – need to understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity, CMOs have a special responsibility as leaders to ensure they are mitigating risk and are prepared in the event of a possible breach. Here are five things CMOs need to know.
1. Vulnerabilities
In business, CMOs are perhaps some of the best placed when it comes to understanding the global reach of an organization. This is of particular importance when it comes to cybersecurity, as the growing popularity of globally-connected technologies – such as cloud storage and mobile sharing – bring with them increased points of potential vulnerability.
This is a key concern for the CMO, as they are custodians of potentially massive amounts of customer data. Recent security breaches at companies like Yahoo, Deloitte and Equifax have massively damaging implications – both in terms of revenue and brand trust.
CMOs need to be aware of the proliferation of connected technologies across the organization in order to fully understand where possible breaches might happen.
2. Threats
Understanding potential vulnerabilities is one step; acknowledging actual threats is another.
Businesses need to be prepared for increasingly sophisticated and globally organized attackers. Vulnerabilities can give hackers access to confidential business information, as well as lead to theft of personal information of staff and customers.
It is the last threat which is perhaps the most important to be prepared for. The breakdown of trust between organization and customer is the most damaging to business and brand image going forward.
CMOs also need to acknowledge theft of information in the digital realm is not the only threat. Connected IoT devices can also allow hackers to potentially gain access in the physical space such as buildings and vehicles.
3. Prevention
CMOs need to be clear as to how such cybersecurity breaches can be prevented.
They need to collaborate with those across other business departments in ensuring there are clear organization-wide guidelines for security best practice – including keeping apps and software up-to-date, changing passwords regularly and educating team members about phishing scams.
It is essential that CMOs champion these activities within their team, and ensure policies, training and enforcement are up-to-date. Working closely with the local governments is a good way to standardize practices to match those in the wider business community – and to ensure compliance.
For businesses with European connections, GDPR provides a good opportunity to review data best practices.
4. Action
A keen understanding of the above and the most stringent prevention techniques will never make an organization completely immune from cybersecurity breaches.
CMOs can use data and speculation tools to plan action in post-breach scenarios. Again, preparedness for action is key – and collaboration between CMOs and all other business teams are the best way to ensure the correct action takes place if cybersecurity is undermined.
5. Communication
All staff need to understand the importance of cybersecurity – but CMOs can help ensure that knowledge is shared. Collaborations tools help streamline this process by providing channels for any team to communicate.
If a cybersecurity breach has already happened, synergy among C-suite, security, IT and public relations teams is critical. CMOs must have answers to the questions like: What are your best practice communications strategies with customers? Is information about the breach easy to find for worried consumers?
In the event of a cybersecurity breach, businesses need to be clear in their external communications – clarifying exactly what data was exposed and making users aware of worst-case scenarios.
Takeaways
When it comes to cybersecurity, no organization can be 100% protected from breaches. All staff members need to clear on the above five areas, and CMOs have a unique position in being able to lead planning and education within the business to ensure all teams can work quickly and efficiently if the worst happens.
It is the responsibility of the CMO to ensure customers are protected and that they are first to know should such a breach occur. Collaboration and communication is key during such situations – to ensure trust is maintained, information is accessible and order is restored as soon as possible.
ABCO Technology teaches a comprehensive program for cyber security. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding. ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Get trained and certified for cyber security today!
As an Oracle Certified Associate, you will cultivate industry-supported skills and credentials that you will be able to transfer to future employment opportunities. With your OCA certification, you will be able to demonstrate and promote the fact that you have the necessary skills to do your job effectively and you are certified by Oracle Corporation the world’s leader in Database Management Systems.
What are the Prerequisites & for OCA
Prior to enrolling for OCA courses the applicants have to know how to use the Microsoft Windows operating system. General knowledge of computer programming and databases will be helpful but not necessarily required.
OCA® Topic Requirements:
SQL Fundamentals I
Program with PL/SQL
SQL Fundamentals I Oracle routinely publishes new versions of exams, and the passing score across versions may differ.
SQL Fundamental I This course introduces students to the fundamentals of SQL using Oracle Database 12C database technology, which revolves around the cloud. In this course students learn the concepts of relational databases and the powerful SQL programming language. This course provides the essential SQL skills that allow developers to write queries against single and multiple tables, manipulate data in tables, and create database objects.
The students also learn to use single row functions to customize output, use conversion functions and conditional expressions and use group functions to report aggregated data. Demonstrations and hands-on practice reinforce the fundamental concepts.
In this course, students use Oracle SQL Developer and SQL *Plus as the tool.
Course Objectives:
• Retrieve row and column data from tables with the SELECT statement
• Create reports of sorted and restricted data
• Employ SQL functions to generate and retrieve customized data
• Display data from multiple tables using the ANSI SQL 99 JOIN syntax
• Create reports of aggregated data
•Use the SET operators to create subsets of data
•Run data manipulation statements (DML) to update data in the Oracle Database 12C
•Run data definition language (DDL) statements to create and manage schema objects
• Identify the major structural components of the Oracle Database 12C
Course Topics:
Introduction •Listing the features of Oracle Database 12C •Discussing the basic design, theoretical and physical aspects of a relational database •Describing the development environments for SQL •Describing Oracle SQL Developer, Describing the data set used by the course
Retrieving Data Using the SQL SELECT Statement
• Listing the capabilities of SQL SELECT statements.
• Generating a report of data from the output of a basic SELECT statement
• Using arithmetic expressions and NULL values in the SELECT statement
• Using Column aliases
• Using concatenation operator, literal character strings, alternative quote operator, and the DISTINCT keyword
• Displaying the table structure using the DESCRIBE command
Restricting and Sorting Data •Writing queries with a WHERE clause to limit the output retrieved Using the comparison operators and logical operators •Describing the rules of precedence for comparison and logical operators •Using character string literals in the WHERE clause • Writing queries with an ORDER BY clause to sort the output •Sorting output in descending and ascending order •Using the Substitution Variables
Using Single-Row Functions to Customize Output •Differentiating between single row and multiple row functions •Manipulating strings using character functions •Manipulating numbers with the ROUND, TRUNC and MOD functions •Performing arithmetic with date data •Manipulating dates with the date functions
Using Conversion Functions and Conditional Expressions •Describing implicit and explicit data type conversion •Using the TO_CHAR, TO_NUMBER, and TO_DATE conversion functions •Nesting multiple functions •Applying the NVL, NULLIF, and COALESCE functions to data •Using conditional IF THEN ELSE logic in a SELECT statement
Reporting Aggregated Data Using the Group Functions •Using the aggregation functions in SELECT statements to produce meaningful reports •Using AVG, SUM, MIN, and MAX function •Handling Null Values in a group function •Creating queries that divide the data in groups by using the GROUP BY clause •Creating queries that exclude groups of date by using the HAVING clause
Displaying Data from Multiple Tables •Writing SELECT statements to access data from more than one table •Joining Tables Using SQL:1999 Syntax •Viewing data that does not meet a join condition by using outer joins •Joining a table by using a self join •Creating Cross Joins
Using Sub-queries to Solve Queries •Using a Subquery to Solve a Problem •Executing Single-Row Sub-queries •Using Group Functions in a Sub-query •Using Multiple-Row Subqueries •Using the ANY and ALL Operator in Multiple-Row Sub-queries
Using the SET Operators •Describing the SET operators •Using a SET operator to combine multiple queries into a single query •Using UNION, UNION ALL, INTERSECT, and MINUS Operator •Using the ORDER BY Clause in Set Operations
Manipulating Data •Adding New Rows to a Table Using the INSERT statement •Changing Data in a Table Using the UPDATE Statement •Using DELETE and TRUNCATE Statements •Saving and discarding changes with the COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements •Implementing Read Consistency •Using the FOR UPDATE Clause
Using DDL Statements to Create and Manage Tables •Categorizing Database Objects •Creating Tables using the CREATE TABLE Statement Describing the data types •Describing Constraints •Creating a table using a subquery •Altering and Dropping a table
Creating Other Schema Objects •Creating, modifying, and retrieving data from a view •Performing Data manipulation language (DML) operations on a view •Dropping a view •Creating, using, and modifying a sequence •Creating and dropping indexes •Creating and dropping synonyms
ABCO Technology offers a comprehensive program for OCA version 12C. Call our campus today between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach us at: (310) 216-3067. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Get certified for Oracle database OCA 12C today!
Washington DC. The former CEO of Equifax, Richard Smith is testifying before congress today sitting on the hot seat. Members of the congress and senate from both parties are grilling Mr. Smith with respect to the Equifax cyber-attack.
Senator ELIZABETH Warren spent time forcing Mr. Smith to explain why the company hadn’t updated its security software. The senator also wanted to know why the company failed to act after suspicious activity was discovered in consumer sections of their site six months before the cyber breach occurred? Congress was extremely upset about the fact several officers of Equifax sold shares of their stock ahead of the public when facts about the Equifax cyber breach became known to officials of the company six weeks before that news was revealed.
The officers who sold stock in advance of the public release made a nice profit on their sale of securities. It was just revealed that Richard Smith, Equifax’s former CEO delayed informing the company’s board of directors about the cyber-attack for at least three weeks after he learned of the cyber penetration. Several members of congress emphasize that both the technology and personnel exist to prevent such a cyberattack from occurring.
The technology and personnel exist in the field of cyber security. Intrusion prevention and detection devices are available and ready for installation. Many network professionals are not trained in the proper use of these devices. Cyber security is a field of information technology, which fixes this problem.
Courses including the CompTIA Security +, Cisco CCNA, Cisco Security, Certified Ethical hacker, Certified Information Systems Securities Professional, Linux Fundamentals and a thorough understanding of network servers will go a long way towards training network professionals in the use of cyber security protection devices. Job recruiters are on the lookout for network administrators who possess cyber security skills and certifications. The work environment is focusing on security because of the events, which have occurred over the past five years.
ABCO Technology offers a powerful Cyber Security program, which will prepare you to compete successfully in the cyber security field. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach us by phone at: (310) 216-3067. Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for the federal funding.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu ABCO Technology is located at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304 Join a field of information technology professionals who are in demand today!
We constantly receive this question from new students. They all want to know the best entry-level position in the information technology industry with respect to networking?
The answer or job is in the occupation of computer repair. Let’s look at this concept for a moment.
Computers always break down in some form. Most breakdowns are in the form of computer hardware, software or the operating system in general. Viruses, incompatible software or improper connections are usually the major problems most users will encounter. The key question is whose around to fix these things when stuff goes wrong? The answer is the person who knows how to repair computers and handle operating systems. This magic individual is usually certified as a computer repair technician by a vender neutral certifier known as CompTIA. CompTIA has a certification known as the CompTIA A+, which will teach students how to repair computers, install printers, configure plus install operating systems, a bit of cyber security and how to configure small networks. The CompTIA A+ is the best certification for any individual who wants to enter the information technology field in the fields of networking or cyber security.
Organizations both large and small will hire a new employee and assign tasks of computer repair. Entering a company as a computer repair specialist often provides opportunities for promotion. Many of our students have been hired as computer repair or desktop support specialists. After several months on the job the new employee is promoted to a higher position within the company.
The average course for CompTIA A+ is usually completed in less than five weeks. Students completing the A+ course will be required to pass two CompTIA certification exams, which consists of hardware and operating systems. Once certified, the door is opened for many employment opportunities.
ABCO Technology offers a complete program for networking, cyber security and information technology. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach our campus at: (310) 216-3067.
Email all questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Join the information technology field today!
The CompTIA Network + is an excellent course for computer repair technicians to learn the theory and application behind a network server.
The network server is the larger computer at a company or in the cloud, which distributes programs to individual computers or workstations. Network servers save both time and money because of their ability to send copies or images of programs to individual computers. Since the client server networking model was adopted in the late 1980s, the idea of a network in organizations large and small became practical.
Computer repair technicians who want to advance networking skills can do so by completing the CompTIA Network + certification. The network + is vender neutral like its’ younger brother, the CompTIA A+, which covers computer repair.
The network + course teaches you how to install, implement and configure a network server. The server can be at your physical location or in the cloud. Holders of the Network + also gain a basic knowledge of network security, which is essential in today’s work environment. the Understanding of the basic operation of a server is a powerful step toward advancing your career in the field of network administration.
The CompTIA Network + is a course, which can be completed in as little as four weeks. Students are encouraged to complete lab assignments, practice exams and participate in class discussions. Companies both large and small look favorably upon candidates who apply for employment holding both a CompTIA A+ and Network + certification.
The knowledge gained from completing the A+ and Network + certification course will open the door for a candidate to become certified for Cisco Certified Network Associate. Obtaining the Cisco certification on top of the Net + and A+ will qualify you for a position as a junior level network administrator.
ABCO Technology offers comprehensive courses in the fields of network and cyber security. The certifications discussed in this article are important steps for both programs. Call our campus today. You can reach us by telephone at: (310) 216-3067 from 9 Am to 6 PM Monday through Friday.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Get certified for network server operation today!
Turning a 404 error page into a positive marketing experience for your customers is unlikely to top your list in terms of digital marketing priorities. However, it’s not something you should overlook or try to rush – especially if your site is frequently changing URLs.
404s (…or four zero fours if you’re in the military) are just another marketing tool – if made correctly. ◾What is a 404? ◾Impact of 404s on SEO ◾What are soft 404s? ◾Helping your user ◾Reporting 404s in Google Analytics ◾Making it fun!
What is a 404?
A 404 is the response code that should be provided by your web server when a user attempts to access a URL that no longer exists/never existed or has been moved without any form of redirection. At an HTTP level the code is also followed by the reason phrase of ‘Not Found’. It’s important to realize that DNS errors are a totally different kettle of fish and occur when the domain has not been registered or where DNS has been misconfigured. There is no web server to provide a response –
If you’re looking to pass time or have a penchant for intellectual self-harm you may enjoy Googling this list of HTTP status codes, where you can discover the mysterious differences between a 301 and a 308…
Impact of 404s on SEO
We can’t all be blessed with the foresight to develop a well-structured and future-proof site architecture first time around. 404s will happen – whether it’s a new site being tweaked post-launch or a full-blown migration with URL changes, directory updates and a brand spanking new favicon! In themselves, 404s aren’t an issue so long as the content has in fact been removed/deleted without an adequate replacement page.
However, if a URL has links from an external site then you should always consider a redirect to the most appropriate page, both to maintain any equity being passed but also to ensure users who click the linker is not immediately confronted with a potentially negative experience on your site.
What are soft 404s?
Soft 404s occur when a non-existent page returns a response code other than 404 (not found) or the lesser known 410 (gone). They also happen when redirects are put in place that aren’t relevant such as lazily sending users to the homepage or where there is a gross content mismatch from the requested URL and the resulting redirect. These are often confusing for both users and search engines, and are reported within Google Search Console.
Helping the user
Creating a custom 404 page has been all the rage for a number of years, as they can provide users with a smile, useful links or something quite fun (more on this later). Most importantly, it’s crucial that you ensure your site’s 404s aren’t the end of the road for your users. Below are some handy tips for how to improve your 404 page.
Consistent branding
Don’t make your 404 page an orphan in terms of design. Ensure you retain any branding so that users are not shocked into thinking they may be on the wrong site altogether.
Explanation
Make sure you provide users with some potential reasons as to why they are seeing the error page. Stating that the page ‘no longer exists’ etc can help users to understand that the lovely yellow raincoat they expected to find hasn’t actually been replaced by a browser-based Pacman game…
Useful links
You should know which are the most popular pages or directories on your site. Ensure your 404 page includes obvious links to these above the fold so that (coupled with a fast site) users will find the disruption to their journey to be minimal.
Search
There’s a strong chance that a user landing on a 404 page will know why they were on your site; whether for jeans, graphic design or HR software, their intent is likely set. Providing them with a quick search box may enable them to get back on track – this can be useful if you offer a very wide range of services that can’t be covered in a few links.
Reporting
Providing users with the ability to report the inconvenience can be a great way for you to action 404s immediately, especially if the button can be linked to the most common next step in a user’s journey. For example: “Report this page and get back to the shop!” Turn it into a positive
Providing a free giveaway of a downloadable asset (by way of an apology) is a great way to turn an otherwise-disgruntled user into a lead. By providing a clear CTA and small amount of data capture, you can help to chip away at those inbound marketing goals!
Reporting 404s in Google Analytics
Reporting on 404s in Google Analytics couldn’t be easier. While in many cases your CMS will have plugins and modules that provide this service, GA can do it without much bother. The only thing you’ll need is the page title from your 404 page. In the case of Zazzle this is ‘Page not found | Zazzle Media’.
The screenshot below contains all the information needed. Simply navigate to Customization > Custom Reports > Add New within your GA console.
Title: The name of the custom report
Name: Tabs within the report (you only need one in this case)
Type: Set to Explorer
Metric Groups: Enter ‘Site Usage’ and add in Unique Page Views (to track occurrences per page) and Bounce Rate (to measure how effective your custom 404 page is).
Dimension Drilldowns: Page > Full Referrer (to track where the visit came from if external)
Filters: Include > Page Title > Exact > (your 404 page title)
Views: Select whichever views you want this on (default to all if you’re unsure)
Save and return to Customization > Custom Reports, then click the report you just made. You’ll be presented with a list of pages that match your specified criteria. Simply alter your data range to suit and then export and start mapping any redirects required.
You may wish to use Google Search Console for reporting on 404s too. These can be found under Crawl > Crawl Errors. It’s always worth running these URLs through a tool such as Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to confirm that the live URL is still producing a 404. Exporting these errors is limited to ~1000 URLs; as such, you’ll need to Export > Mark as Fixed > Wait 24hrs > Repeat.
Making a fun 404 page
Some of the best 404 pages throw caution to the wind, ignore best practice and either leverage their brand/character to comical effect or simply go all out and create something fun and interactive. Let’s face it, there is no better way to turn a bad situation (or Monday morning) into something positive than with a quick game of Space Invaders!
The below examples are just a few popular brands that have a great ‘404 game’.
Lego
It was always going to be on the cards that Lego would have something quirky up their tiny plastic sleeves, and while the page lacks ongoing links it provides a clear visual representation of the disconnect between the content you expected and what you’re getting.
Kualo
Behind every great website, there’s a great host. Kualo have taken their very cost-focused industry and made a fun and interactive game for users who happen across a 404 page.
Bit.ly
If there’s one site that has its URLs copy and pasted more than any other (and often incorrectly) it’s bit.ly. With over 1.2 billion backlinks from over 1.8 million referring domains I believe there will be a few 404s…don’t you?
Blizzard
Ding! I’ve naturally lost count of how many times it’s given ‘Grats’ – Blizzard’s quirky 404 gives tribute to the commonly-uttered phrase seen in chat boxes across all their games.
Github
It only seems fitting that one of the geekiest corners of the internet be served with an equally geeky 404 page. Github’s page is unique because there is actually a dedicated URL for this design which has over 520 referring domains itself! Not to mention their server error page is equally as cool.
Summary
Hopefully the information detailed in this article has provided you with a great strategy to leverage your 404 page as a content marketing asset or simply to improve the experience for your user. We’d love to see any creative 404 pages you come up with.
ABCO Technology teaches a comprehensive program for web development. If you want to build high successful web pages, which users engage with, contact ABCO Technology. Reach our campus is easy. ABCO can be reached by telephone from 9 AM to 6PM Monday through Friday at (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for federal funding.
ABCO Technology is located at 11222 South Lacienega Blvd. in STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Learn to build successful webpages today!
