The ever-present menace of hackers, viruses, spammers and other IT related threats have brought IT security to center stage. This in turn intensifies market demand for security professionals. CompTIA's Security+ certification attempts to address this need by covering the fundamentals of information security.

Security+ is one of CompTIA's newest certifications - it was introduced in 2002 - and is also one of the most popular. Organizations are realizing that since security is not an option, IT staff must be equipped with security skills. Technologies and policies alone are not enough to stop hackers and decrease costs associated with security incidents. In fact studies indicate that human error and not technology is the major cause of security breaches and threats in the workplace.

Security+ is recommended for network and security administrators, especially those who have two years on-the-job networking experience, with an emphasis on security. It is achieved by passing one conventional exam that covers security knowledge such as "communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, access control, authentication, external attack and operational and organization security".

To underscore its relevance, Security+ is an elective or prerequisite to advanced certifications from Microsoft and IBM. It may also serve as a launch pad to more advanced security certifications such as ISC2's CISSP and Cisco's CCSP.