Customer Reviews

(SCTS) Symantec Certified Technical Specialist: Small Business Security Study Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the Infosec world, certifications are all the rage. Some people use them to help their job prospects, others use them to try and make up for experience, and others use some of the more high end certifications to designate their experience. Symantec's one of the security product providers now offering certifications, and all of the trappings of that realm: books, courses, etc. Because their product offerings are so broad and complex, having a certification (or someone who is SCTS certified on your staff) is something you should consider.

Don't buy this book if you're expecting a manual of the Symantec products (mainly Symantec AV, Symantec Client Security, and Norton Anti-spam). This book certainly wont replace the manuals or the help files, nor will it give you the coverage you really need to manage those tools in a production environment. It does provide adequate coverage to get you started, however, and augments those resources nicely.

This book is designed to get you familiar with the concepts in the SCTS exams and to get you certified, nothing more. Every chapter is complete with concepts, steps for execution, and practice questions. The writing is clear and concise, the illustrations are great, and the instructions are well organized. All in all, good production, organization, and presentation, the team that put this together did well.

This book is well written and targeted towards those who want to prepare for the exam and getting certified on a specific software product in the area of network security. A relevant addition to other vendor neutral certifications like Security+ and CIW Security Professional. The 350 pages are covered relatively quickly compared to MS and Cisco books. What I liked most in particular was the simulations found on the accompanying CD and hope to see more of those in the future.

I've been working with Symantec security products for years. This book covers both the enterprise version software and exam content very well. If your looking to pass the certification and have a good knowledge of Symantec AV, anti-spam and the firewall products you should be able to pass the exam.

For what it is, this is a good book. If you use Symantec anti-virus and anti-spam products, it makes all the sense in the world to have one of your people purchase the book and take the certification. I never realized there were so many options for their products, because I have always used the consumer grade as opposed to the enterprise version.

This book is good, but a lot of the information can be found in the manuals for each product covered, or the help files. However, the is a good bit of general security issues and concerns that the book covers are done so in a manner that's suited for security novices and experts alike.
The book is a must for anyone seeking this certification.