Customer Reviews

Security+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book fits the billing!

It was clear, concise and easy to understand. It prepared me to take the Security+ exam well, and explains concepts thoroughly without assuming that the reader is an idiot. The book deals with all the infomation that will be on the test, following the Domains in their order, but it still also flows in a forward direction, building on one concept with another. That is a challenge nowdays in the tech world were every concept is intertwined with others.

That said, don't expect to come to this book with no knowledge of computers at all. I have found that this book serves more as a reminder of "Oh Yeah, I knew that," than as a device to impart new knowledge into my skull. I learned some new things from this book, but the most beneficial part of this book was bringing all the things I know about computers back to the forefront of my mind so that they are fresh while taking the test.

It is also good for building up strength in the "security as a whole" areas. It's good to know how to lock down a system, but the test also wants to know if you understand what constitutes good information security as a concept, not a password.

The book, despite its thickness (~600 pages) is actually a relatively quick read. I got through it in about a month, reading it in my off time and as a nightcap. It took me about two days of direct study to review the majority of the stuff for the test after having read it.

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Final Thoughts:
There is a time and a place for everything. If you want to learn more about computer security, there are other books out there that will help teach you more about how to lock down a system and disable protocols. If you want to take what you already know and refresh it, as well as supplement it with a little bit of new information, this is the book for you.

I love this book the author does a great a job discussing all the topics beyond the scope of the test. However,the book does not cover good bit of the tough questions on the test. I do not blame the author as the test goes out of it's way to obscure the questions. I have 10yrs of IT experience, my MCSE, CCNA, CNA, A+ certs and have read [4] books on computer security. The Security+ exam has questions that do not exist in any of the books I have read.

I have read three books for this exam: Shon Harris CISSP, this book, and the ultimate Security+ exam cram book. I also sampled a large deal of books at barnes and Noble...

As far as Security+ books go this is hands down the best one. Everything is explained in great detail in a clear and concise fashion. I liked the format of the book too. Initially most topics are touched upon, then in later chapters they are expanded upon. For those not familiar with education techniques, this is one of the best ways to help the reader retain the information. You first introduce the basic concepts, and how they fit into a larger picture, and then later on go further into detail. This is better than tackling each subject in order, and really accelerates the learning process.

It also repeats important concepts several times, and constantly refreshes you on the topic. Many things in security are interconnected... If you learn about Kerberos, or single sign on early in the book then you might forget exactly what it does when you reach the later chapters. This book is good in refreshing you on details so you never get lost in the jargon. Every time a crucial process is reintroduced for a different subject area, it is re-explained and shown how it fits into the current topic. This saves you from a lot of frustration and is done in a where you actually need it (so it doesn't seem overly repetitive).

As others have mentioned, NOT EVERYTHING is covered. Still, the book does a very good job of covering core concepts. I do reccommend Shon Harris' CISSP book to fill in the holes. While the CISSP book covers more material than is covered in the Security+, it overlaps a great deal. You can just skip over the parts you don't need to know in detail and read the parts also included on the Security+ exam. They compliment each other very well. Between the two, there are practically no holes. The two books also presented each other very differently and I wasn't bored, nor did I feel like I was reading the same stuff over and over again.

The only other con is that yes, the end of the chapter questions are WEAK. They don't assess your knoweledge very well at all. In fact, you can skim a chapter and still do fine on the questions. You'd probably be well off using commercial testing solutions if you want to evaluate your knoweledge of the subject..

Overall the book does its job. It is a solid primary source of information. I really encourage people to buy and read this book first before studying anything else for the Security+. If you read this book and still want to know more, the CISSP book by Shon Harris is extremely good supplementary reading. Read those two books, understand their topics, and you WILL pass the Security+ easily. While this may be a lot of reading, it will cover just about EVERYTHING you need to know.

ABOUT THE TEST:

While people say that Security+ is an "entry level" security certification, people need to realize this isn't an entry level category. Security+ requires users to have a great deal of experience/knoweledge in the IT field, otherwise you probably will fail. I was very suprised when I started studying for this test. It covers a large spectrum of technology and applications and also goes enough into detail that you have to actually know and understand the technology and procedures involved. I have used this test as a steping stone for the CISSP (there is a LOT of overlapping), and I think it is well worth the effort.

Who needs to take this test? Well I'd reccommend it before taking the MCSE (it gives you credit towards a MCSE/MCSA requirement. It is also a great way to prepare towards a CISSP, the most accepted security certification. Really, it is like a more reasonable form of the CISSP being that it is widely available at testing centers and costs far less to take the test. I think this certification is dragged down because of the "easy" reputation of A+ and Network+, which truly are "entry level" tests. Anyone who wants to show security competence should take this test..

I used Dr. White's All-in-One guide as my primary text for the Security+ exam, and I passed on Monday with a score of 868 out of 900 (96.4%)

This text does an excellent job of covering the objectives of the Security+ exam. It is well-written, comprehensive, and easy to read. The organization of content is good, and the chapters are well laid out, with major topics highlighted and key points given prominence. Furthermore, each chapter concludes with a useful summary, and review questions are included to reinforce the chapter's main points.

However, since this book is designed not only as an exam text, but as an introductory, information security handbook, the author must strike a balance between breadth and depth, study tool and reference work.

This he does admirably, covering each major topic with the focus required for the exam, while adding information that will make this book a useful on-the-job reference after certification is complete. For example, though not required for the exam, the encryption algorithms detailed in Chapter 10 were especially enlightening, demystifying the hitherto abstract concept of cryptography for me.

Of course, no one book can cover every aspect of a test as broad as the Security+, so I supplemented this book with various free online resources, and commercial practice tests from Transcender and Boson (Exam#3).

This text has served as my introduction to the world of information security, and has given me the foundation I will require for the more advanced certifications I have ahead, like the CISSP. This book is highly recommended.

I found this book to be excellant preparation/background for the exam. As noted in other reviews, there is not enough detail in all areas and no single book covers everything you need to know, hence only 4 stars.

I combined this book with the Exam Cram 2 book and a set of Transcender practice exams bought from one of the discount sites, with my exam voucher, and passed.

I found Gregory White's Security+ A-I-O Exam Guide to be a good resource for studying for the CompTIA Security+ exam. I used this book along with on the job experience (I also have a SANS/GIAC security cert) to prepare for and pass the test. No Sec+ study book out there seems to cover EVERYTHING, but I thought this book did a good job of covering most things. I would recommend an additional study resource but if I could only have one book, of the ones I've seen, I would pick this one. The test engine that comes on the CD is OK, but nothing great. I would recommend something like Transcender or Boson (the Boson practice exam I used was quite good and fairly cheap at $40) for a more accurate gauge of how'll you do on the test. Also, look for an exam voucher online for the Security+ test. The normal price is $225 but you should be able to get a voucher for around $165.

Assuming you've had some general IT background and are capable of learning new concepts on your own, this book covers about everything you should know in order to pass the test. It took me about 4 days to read the book and pass the test. However, how much time and how many resources you need to prepare for the test depends on your prior background in systems security. (it, of course, is true for every certification out there) The sections of the book I liked the most are the ones on cryptography, PKI, risk and change management. Cryptography and PKI sections provide great technical in-depth understanding of how different encryption and public key technologies work. Risk and change management sections introduces a lot of crucial fundamental concepts regarding control/security aspects of IT operations that might be completely new to some readers. I highly recommend this book if you're planning to take the Security+ test or you just need a good reference for systems security.

I bought this book along with the 'Exam Cram 2 Security+.' I found All-in-One to be a great book as a central reference guide. I went though this book taking notes in another notebook - basically taking the meat out of the 600pg book for later studying. I felt that reading it was important as well, since Gregory White provides several examples and good explanations that later provide a solid base for further studying.

Gregory White goes into different LAN and WAN technologies as well the encryption thereof. I found some of the public encryption explanations hard to grasp at first, but through studying of the `Exam Cram 2' I was able to grasp it firmly. In some cases I felt that Gregory White goes almost into too much detail for what is needed to be known for the Security+ exam, but it provides outstanding knowledge for later reference or for other exams such as the CISSP.

I found the practice questions on the CD very helpful for the exam. I also noticed that the questions on the CD provided further information that I did not find in the book (although it is possible that I may have missed it in the book).

While the All-in-One Exam Guide is a great book I would not recommend it by itself. I would recommend also buying the `Exam Cram 2,' and also using some of the free practice tests online that can be easily found using a search engine.

I passed the test using the materials mentioned above.

MY BACKGROUND: I have a firm knowledge-base in the CCNA and several years on the job experience with networking and software technologies. If you do not have this experience, you may need more study materials, or possibly just read more into the materials that I have mentioned above.

I took the Security+ exam and passed the first time.

For a study guide, I used the All in One for Security+. The guide is inadequate in that in completely omits some popular test subjects while going into too much detail on other items. If I depended on this one source solely, I probably would not have passed. Thank God I had the Sybex CISSP book to help me through!

In retrospect, I can understand the recommendation to use many sources because you might be missing important test topics if you don't. When taking the exam, the questions I had trouble with were ones that were nowhere to be found in any of the study materials I used. Even if I had memorized the entire "All in One" book, or had it in my lap when taking the exam, it would not have helped me on some of the questions.

In sum, if you depend on the "All in One" for Security+, it is likely you will have a hard time passing even if you memorize the book cover to cover. My advice - use another source or many other sources.

Good Luck!

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK OVER A MONTH AGO AS BACKUP STUDY MATERIAL AND FOUND THAT IT PROVIDED MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS MISSING IN THE OTHER BOOK WRITTEN BY M. PASTORE (SYBEX) I FINALLY TOOK THE TEST AND SCORED 806,

THIS BOOK WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST FOR PREPARATION.