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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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Security Concepts and Technologies

Once you’ve assessed the threats to your computers and networks, you need

to take steps to protect those valuable resources. Depending on the

complexity of your organization, this can be a small job encompassing some

basic security concepts and procedures, or it can be exceedingly complex.

The security needs for a three-person desktop publishing firm, for example,

would differ wildly from those of a defense contractor supplying top-secret

toys to the Pentagon.

From a CompTIA A+ certified technician’s perspective, you need to

understand the big picture (that’s the strategic side), knowing the concepts

and available technologies for security. At the implementation level (that’s

the tactical side), you’re expected to know where to find such things as

security policies in Windows. A CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+

tech will give you the specific options to implement. (The exception to this

level of knowledge comes in dealing with malicious software such as viruses,

but we’ll tackle that subject in the second half of the chapter.) So let’s look at

four concept and technology areas: access control, data classification and

compliance, licensing, and incident response.

Access Control

Controlling access is the key. If you can control access to the data, programs,

and other computing resources, you’ve secured your systems. Access control

is composed of interlinked areas that a good security-minded tech should

think about: physical security, authentication, users and groups, and security

policies. Much of this you know from previous chapters, but this section

should help tie it all together as a security topic.

Secure Physical Area

The first order of security is limiting access to your physical hardware. The

security market is huge, but the options basically boil down to doors, locks,

alarms, and keeping a close eye on things. The first step is understanding that

all of these pieces can (and will) fail or be beaten; great security involves

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