SCTA

Symantec’s SCTA (Symantec Certified Technology Architect) certification is for IT professionals who focus on “a specific group of Symantec products within a Security designation (ie: Firewall & VPNs, Intrusion Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Virus Protection & Content Filtering) in addition to vendor-neutral security knowledge of how to design, plan, deploy and manage effective security solutions.â€‌

Candidates should have “at least 3-6 months of hands-on experience prior to taking exams.â€‌ As well, candidates will likely hold a Symantec Product Specialist (SPS) certification in one or more Symantec products.

The Symantec SCTA, sometimes also listed as the STA, emerged in the fall of 2001, and has most recently changed in June of 2003 when Symantec introduced vendor neutral certifications into their program. In terms of certification lifetime: “You need to fulfill recertification requirements periodically to demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of Symantec product and technology. Product certification is granted for specific versions of a product only. All certifications are valid for 24 months and must be renewed prior to expiration to maintain credentials.â€‌ More specifically, the SCTA will be impacted by the integration of vendor neutral exams in the Symantec certification as follows: “Over the next several months the program will transition to only accept a combination of Symantec Exams with Vendor Neutral Certifications. This will occur when current Symantec Product based exams are retired and current Security Solutions exams are updated.â€‌ There are no specific prerequisites for the SCTA, although Symantec says: “The base requirements include the knowledge and understanding of TCP/IP principals and proficiency in at least one operating system (UNIX, Windows 2000/NT).â€‌ Moreover, holding an SPS certification would be beneficial.

Job roles of those pursuing this certification typically include: intermediate IS (Information Security) professionals, intermediate network security professionals, intermediate systems security professionals, systems administrators, network engineers and security strategy consultants.

To achieve the SCTA, a candidate must hold either the Security+ (CompTIA), CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional (ISC)2, CPP ï؟½" Certified Protection Professional (ASIS), CISA ï؟½" Certified Information Systems Auditor (ISACA), TICSA ï؟½" Certified  Security Associate (TruSecure), or Security Analyst (CIW) certification, and pass one Symantec solutions exam. Note that candidates can achieve multiple SCTA certifications.

For more information:
http://www.symantec.com/education/certification/exams_sym_vendor.html

CORE EXAMS
(250-201) Intrusion Detection and Response
(250-203) Vulnerability Management
(250-204) Virus Protection and Content Filtering