Information Technology

Computer architecture refers to the basic components that make up a computer system. This includes the operation and interrelation of its internal components and peripheral devices, its memory organization, the Basic I/O System (BIOS), and storage. Students will become sufficiently familiar with computer hardware to be able to build or fix computers. Windows, Linux, MacOS operating systems will be introduced with emphasis on Windows OS. Students will be introduced to very basic administration both in native and virtualized systems. Command line and scripting leading to the first programming concepts will be presented. The content of this course is intended to reflect the objectives of the industry recognized A+ Certification, which identifies skills required by IT technicians.

This course introduces the Internet of Things (IoT). Students will be introduced to the components of IoT systems, how they work together, and how to secure IoT systems. Students will use Arduinos and/or Raspberry Pis to learn basic coding techniques and appreciate how IoT devices work. Students will explore Big Data and how that fits in the IoT ecosystem. Online students may need to purchase a small toolkit.

This course introduces the basic concepts and principles that underlie computer networking using the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and TCP/IP protocol suite. It presents an overview of networking terminology, examines different networking topologies and architectures, discusses the physical components of computer networks and reviews the principles of network connectivity. It also examines the implementation through design and installation of simple Ethernet networks. Although there is no prerequisite for this course, students who are relatively new to working with computers should consider taking CSCN101N as a prerequisite or corequisite.

This class is an introductory survey course in Cybersecurity. The class focuses on the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.  Students will be introduced to the concepts and skills required to install and configure systems to secure applications, networks, and devices; perform threat analysis and respond with appropriate mitigation techniques; participate in risk mitigation activities; and operate with an awareness of applicable policies, laws, and regulations.  This course is a first step towards providing the deep technical knowledge needed to effectively design, implement, and manage the overall cybersecurity of an organization. Although there is no prerequisite for this course, students who are relatively new to working with computers should consider taking CSCN101N as a prerequisite.

This course is an introduction to cloud computing. Students explore cloud computing services, applications and use cases. Students dive deeply into cloud computing best practices and learn how cloud computing helps users develop a global infrastructure to support use cases at scale 
while also developing and inventing innovative technologies. 

This course will introduce students to the current Microsoft Windows Server operating system through lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on labs. Students will learn how to manage Active Directory objects. Students will monitor system performance and administer user accounts, and group policies.

This course introduces the core security concepts and skills needed to monitor, detect, analyze, and respond to cybercrime, cyberespionage, insider threats, advanced persistent threats, regulatory requirements, and other cybersecurity issues facing organizations. Gain practical, hands-on skills needed to maintain and ensure security operational readiness of secure networked systems. This prepares the student for the CISCO CyberOps Associate Exam.

The second course in the CCNA curriculum focuses on switching technologies and router operations that support small-to-medium business networks and includes wireless local area networks (WLAN) and security concepts. Students learn key switching and routing concepts. They can perform basic network configuration and troubleshooting, identify, and mitigate local area network (LAN) security threats, and configure and secure a basic WLAN.

The final course in the CCNA series covers the architecture, security, and operation of an enterprise network, along with introducing the new ways in which network engineers interact with programmable infrastructure. Gain skills to configure and troubleshoot enterprise networks, learn to identify and protect against cybersecurity threats, and discover key concepts of software-defined networking, including controller-based architectures and application programming interfaces (APIs).

Network Security Monitoring is an essential activity for enterprise cybersecurity. This course will expand on tools and methods needed for carrying out this task. In today's environment it is unlikely that a network will be free of any intrusion attempts. Detecting these attempts and mitigating them makes a difference between a small incident and a major compromise of the network. The students will learn to use open source solutions such as Security Onion and Snort for collecting data, detecting intrusion, and analyzing the data. Upon completion of this course students will have the skills needed to be an effective network security analyst. This course requires a strong understanding of the TCP/IP suite of protocols and the Linux operating system prior to starting.

This course draws together the major goals of the Computer Networking degree: designing a network, implementing that design, providing services to users on that network and maintaining that network. In addition, the course integrates the important ability to communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical individuals. Students will choose, design, or be assigned a project that incorporates the components identified above in the form of a Request for Proposals. Both a written solution and an oral presentation of that solution will be required.

The internship program allows the student to apply, in a work environment, competencies and skills learned in the classroom. Internship activities include a weekly seminar in which the different business structures and work experience will be shared. Students will keep a journal of their work experience. A final report will be written to evaluate work experience. This course offers a service learning option.