Prepare for an in-demand career in Information Technology (IT). In this program, you’ll develop a strong foundation in IT fundamentals, networking, cybersecurity, and cloud computing to get job-ready in as little as 3 months, with no prior experience or degree needed to get started.

Almost every organization, business, or individual relies on technology. A career in IT Support is about providing technological assistance to better optimize organizational efficiency. This can include troubleshooting, setting up computers, setting up network & wifi, along with providing excellent customer service.

You’ll learn the latest skills and tools used by IT support professionals including hardware and software setup, technical support, customer service, ticketing systems, service level agreements, and troubleshooting. You’ll demonstrate your knowledge of networking, security, and cloud computing, and practice analyzing user help requests and troubleshooting various issues.

When you successfully complete the program, you’ll have a portfolio of projects to demonstrate your proficiency, a Professional Certificate from IBM to showcase your job readiness to potential employers, and you’ll receive exclusive access to career support resources to help you in your job search.

You’ll also be prepared to take the CompTIA ITF+ certification exams and receive a 30% discount voucher for the certification exams like A+.

In this IBM course, you will apply the knowledge gained from the IT Support Professional Certificate to realistic situations. This capstone course leads you through a series of technical support case studies that require hands-on work to resolve. Upon completing this course, you’ll gain an enriched perspective on employing technical support in professional settings, making you a sought-after IT professional.

You’ll navigate a range of hands-on technical support labs crafted to challenge and enhance your problem-solving abilities. You’ll merge theory with practice to analyze user help requests and employ systematic troubleshooting techniques to diagnose and resolve technical issues. A comprehensive understanding of escalation protocols and adept utilization of ticketing systems and diagnostic tools will become second nature to you.

You’ll examine the intricacies of hardware and software across diverse computing platforms, grasp network fundamentals, delve into security, and explore the cloud computing landscape. You will have the opportunity to sharpen your communication skills and master conflict mitigation and de-escalation techniques, culminating in a comprehensive customer service orientation. By the end of this course, you will better understand how to use your technical support skills in everyday professional settings.

This course assumes that you are already familiar with IT fundamentals knowledge. If you do not have this knowledge, it is recommended that you complete the previous courses in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate before starting this course.

Learners who complete and pass all courses in the IT Support Professional Certificate will receive a 30% discount voucher for a CompTIA Certification exam.

Technical Support (IT) Case Studies and Capstone

Jumpstart your career in Information Technology (IT) with this beginner friendly, self-paced course! By taking this course you will enhance your base knowledge of essential skills in networking, storage, and system administration. 

You'll first learn about networking fundamentals which include: network types, network cables, topologies, and models. Understand how data travels across a network, and discover how protocols and standards enable all network activity. Then, you’ll learn how to set up and configure devices and cables for both wired and wireless networks.  

Next, you’ll learn to diagnose and troubleshoot network connectivity issues and discover how to use command line utilities and network tools in Windows settings.  

After that, you’ll identify different types of storage drives and discover the difference between short-term and long-term memory. You’ll learn the features of local, offsite, and cloud storage and when to use each. And you’ll investigate file, block, and object storage and work out which cloud provider solutions work best for different networking scenarios. 

Videos, practice activities, and virtual hands-on labs will help you develop and apply the skills you need to diagnose and repair basic networking and storage issues so you can keep users connected and their data accessible. 

At the end of this course, you will complete a final quiz and assignment where you will demonstrate your understanding of the course content.

Introduction to Networking and Storage

Start your cloud computing journey with this self-paced introductory course! Whether you need general cloud computing knowledge for school or business, or you are considering a career change, this beginner-friendly course is right for you. 

In this course you’ll learn about essential characteristics of cloud computing and emerging technologies supported by cloud. You’ll explore cloud service models, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Public, Private, and Hybrid deployment models. 

Discover the offerings of prominent cloud service providers AWS, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and others, and review cloud computing case studies. Learn about cloud adoption, blockchain, analytics, and AI. 

You will learn about the many components of cloud computing architecture including datacenters, availability zones, virtual machines, containers, and bare metal servers. You will also familiarize yourself with different types of cloud storage options, such as Object Storage. 

You’ll gain foundational knowledge of emergent cloud trends and practices including Hybrid, Multicloud, Microservices, Serverless, DevOps, Cloud Native, Application Modernization, as well as learn about cloud security and monitoring. You’ll also explore cloud computing job roles and possible career paths and opportunities. 

You will complete a number of labs and quizzes throughout this course to increase your understanding of course content. At the end of the course, you will complete a final project where you will deploy an application to Cloud using a serverless architecture, a valuable addition to your portfolio. 

After this course, check out the related courses to help you towards your new career as a cloud engineer, full stack developer, DevOps engineer, cybersecurity analyst, and others.

Introduction to Cloud Computing

This course is designed to prepare you to enter the job market as a technical support specialist. It provides guidance about the regular functions and tasks of support professionals and options for career development. It explains practical techniques for creating essential job-seeking materials such as a resume and a portfolio, as well as auxiliary tools like a cover letter and an elevator pitch. You will learn how to find and assess prospective job positions, apply to them, and lay the groundwork for interviewing. You will also get inside tips and steps you can use to perform professionally and effectively at interviews. Let seasoned professionals share their experiences to help you get ahead of the competition. 

A note: This course often discusses technical support specialists specifically, but the majority of the content will apply to technical support specialists overall, and the terms “technical support engineer,” “help desk specialist,” “IT specialist,” and “technical support specialist” will be used interchangeably.

Tech Support Career Guide and Interview Preparation

With this beginner friendly course, learn fundamental Cybersecurity skills that are crucial for anyone using computing devices and connecting to the Internet.  

You will first learn to recognize common security threats and risks that individuals and organizations may face, such as theft, tampering, and destruction of sensitive information. You’ll then discover the characteristics of cyber-attacks and learn how you can employ best practices to guard against them.  

Next, you’ll learn about the best practices against cyberattacks. These include using strong passwords, good password management, and multi-factor authentication. You’ll learn ways in which you can strengthen your security plan with techniques like device hardening, encryption and more. 

You’ll then learn about safe browsing practices. You’ll gain an understanding of why you must practice safe browsing; to protect yourself against hackers, phishing, identity theft, security leaks, privacy issues and more. You’ll also explore methods for securing and managing confidential information. Then, discover how to configure browsers to help reduce security breaches. 

Throughout this course you will complete many hands-on labs which will enhance your understanding of course material. At the end of this course, you will have the opportunity to complete a final project where you will demonstrate your proficiency in cybersecurity. 

Designed specifically for beginners and those who are interested in a Cybersecurity Specialist or Analyst roles as well as entry-level roles in Information Security (Infosec) engineering. This course dives into the world of cybersecurity to give you the critical skills employers need. It also supports the needs of technical and IT support roles, who can find themselves on the front lines of defense for cybersecurity issues.

Introduction to Cybersecurity Essentials

Take the next step in your IT professional journey with this self-paced, beginner friendly course! This course covers the basics of software, cloud computing, web browsers, application development concepts, programming languages, and database fundamentals. 

You will first be introduced to computing platforms and software applications. You’ll learn about the software lifecycle, software compatibility across different platforms, and software versioning. You'll also learn about installing and managing web browsers, using extensions and plug-ins, and keeping them secure and updated. 

Next you will learn about basic programming concepts, coding logic, and the different programming languages like Python. You’ll move on to data and database fundamentals and learn how to use, interface with, access and backup databases. 

After completing this course, you'll have a better grasp of software processes and feel more confident about using and securing applications. From mobile phone operating systems to workplace database applications, this course covers a wide range of software. Discover the benefits of cloud-based technologies and see how using the cloud can help businesses create and deploy applications faster.  

To solidify your understanding and put your skills to the test, the course includes numerous hands-on labs. It ends with a final project where you’ll showcase your newfound expertise and demonstrate your understanding of software, programming, and databases.  

Enroll now to take the next step in developing expertise in IT Fundamentals.

Introduction to Software, Programming, and Databases

Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. 

You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also hear from experts in the IT industry about getting started in the field and how you can pursue this career without prior experience or degrees. You'll also learn some basics about the technology that technical support professionals use. 

You will hear from industry insiders about how you can develop a customer support mindset and how to talk with customers and solve their problems. You will gain insights into performance evaluation, career paths, and the industry-recognized certifications that can propel your technical support career forward. 

You'll then gain a comprehensive understanding of support tools and support channels and how they streamline issue resolution. You will also learn about the importance of Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) and how they contribute to delivering exceptional support experiences. 

Next you will explore ticketing systems, a fundamental component of modern technical support. You'll learn about their features, benefits, and the lifecycle of a ticket or a support issue. Moreover, you'll immerse yourself in tech support methodologies, frameworks, and the art of effective documentation.  

The course wraps up with a project that provides you with the opportunity to use a ticketing system hands-on and simulate the work that IT Support Specialists and Helpdesk Technician’s perform.

Introduction to Technical Support

This short course from IBM will test your readiness for the CompTIA ITF+ Certification exam. Success in the CompTIA ITF+ exam certifies candidates’ readiness to embark on a career as an IT practitioner, for example, an IT Support Specialist.

In this course, you will become familiar with the eligibility requirements, sign-up process, testing methods, and the knowledge and skills related to IT fundamentals that are assessed in this examination. You will also complete a mock exam that contains the same number and type of questions as the CompTIA ITF+ Certification exam. 

Through this course, you will learn about the domains the ITF+ exam is based on and exam testing strategies. You will also have the opportunity to practice for the CompTIA ITF+ Certification exam. This comprehensive assessment will test your knowledge and skills in IT concepts and terminology, infrastructure, applications and software, software development, database fundamentals, and security. Additionally, the course includes a sample assessment on cloud computing topics. 

This course assumes that you are already familiar with IT fundamental knowledge that the ITF+ exam tests on. If you do not have this knowledge, it is recommended that you complete the courses in the IBM IT and Cloud Fundamentals Specialization, or the first six courses in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate prior to starting this course.

Practice Exam for CompTIA ITF+ Certification

Get ready to enter the thriving field of Information Technology (IT), with job ready skills! This beginner friendly course provides the core hardware and operating system knowledge needed by anyone new to IT and computer hardware who wants to start a new career in technology, including IT Support, Networking, Cybersecurity, and Software Development.  

You will first be introduced to computing fundamentals, the four functions of computing, and the benefits of computing. You will become knowledgeable of internal computer components, including motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), memory, hard drives, expansion slots, and others. Learn to identify interfaces, ports, connectors, and peripherals.  

You will become familiar with tasks that IT professionals perform; including workstation procurement, workstation setup processes, configure commonly used operating system settings & screen capture commands, computer acquisition practices, and job-essential troubleshooting processes.  

By the end of this course, you will become knowledgeable about hardware and operating systems, mobile operating systems, interfaces and connectors, Linux, and macOS. Throughout the course you will practice what you learn using interactive exercises and hands-on labs. At the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to complete a final project where you will apply your understanding of course content. 

This course is also part of the series to help you prepare for CompTIA ITF+ and A+ certification exams.

IBM IT Support

About the Program

Description

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