Overview

Gain hands-on Systems Administrator skills in this exciting course that follows the journey of the fictional Globex Corporation as it grows from a startup to a multinational enterprise with fully-functional network and information systems. As their new corporate systems administrator, get ready to upgrade obsolete systems and design new networks in this fast-paced learning environment that mirrors critical on-the-job scenarios designed to prepare you for real-world Ops challenges.

The course integrates practical network and systems administration operations such as network design and troubleshooting, server deployment and configuration, user identity management, scripting & automation, and system health monitoring with professional exercises in change management and project planning in a simulated on-the-job narrative.

This course includes a career coaching curriculum to get you ready for your job search. The course totals 160 hours, including lectures, lab, coworking, and collaborative projects.

Outcomes

At the end of this course, you will be able to land an entry-level Network Operations Specialist or Systems Administrator job with skills to:

• Implement ITIL change and configuration management best practices
• Apply Agile project management methodologies to IT systems administration
• Design and deploy a client-server infrastructure
• Administer critical IT and network systems
• Practice identity management in Active Directory (AD)/LDAP protocol
• Deploy and use a database in Microsoft SQL Server 2019
• Analyze how cloud systems can integrate into on-premise systems
• Automate OS tasks using scripting languages Bash, Powershell, and Python
• Design and deploy a complete enterprise-grade network infrastructure including routers, switches and firewalls
• Troubleshoot challenging network problem scenarios
• Implement network protocols TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, and routing
• Oversee patch management of various systems
• Resolve network problems using network analyzer tools and network management solutions
• Be prepared for a Ops 401: Cybersecurity Engineering course

Prerequisites

• Required: Familiarity with algebra concepts.
• Ops 201: Foundations of Computer Operations Learn to support technology operations by resolving issues with hardware, software, and virtual or cloud systems.
• Students with previous experience can test out of this requirement in their application. If you'd like to test straight into this course, please make sure you have experience with all of the topics listed on the Ops 102 and Ops 201 course pages.

Certification Alignment

This course will substantially prepare you for achieving the learning objectives of CompTIA Network+ certification. This course covers significant aspects of four of the five domains required for Network+.

• CompTIA Network+ N10-007
• 1.0 Networking Concepts
• 2.0 Infrastructure
• 3.0 Network Operations
• 5.0 Network Troubleshooting and Tools

Career Transition Services

Changing careers is about more than learning a new skill. In tandem with your Ops education, you will receive powerful career-building strategic training so you can confidently start your job search as soon as (or even before!) you graduate.

Our Career Transition Services provide training, mentoring, leadership, and introductions to industry partners to help you become a more well-rounded software developer and a leader in your field. These services, which start in Ops 201 and continue after Ops 401 graduation, involve a series of events, workshops, and assignments that help you think holistically about your new career and take actionable steps towards success.

Material Requirements

For all Ops courses beyond 101, you must come to class on the first day with:

• A recent-model laptop (or desktop) computer
• An Ops Lab Kit from Cayman Code Academy, which contains tools of an IT pro, and a PC to use for labs (where you can uninstall/reinstall the operating system repeatedly).

Laptop Requirements

You are required to supply your own laptop that meets the below requirements. Chromebooks are not suitable for this course, since they are generally underpowered, and not configured for you to control the installed software. You are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of your laptop throughout the course.

• 64-bit Operating System, like macOS or Windows 10
• Fully up to date, with the latest version of the operating system and all security updates installed
• At least 100GB of free space on the hard drive
• At least 16GB of RAM required. 32GB RAM strongly preferred
• Free of viruses, and in general working order

Ops Lab Kit

By the first day of class, you will need to have received an Ops Lab Kit from Cayman Code Academy. This means you are responsible for picking up the Lab Kit at a published time or arranging for it to be delivered to you before class starts.

Each kit contains:

• A desktop tower PC computer intended for lab and data overwrite
• Compatible peripherals
• Two 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive
• Sysadmin toolkits
• Cat5e networking supplies
• A wireless router for firmware modifications
• And more!

Each kit costs $400, which will be billed to you with your course invoice.

Stacked Modules

Concepts in each of our courses are taught using stacked modules, where a new concept is introduced in each class session, building upon what came before it. This is a challenging style that requires persistence, practice, and collaboration, but allows more concepts to be introduced over the length of the course. This method helps students learn and retain more information in a short period of time. Learn more about stacked modules »