Topics Covered in CBCA Exam

The CBCA exam tests not only at your technology skills, but also your business and personal skills – key elements required of any IT professional in the twenty-first century. The test focuses on the nine important aspects of business computing:

• Business Computing Terms and Concepts
• Business Processes
• End User Support and Tools
• Interpersonal Skills
• Networking / Telephony
• Operating Systems / Platforms / Environments
• Programming / Databases
• Security and Regulatory
• Systems Hardware

Study Materials Available

The CBCA Study Guide is available as an e-book here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/300202

Study materials for each topic area are also available through articles publish in different issues of the COMMON.CONNECT digital magazine

• Business Computing Terms and Concepts and Business Processes - http://connect.common.org/commonconnect/201206#pg11

 

• End User Support Tools and Interpersonal Skills - 
  http://connect.common.org/commonconnect/201208#pg15
  
  
• Networking and Telephony and Operating Systems, Platforms and Environments - http://connect.common.org/commonconnect/20121011#pg15
  
  
• Programming and Databases, and Security and Regulatory - http://connect.common.org/commonconnect/2013bg#pg14

More details about each topic area are detailed below.

Business Computing Terms and Concepts

• LAMP Stack
• Wintel
• IBM
• PTF, PMR, DASD
• Disaster Recovery
• Profit and Loss
• ERP
• Virtualization
• Service Level Agreement
• Quality Assurance

Business Processes

• General business application workflow
• Accounting / Budgeting
• Office / Productivity
• Regulations / Compliance
• SWOT Analysis
• Business Continuity
• Audit
• Change Management

End User Support and Tools

• Problem identification, determination, and resolution
• Managing user expectations
• Trouble ticket management
• End user tools (office productivity: docs, email etc.)
• General end user computing environment (workstation, thin client, Citrix, browser, etc.)
• Linux - Desktop
• MacOS
• Browsers
• Windows XP, Vista, 7, Etc.

• Strong speaking/writing skills
• Team Attitude
• Strong work ethic willing to work when needed
• Understands and promotes Ethical and honest behavior
• Proper deportment
• Leadership Qualities
• Project Management / Participation

Networking / Telephony

• General Network Principles
• Physical cabling
• Routers, Switches, Firewalls
• Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Web content filtering
• Telephony
• Network Security (including VPN)
• Mobile phones

Operating Systems / Platforms / Environments

• IBM i (OS/400, i5/OS)
• Windows Server versions
• AIX
• Linux - Servers
• Comparison
• High Availability, Disaster Recovery, Save and Restore, Mirroring and RAID

Programming / Databases

• RPG / COBOL / CLLE / SQL(Language)
• .NET
• Java / C# / PHP / Ruby
• C++
• XML, DDS, SQL (Definition)
• Methodologies / Concepts / Analysis
• System Development Life Cycle
• Database - DB2 / MySQL / Oracle

Security and Regulatory

• Backup processing and retention
• Password Security
• HIPPA, SOx, PCI
• HTTPS, VPN
• Database access restrictions
• Storage Encryption
• High Availability
• Location of Data Balance of security vs Availability
• Physical Access restrictions
• Audit

Systems Hardware

• Power Systems
• Client PCs - Intel x86, Mac
• Servers x86
• Routers, switches, hubs
• A/C, Power, racks, and UPS
• Peripherals (Tapes, printers)
• Storage
• Slot Technology
• Memory