Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Policies may include:
audit systems
incident response procedures
network intrusion detection systems.
Standards, protocols and management systems may include:
AAA security
access control lists, context-based control lists
data over cable service interface specification
domain name system security extensions
generic routing encapsulation
IEEE 802.11 Protocol standard for secure wireless local area network products
internet group management protocol
IP security protocol
network port addresses translation (NAT or PAT)
point-to-point network tunnelling protocol
secure:
electronic transactions
multi-purpose internet mail extensions
shell
socket layer and transport layer security.
Commercial and business requirements may include:
availability
backup
confidentiality
firewalls
hacking prevention
integrity
password logons.
Framework components may include:
deployment of public key infrastructure (PKI), CA and key management services
firewall technologies
multi-platform directory services supporting relevant standards
operating system capable of providing access control, audit services
support for generalised security services interfaces, personnel security
trusted hardware and operating system at selective desktops, servers, network points and mainframes.
Hardware may include:
desktop and laptop computers, networked and stand-alone
firewall devices
network-monitoring appliances
routers
switches
wired and wireless networks.
Software may include:
audit
encryption modules
operating system
packaged software but can be supplied from many varying vendors and can include security
virus checking.
System may include:
applications
databases
external service providers, such as internet service providers (ISPs) and digital certification suppliers
gateways
operating system
servers.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
develop basic security functionality for either VPN, LANs, WANs or WLANs
implement such security
maintain such security
document the security implemented and its maintenance.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
network technical requirements
network infrastructure, including servers and security hardware and software
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of:
VPNs
WANs
security protocols
review of candidate’s documentation of installed security and its maintenance
evaluation of candidate’s security implementation on a VPN.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.