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.

data and information
intellectual property
physical assets

VPNs
WLANs
WANs

IEEE 802.11 Protocol standard for secure wireless local area network products.
AAA security
Secure multi-purpose internet mail extensions
Secure socket layer and transport layer security
IP security protocol
Domain name system security extensions
Data over cable service interface specification
Point-to-point network tunnelling protocol
Secure electronic transactions
Secure shell
Generic routing encapsulation
Network port addresses translation (NAT/PAT)
Access control lists, context-based control lists
Internet group management protocol

built-in or third-party products, including sniffers, PKI, SSH, DESlogin, PKZIP, secure socket layer (SSL), digital signatures, Cisco IOS layer encryption, TACACS, RADIUS, internet key exchange and simple certificate enrolment protocol

security
audit
operating systems
virus checking network monitoring software
applications systems
encryption modules

Firewall devices
Routers
Switches
Wired and wireless networks
Network monitoring appliances
Desktop and laptop computers, networked and standalone

Back-up and recovery of data
Remote access to internal network
Password logons
Firewalls
Hacking prevention
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability

databases
applications
servers
operating systems
gateways
application and external agencies, such as ISPs, digital certification providers

identification
authentication
authorisation
access control
auditing
surveillance

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 following is essential:

Assessment must confirm the ability to develop, implement and maintain basic security functionality for VPNs, LANs, WANs or WLANs

To demonstrate competency in this unit the person will require access to:

Network technical requirements
Network infrastructure, including servers and security hardware and software

Context of and specific resources for assessment
The breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and skills in this competency would cover a broad range of varied activities or application in a wider variety of contexts most of which are complex and non-routine. Leadership and guidance would be involved when organising activities of self and others as well as contributing to technical solutions of a non-routine or contingency nature.

Assessment must ensure:

Performance of a broad range of skilled applications including the requirement to evaluate and analyse current practices, develop new criteria and procedures for performing current practices and provision of some leadership and guidance to others in the application and planning of the skills would be characteristic.
Applications may involve responsibility for, and limited organisation of, others.

Method of assessment
The purpose of this unit is to define the standard of performance to be achieved in the workplace. In undertaking training and assessment activities related to this unit, consideration should be given to the implementation of appropriate diversity and accessibility practices in order to accommodate people who may have special needs. Additional guidance on these and related matters is provided in ICA05 Section 1.
Competency in this unit should be assessed using summative assessment to ensure consistency of performance in a range of contexts. This unit can be assessed either in the workplace or in a simulated environment. However, simulated activities must closely reflect the workplace to enable full demonstration of competency.
Assessment will usually include observation of real or simulated work processes and procedures and/or performance in a project context as well as questioning on underpinning knowledge and skills. The questioning of team members, supervisors, subordinates, peers and clients where appropriate may provide valuable input to the assessment process. The interdependence of units for assessment purposes may vary with the particular project or scenario.

Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended.

An individual demonstrating this competency would be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of a broad knowledge base incorporating some theoretical concepts
Apply solutions to a defined range of unpredictable problems
Identify and apply skill and knowledge areas to a wide variety of contexts, with depth in some areas
Identify, analyse and evaluate information from a variety of sources
Take responsibility for own outputs in relation to specified quality standards
Take limited responsibility for the quantity and quality of the output of others
Maintain knowledge of industry products and services