Network Accelerator Program — Security+ · Coming soon

Australia needs cyber defenders who can do, not just define.

A face-to-face, lab-first Security+ program in Perth. You'll harden real devices, hunt through real logs and respond to simulated incidents, so you walk into your first security role having already done the work.

Junior Security Analyst Perth, WA

Junior SOC / Security Analyst — Entry Level

Full time · Security operations

Security+ or equivalent (or working toward)
Hands-on experience triaging alerts and reviewing logs
Understanding of firewalls, access control and network segmentation
"Hands-on"in almost every ad

the certificate gets you shortlisted. The skills get you hired.

01The demand for cyber

Cyber jobs are growing faster than Australia can fill them.

Every breach headline creates more demand for people who can defend networks. The industry's own numbers show how wide the gap is.

~85,000
Additional cyber workers Australia will need by 2030 — a 66% increase on today's workforce (AustCyber)
14.2%
Projected employment growth for ICT security & systems roles by 2029 — more than double the national average (Jobs and Skills Australia)
50%+
Of Australian Government agencies already report critical cyber skills shortages (State of the Service Report)

Sources: AustCyber via The Nightly; Jobs and Skills Australia and State of the Service Report, as cited by AISA (May 2026). AustCyber also estimates an Australian suffers a cyber attack every six minutes.

02The catch

Demand is high. But employers still won't hire theory.

Most Security+ prep is videos and practice exams. That gets you the certificate. It doesn't teach you what to do when an alert fires at 2am, or how to lock down a switch someone left wide open.

You don't learn security by reading about attacks. You learn it by defending real systems. That's how we've built this stream: every syllabus topic is paired with a lab on real equipment and an instructor beside you.

03The syllabus, and why it matters at work

All five Security+ domains. Each one turned into a job skill.

Aligned to the current CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) exam objectives. The percentage is each domain's weight on the exam.

DomainWeightIn the labOn the job
General Security Concepts12%Apply least privilege, configure AAA and set up encrypted management access.You speak the language of security teams from day one: CIA, zero trust, controls.
Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations22%Identify weak configs, spot phishing indicators, then close the gaps you find.You can explain a threat and the fix — what managers actually want.
Security Architecture18%Segment a network with VLANs and ACLs; separate guest, staff and server traffic.You design networks that contain an attack instead of letting it spread.
Security Operations28%Harden devices, read logs, triage alerts and run an incident response drill.The core of every junior SOC and security admin role — and the biggest exam domain.
Security Program Management & Oversight20%Write a risk register entry, a simple policy and a post-incident report.Opens GRC and compliance roles, and helps you talk to non-technical stakeholders.
04Snippets from the labs

A taste of what you'll actually type.

Not screenshots from a video. These are tasks you'll complete yourself, on real Cisco gear and real log files.

Lab · Device hardening

Kill Telnet. Allow SSH only.

Management traffic in plain text is an open door. You'll close it.

SW1(config)# ip domain-name netlabs.local SW1(config)# crypto key generate rsa modulus 2048 SW1(config)# ip ssh version 2 SW1(config)# username admin secret ******** SW1(config)# line vty 0 4 SW1(config-line)# transport input ssh SW1(config-line)# login local
At work: Hardening checklists are one of the first tasks handed to new security staff.
Lab · Access control

Stop rogue devices at the switch port.

Someone plugs an unknown laptop into a meeting room port. Your config shuts it out.

SW1(config)# interface fa0/5 SW1(config-if)# switchport mode access SW1(config-if)# switchport port-security SW1(config-if)# switchport port-security maximum 2 SW1(config-if)# switchport port-security mac-address sticky SW1(config-if)# switchport port-security violation restrict
At work: Physical-layer controls are a common audit finding — you'll know how to fix them.
Lab · Log analysis

Spot the brute-force attack.

Scroll a real auth log, find the pattern, identify the source and decide what to do.

$ grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log | tail -4 sshd: Failed password for invalid user admin from 203.0.113.45 sshd: Failed password for invalid user root from 203.0.113.45 sshd: Failed password for invalid user test from 203.0.113.45 sshd: Failed password for invalid user oracle from 203.0.113.45 # One IP, many usernames, seconds apart. Triage it.
At work: This is exactly what a junior SOC analyst does all shift: find signal in the noise.
Lab · Segmentation

Keep guests away from your servers.

Build an ACL so the guest Wi-Fi VLAN can reach the internet, but never internal systems.

R1(config)# ip access-list extended GUEST-IN R1(config-ext-nacl)# deny ip 10.20.0.0 0.0.0.255 10.10.0.0 0.0.255.255 R1(config-ext-nacl)# permit ip 10.20.0.0 0.0.0.255 any R1(config)# interface g0/0.20 R1(config-subif)# ip access-group GUEST-IN in
At work: Segmentation is what stops one compromised laptop becoming a company-wide breach.
05Case study · Day one on the job
D1

Your first week as a junior security analyst.

Here's an illustrative first-week queue for a new analyst at a Perth organisation. Every ticket on the right maps to a lab you'll have already completed in the Accelerator. Nothing on it will be the first time you've seen it.

Illustrative scenario — this stream hasn't run its first cohort yet. We'll replace this with real graduate stories once it has.

#1
Alert: 400 failed SSH logins, one source IP
Security Operations
Log analysis lab ✓

Confirm it's brute force, check whether any login succeeded, block the source and escalate with evidence.

#2
Audit finding: Telnet enabled on 6 switches
Threats & Mitigations
Hardening lab ✓

Move management to SSH, create local accounts, and document the change.

#3
Request: "Can guests reach the file server?"
Security Architecture
Segmentation lab ✓

Test it, then explain the ACL to a non-technical manager in two sentences.

3 / 3already practised
06Who it's for

Three starting points. The same missing piece.

i.

The graduate

Studied cyber or IT but never triaged a real alert. Leaves with hands-on examples to talk through in interviews.

ii.

The migrant

Strong theory from overseas, little local exposure. Gains practical proof employers in Australia recognise.

iii.

The career-changer

Coming from helpdesk, admin or compliance. Turns existing experience into a security role — GRC is a natural fit.

Roles this stream prepares you for

Junior SOC / Security Analyst
Security Administrator
Network Security Technician
GRC / Compliance Analyst
07Let's make it real

Candidate A vs Candidate B. Who would you hire?

Candidate A

Passed Security+ online

  • Can define phishing, malware and zero trust
  • Memorised ports and protocols
  • Has never read a real log file
  • Has never hardened a device
  • Freezes on "walk me through an incident"
vs
Candidate B

Completed the Security+ Accelerator

  • Has triaged brute-force and phishing scenarios
  • Has hardened routers and switches with real commands
  • Has segmented a network with VLANs and ACLs
  • Has written an incident report
  • Talks through a live scenario calmly

Same certificate. Only one is ready for the job.

Our mission is to turn you into Candidate B.

08Questions

FAQ

Do I need CCNA or Network+ first?

It helps, but it isn't required. You should be comfortable with basic networking — IP addresses, what a switch and router do. If you're not there yet, the Network+ or CCNA stream is the right first step.

Is it face-to-face in Perth?

Yes. The point is hands-on work on real equipment with an instructor who can see what you're doing and correct it immediately.

Which version of the exam does it cover?

The current CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) objectives. CompTIA updates Security+ roughly every three years, and we'll align the program to whichever version is current when you enrol.

Is the exam included?

We'll confirm exam voucher details when enrolment opens. Register interest to be first to hear.

Do you guarantee a job?

No — nobody honestly can. What we can promise is that you'll finish having done the work, not just read about it, and able to show that in an interview.

09Coming soon

Be first in line for the Security+ stream.

Small face-to-face cohorts, limited seats. Register interest now and we'll tell you as soon as dates and enrolment open.

Register interest →

Enrolling now: the Network Accelerator Program — CCNA stream.