CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Lessons 4–6b
Another online class wrapped up—and honestly, I feel like I’ve been through a mental obstacle course. Today we covered Lesson 4 (Identity and Access Management), Lesson 5 (Secure Enterprise Network Architecture), and Lesson 6 (Secure Cloud Network Architecture).
Let’s just say… things escalated quickly.
Lesson 4: Who Are You and Why Are You Here?
We kicked off with Identity and Access Management (IAM), which sounds straightforward… until you’re knee-deep in MFA, SSO, federated identities, RBAC, ABAC, DAC, and a dozen other acronyms that feel like alphabet soup.
The takeaway? Not everyone should have access to everything. It’s like giving the garage keys only to the trusted mechanics—not the postman or neighbour.
Lesson 5: Securing the Enterprise Network (aka: Building a Cyber Car from Scratch)
Next, we dove into designing secure enterprise networks: firewalls, VPNs, proxies, VLANs.
This part was a wild ride. Imagine trying to build a car—not just any car, but one that runs smooth, handles like a dream, and somehow fends off cyber criminals at every turn. You’ve got your firewall as the front bumper, VPNs as the tinted windows, proxies rerouting traffic like a Sat Nav on a mission, and VLANs keeping the engine bay separate from the entertainment system.
Just when you think everything’s bolted down and road-ready, you find a rogue wire leading to the backseat Wi-Fi that needs locking down.
Lesson 6: Cloud Confusion and Floating Firewalls
Then we soared into the cloud. Literally. Cloud architecture is a beautiful, abstract mystery where nothing is physically there but everything really matters. Private, public, hybrid, SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, just when you think you’ve got it, they toss in container security, zero trust, and cloud access security like it’s no big deal.
I’m pretty sure somewhere in the cloud is a folder called “Jason’s Brain – Fragmented.”
Why I’m Still Buzzing
Even though it’s tough, I’m loving the process. I signed up for this course to understand cybersecurity in the context of modern vehicles. As cars get smarter and more connected, I want to be ahead of the game—not just fixing engines and tackling Electric cars but understanding how they keep the vehicles secure in a digital world.
So yeah, my head’s spinning, my notes are full, and I’ve googled “what is identity federation” at least five times.
But I’m still here. Still studying. Still showing up and still loving it.
Once my brain stops spinning I will start my self study.
Stumbling through cybersecurity, because knowledge is power… once I figure it out!
