IUP ITS study plan
IUP ITS · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
IT Service Management and Support Operations
Map the ITIL 4 service value chain stages to everyday service desk activities and write a one-line example for each stage
Define incident, service request, problem, and change in your own words and classify 15 sample tickets into those categories
Draft an incident priority matrix using impact and urgency and justify each priority level in writing
Sequence the major incident lifecycle from detection through post-incident review and identify the owner of each step
Your checkpoint
A one-page service management reference sheet containing the value chain map, four definition cards, a completed 15-ticket classification log, and the priority matrix
IT Service Management and Support Operations
Compare SLA, OLA, and underpinning contract and write one realistic example of each for a mid-size organization
Calculate availability, MTTR, and MTBF from a supplied set of outage durations and state what each metric reveals
Outline an escalation path for a severity-1 outage including notification timing and stakeholder communication cadence
Describe how a knowledge base article reduces repeat tickets and draft one sample article structure
Your checkpoint
A metrics worksheet with worked availability, MTTR, and MTBF calculations plus a written severity-1 escalation and communication plan
Networking and Network Infrastructure
Convert between CIDR notation, subnet masks, and host ranges for /24 through /30 networks without a calculator
Explain the OSI and TCP/IP layer models and place at least eight common protocols at their correct layers
Trace a packet from client to server across a router, switch, and firewall and describe what changes at each hop
Distinguish VLANs, trunks, and access ports and explain how a VLAN segments broadcast traffic
Your checkpoint
A subnetting practice set of 20 problems solved with shown work plus a one-page protocol-to-layer reference table
Networking and Network Infrastructure & Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Configure and interpret basic routing concepts including default gateway, static route, and dynamic routing purpose
Explain DNS resolution, DHCP lease process, and NAT translation step by step
Identify the security role of a firewall, IDS/IPS, and DMZ and describe where each sits in a network diagram
Classify common network attacks such as spoofing, ARP poisoning, and DDoS by the layer they exploit
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn or text-described network diagram of a small office with annotated device roles, address ranges, and the attack surface at each segment
Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Apply the CIA triad to three realistic scenarios and state which leg is threatened and which control mitigates it
Distinguish authentication from authorization and compare MFA factors with concrete examples
Explain symmetric versus asymmetric encryption and where TLS, hashing, and digital signatures each fit
Map at least ten controls from a recognized framework to the threats they reduce
Describe the incident response phases and what happens in each for a suspected ransomware event
Your checkpoint
A control-to-threat mapping table with at least ten rows plus a written incident response walkthrough for one ransomware scenario
Systems Administration and Operating Systems & Enterprise Applications and Data Management
Compare file system permissions and access control models on at least two operating system families
Interpret process, memory, and disk utilization output and decide when a host is resource-starved
Write the steps to diagnose a host that boots slowly, from log review to startup item audit
Explain backup types, restore testing, and the difference between RPO and RTO with examples
Describe how an enterprise application integrates with a directory service for single sign-on
Your checkpoint
A troubleshooting runbook for one slow-boot scenario with commands, expected output, and decision points, plus a backup and restore checklist
IT Governance, Policy, and Compliance & Emerging Technologies and Digital Transformation
Distinguish policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines and draft one short example of each
Identify the data protection obligations that drive logging, retention, and access review requirements
Explain risk register components and score three sample risks by likelihood and impact
Describe cloud shared responsibility and where the boundary shifts between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
Evaluate one emerging technology such as zero trust or AI-assisted operations and state two benefits and two risks
Your checkpoint
A governance packet containing a one-page policy example, a three-row risk register with scores, and a written emerging technology assessment
Project Management and Change Management & IT Service Management and Support Operations & Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Sequence the change management lifecycle and classify five sample changes as standard, normal, or emergency
Draft a rollback plan and success criteria for a proposed production change
Review weak areas from prior weeks and re-drill the two domains with the lowest practice scores
Complete a timed mixed-domain practice set and log every missed question with its root cause
Your checkpoint
A complete change request package with rollback plan and success criteria plus a scored practice log listing weak areas and the specific remediation for each
Milestones
Week 2: Explain the incident lifecycle and compute availability, MTTR, and MTBF from raw outage data without notes
Week 4: Solve ten subnetting problems accurately in under fifteen minutes and describe the role of each device in your small-office diagram
Week 6: Walk through a ransomware incident response and a slow-boot diagnosis end to end, naming the control or command used at each step
Week 8: Score at least 80 percent on a timed mixed-domain practice set and show a written remediation entry for every missed question