About CISCO certification Guide

[dhilipkumar]

Cisco certifications have been proven to help networking professionals get a job, increase their salary, stay employed and, more directly, validate their knowledge on routing, switching, designing and securing everything Cisco. This guide focuses on how to pass your CCNA and CCNP exams but includes many other Cisco certification resources and materials.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
   CCNA
   CCNP
   More Cisco certifications
   Cisco certification book excerpts
   More certification resources

cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certified professionals can install, configure and operate LAN, WAN and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer), including, but not limited to, the use of the following protocols: IP, IGRP, IPX, Serial, AppleTalk, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, RIP, Ethernet, Access Lists.

If you are preparing to take the CCNA, you need to understand the distinction between routing and routed protocols, as well as how these protocols function on the network.
Here, contributor David Davis shows you how to tell the difference between routing and routed protocols in this tip, Routing versus routed protocols and the CCNA.

There are several reasons why professionals want to get their CCNA as explained in the article CCNA: Earn more by knowing more. For those of you who have decided that you need to get your CCNA, SearchNetworking.com has put together a CCNA exam preparation guide to help you with your studies.

Need to know more about the studying process? David Minutella tells you what equipment you need to practice your CCNA in this Q&A. He also offers you a tip on what would make studying a little more interesting.

Once you've obtained your CCNA certification, how do you keep it? Aside from taking the test over again before it expires, you can automatically recertify if you pass any Cisco exam starting with 642 or pass your written CCIE.


   Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) is an intermediate-level certification in the Cisco certified professional program aimed at full-time network or system administrators, or those who work with local and/or wide area network infrastructure.

Whether CCNP is a good path for you, Cisco expert David Minutella actually says getting a CCNP or a CCSP to specialize in network security depends. See what training and certification expert Ed Tittel has to say about having a Cisco specialty on top of the generic CCNP Certification.

Once you've decided CCNP is the right test for you to take, check to see how to study for it on your own in this Q&A with Cisco certification expert David Minutella:
Is it possible to adequately prepare for the CCNP on my own without taking any training classes?

One of the hardest parts about obtaining a certification is keeping it. Part of this difficulty is understanding how long your certification lasts for. In an example taken from Dave Minutella, a member asks him the following: I have passed my BSCI 642-801 on September 15. Do I need to take any other exam to re-certify my CCNP?

Minutella says that Cisco has cut us a break as far as recertification goes for the professional levels exams. Essentially, if you take a single exam in the professional series that you are currently certified in after 1/1/07, then you are automatically recertified. So, assuming you took the exam in September [2006], you are already recertified for your CCNP.

However, if your CCNP expires, you've unfortunately lost your CCNP credentials. With that being said, you can narrow your recertification process down to three tests by taking the 642-891 composite exam in addition to the 642-821 BCRAN and the 642-831CIT, instead of having to take all of the tests over again.

[dhilipkumar]

CCNA and CCNP are just a mere fraction of the certifications which Cisco offers. Below is a listing of Cisco's certifications in varying degrees of difficulty and expertise, starting with associate and ending in expert. For a complete listing of Cisco certifications of every IT field, view Cisco's official career certifications Web site.

Associate

Associate levels, often synonymous with the apprentice or foundation levels, begin your Cisco Career Certifications. They contain the CCENT, CCNA, and CCDA certification paths.

CCENT

Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) is a new, entry-level certification preceding the CCNA certification. Certified professionals should have the knowledge and skill to install, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network, including basic network security.

For more information on CCENT view Andrew Hickey's story:
Cisco networking certifications targets entry level

CCDA

Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certified professionals can design routed and switched network infrastructures involving LAN, WAN, and dial access services for businesses and organizations. Minutella admits the CCDA does not have an abundant supply of books for studying, but in his boot camps at the Training Camp, they researched all the options and ultimately settled down on the CCDA Exam Certification Guide as the best resource. If you couple that with the CCDA/CCDP Flash Cards and Exam Practice Pack from Cisco Press, you have a well-rounded foundation for taking the exam.

CISS

Cisco Information Security Specialist (CISS) certification is an entry-level security exam. For more information on the CISS certification read this SearchNetworking.com article:
Cisco's Information Security Specialist certification

Professional

The professional-level certification is the second level in general Cisco Career Certifications, similar to that of advanced or journeyman levels, including CCNP, CCSP, CCDP, and CCIP certifications.

CCSP

With a Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP), a network professional can secure and manage network infrastructures to protect productivity and reduce costs. The content emphasizes topics such as perimeter security, virtual private networks, intrusion protection as well as how to combine these technologies in a single, integrated network security solution.