cisco career certification networking

Cisco Career Certifications are IT professional certifications for Cisco products. The tests are administered by Pearson VUE (Prometric previously administered the test; but as of 1 Aug 2007, no longer does). There are three levels of certification: Associate, Professional, and Expert.Contents [hide]
1 Technician certifications
2 Associate certifications
2.1 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
2.2 Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)
3 Professional certifications
3.1 Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
3.2 Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
3.3 Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional (CCIP)
3.4 Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)
3.5 Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)
3.6 Recertification
4 Expert-level certifications
4.1 CCIE Routing & Switching
4.2 CCIE Security
4.3 CCIE Service Provider
4.4 CCIE Voice
4.5 CCIE Storage Networking
4.6 Retired CCIE tracks
5 Retired Certifications
6 References
7 External links


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Technician certifications

The first stage of Cisco's certification system is the "Associate" level and begins with Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification as an interim step to Associate level or directly with CCNA and CCDA certifications. The CCENT covers only basic networking knowledge, and does not get involved with the more technical aspects of the Cisco curriculum. The CCNA Discovery curriculum covers most of what is required to pass this exam.

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Associate certifications

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Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

Candidates have the option of gaining the certification by passing two tests (ICND1 640-822 and ICND2 640-816), or one single test (CCNA 640-802); the two-test option has the advantage of allowing the candidate to focus on certain subjects.[1]

The certification is valid for three years; at that time a CCNA holder must either
re-take the CCNA or ICND exam, or
take and pass an exam for one of the Professional (e.g., CCNP) or Specialist level certifications (excluding the sales specialist exams), or pass the CCIE written exam.

These exams are known by their corresponding numbers. When the curriculum of the exam changes the exam number also changes. The current exam number for CCNA is 640-802 (from 15 Aug 2007). The exam number for INTRO is 640-821 (Last day to test 11/6/07) and ICND the exam number is 640-811 (Last day to test 11/6/07). New ICND Part1 (640-822 ICND1) and ICND Part2 (640-816 ICND2) available from 15 Aug 2007. These exams are conducted by authorized test centers at a cost of $125 each for the INTRO or ICND exams and $150[2] for the full CCNA exam.

There is also the Cisco Networking Academy, which brings the CCNA and CCNP curricula into traditional educational institutions in over 150 countries.[3] Students enrolled in Cisco Networking Academy can request exam vouchers that allow them to take the retired exam for an extended period of time.[4]

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Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)

The CCDA certification indicates an apprentice knowledge of Cisco network design. Individuals who have earned a CCDA are capable of designing switched or routed networks consisting of LANs, WANs, and various dial services. While a CCNA certification is not required to take the CCDA exam, Cisco recommends being familiar with CCNA material.

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Professional certifications

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Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

The CCNP is considered proof of having the ability to work with medium-sized networks (between 100 and 500 end devices) and with technology such as QoS, broadband, VPNs, and security-minded features. To acquire a CCNP one must possess a CCNA certification first and then pass three or four tests, depending on the path one chooses. The four tests path requires the candidate to pass the following tests:
642-901 BSCI: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI)[5]
642-812 BCMSN: Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN)[6]
642-825 ISCW: Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks (ISCW)[7]
642-845 ONT: Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (ONT)[8]

The BSCI and BCMSN tests can be taken as one single composite test known as the 642-892 Composite[9] which covers subjects for Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) and Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN).

In order to retain the certification one must either re-certify or upgrade to a CCIE every three years. Additional resources and tools to aid in preparing for the certification are available on the CCNP Prep Center.[10]

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Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)

The CCDP certification is an advanced network design certification provided by Cisco Systems, Inc. Candidates for the certification are tested for advanced knowledge of Cisco devices and the way to interconnect them. This certification is considered a professional level certificate by Cisco Systems. (The CCNA and CCDA are prerequisite.)

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Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional (CCIP)

The CCIP certification is a professional certification covering the end-to-end protocols used in large scale networks.

To attain this certification tests must be passed in the areas of routing, BGP, MPLS and Quality of service.

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Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)

The CCSP certification is an advanced network security certification. Candidates for the certification are tested for advanced knowledge of various Cisco security products.

To attain this certification several tests must be passed in the areas of VPN, IDS, PIX firewall, Secure IOS, the Cisco SAFE, as well as having a CCNA or higher level certification (e.g. CCNP or CCIP).

The common practice is to take five exams which include one elective paper. The list of exams and elective papers can be found in the Cisco website.

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Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)

The CCVP is a certification covering all aspects of IP Telephony/VOIP networks and applications.

To attain this certification, five tests must be passed in the areas of Quality of service, Cisco VoIP, IP Telephony Troubleshooting, Cisco IP Telephony, and Gateway Gatekeeper.

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Recertification

To recertify any Professional level certification, pass any 642 exam that is part of the professional level curriculum after August 18, 2006, or pass a current CCIE written exam.

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Expert-level certifications

The expert-level certification is the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). It is the highest level of professional certification that Cisco provides. There are 5 active CCIE tracks, as shown below. As of November 14, 2007 there are 15,658 people with active CCIE certifications in the world.[11].

Cisco began its CCIE program in 1993[12] originally with a two day lab, later changing it to the one day format used today. Less than 3% of Cisco certified individuals attain CCIE certification, and on average will spend thousands of dollars and 18 months studying before passing.[13] Many candidates build mock-labs at home using old Cisco equipment, selling it again to other candidates after passing. Alternatively candidates may rent "rack time" online and practice lab scenarios on Cisco equipment hosted on the Internet for that purpose.

Cisco refers to the CCIE as the "most respected IT certification",[14] and from 2002 to 2005[15] it was voted as such in CertCities magazine. It has also been voted the most technically advanced IT certification by CertMag,[16] and is generally reported as the highest salaried certification in IT salary surveys.

The CCIE is comprised of a written exam and a "lab" exam (each in the specific area of the chosen track). The written exam is required to take the lab exam, and has a cost of $315[2] USD per attempt. Upon passing the written exam, the candidate is qualified to have a first attempt the lab exam for 18 months. If the first attempt is unsuccessful the candidate has 3 years from the date the written exam was passed to successfully complete the lab. If a candidate does not pass the CCIE lab in that time, they must pass the CCIE written exam again before making additional attempts at the CCIE lab exam. As many attempts can be made to pass the lab exam for up to 3 years after passing the written, so long as the first attempt is within 18 months. There is a minimum waiting time between attempts of one month.

The CCIE Lab is currently $1,400 USD[2] per attempt and are offered only at ten Cisco lab exam locations worldwide. The locations are Bangalore; Beijing; Brussels; Dubai; Hong Kong; Research Triangle Park, NC; San Jose, CA; São Paulo; Sydney; and Tokyo. In addition, according to a survey by Cisco the average cost to prepare for CCIE certification is $9,050 as of April 2006, spent mostly on practice equipment and self study material.[17] This is partially offset by the increased salary the certification commands, which a March 2007 Network World article estimates at 10% - 15% over similarly experienced engineers who do not have a CCIE.[18]

The lab is an 8-hour hands-on exam designed to demonstrate that the candidate not only knows the theory, but is also able to practice it. Many prospective CCIEs need multiple attempts to pass the lab exam.

There are no formal prerequisites for the CCIE exam, but Cisco recommends one has at least 3 - 5 years experience in networking before attempting to become a CCIE. CCIE was the first Cisco Certified qualification, and as such there were no other certifications that could be taken prior. The development of the associate and professional certifications was due to recognition of the fact that a CCIE is overkill for many networking personnel, and also for the vast majority of businesses who employ such people, and that certifications needed to be offered at lower levels. Despite the development of the lower certifications, Cisco has chosen not to make them formal requirements for the CCIE certification.

It is possible to hold multiple CCIE certifications. This is done by passing both the written and the lab exam in a particular track. As of November 14th, 2007 there are 1,344 individuals who hold multiple CCIE certifications. Of those, 210 hold three or more CCIE certifications.[19]

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CCIE Routing & Switching

Routing and Switching is by far the most popular track with 14,329 certified individuals as of November 14th, 2007[20]. The certification covers a variety of networking concepts and protocols including but not limited to the following list [21]:
Bridging and Switching
Frame Relay
Ethernet
Catalyst Switch Configuration
IP Interior Gateway Routing Protocols
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP)
Routing Information Protocol v2 (RIPv2)
Routing Information Protocol Next Generation (RIPng) - IPv6
Open Shortest Path First v3 (OSPFv3) - IPv6
On-Demand Routing (ODR)
Filtering, Summarization, Redistribution
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
iBGP
eBGP
Filtering, Summarization, Redistribution, and Traffic Engineering
Multicast Routing
Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM)
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)
Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP)
Anycast
Quality of Service (QoS)
Classification
Congestion Management and Avoidance
Policing and Shaping
Signaling
Security
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)
Traffic Filtering
IOS Firewall Feature Set
Access Lists
Routing Protocol and Catalyst Security
IP and IOS Features
IP addressing
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
Next Hop Redundancy Protocols (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP)
IP services
IOS user interfaces
System management
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Network Time Protocol (NTP)
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Remote Monitoring (RMON)
IP Accounting
Service Level Agreement (SLA)

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CCIE Security

The Security track concentrates on network security and covers subjects such as ASA, IDS, IOS security, security and many others.

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CCIE Service Provider

The Service Provider track focuses on networking in the service provider industry. Subjects include Optical networks, DSL, WAN switching, Voice over IP, Content Networking, Broadband Cable and Metro Ethernet.

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CCIE Voice

The Voice track concentrates on voice solutions for the enterprise and includes subjects such as QoS, MGCP, Call Manager (Cisco's VoIP PBX), Cisco Unity (Cisco's Unified Messaging platform), Unity Express and IP Contact Center Express.

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CCIE Storage Networking

The latest addition to the CCIE certification tracks is the CCIE Storage Networking track. As the name suggests, the Storage Networking track concentrates on storage networking topics, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, FCIP, Intra VSAN Routing and FICON.

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Retired CCIE tracks

Some previously awarded CCIE specialisations are no longer offered, and have been retired by Cisco. These are:
WAN Switching CCIE (Essentially a specialisation focusing on the IGX/BPX switch products, which had been acquired as part of the StrataCom aquisition)
ISP Dial CCIE
SNA/IP Integration CCIE (aka CCIE Blue)
Design CCIE

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Retired Certifications

Over time, as technologies change and products are made obselete, some certifications are retired. Retired certifications are no longer valid.

Certifications that fall into this category are listed below.
Business Ready Teleworker Solution Fundamentals
CCDP SNA/IP Integration
CCDP WAN Sw
CCIP Cable
CCIP Content Networking
CCIP DSL Networks
CCIP MPLS
CCIP Metro
CCIP Packet Telephony
CCIP Security
CCNA WAN Sw
CCNP LAN ATM
CCNP Network Management
CCNP SNA/IP Integration
CCNP Security
CCNP VOICE Access
CCNP WAN Sw Certification
Cable Communications for Account Managers
Certification Test-Understanding PBX Systems and Technology - VOD
Cisco ATP Optical Metro Transport AM/EM - Japanese
Cisco Access Routing & LAN Switching Sales Specialist
Cisco Access Routing & LAN Switching Specialist
Cisco Cable Communications Sales Spec
Cisco Cable Communications Sales Specialist
Cisco Cable Communications Specialist
Cisco Call Manager Express Specialist
Cisco Content Networking Sales Specialist
Cisco Content Networking Specialist
Cisco Content Networking Specialization Exam for SE's and FE's
Cisco Customer Contact Support - Retired
Cisco Firewall Specialist - Net Academy
Cisco IDS Specialist
Cisco IP Communications Support Specialist
Cisco IP Telephony
Cisco IP Telephony Express Spec
Cisco IP Telephony Express Specialist
Cisco IP Telephony Operations Specialist
Cisco IP Telephony-Enterprise Voice Over Data Design
Cisco IP Telephony-Installation, Support and Maintenance
Cisco Internet Solutions Specialist
Cisco Multiservice Switching Specialist
Cisco MxU Specialist
Cisco Network Management Sales Specialist
Cisco Network Management Specialist
Cisco Network Management Specialist
Cisco Optical Specialist
Cisco Partner and Solutions Essentials for Account Managers 5.2
Cisco Partner and Solutions Essentials for Enterprise Account Manager 6.0 - Latin American
Cisco Products Solutions Essentials 7.0
Cisco Products Solutions Essentials 8.0
Cisco Public Access Design Specialist
Cisco Public Access Support Specialist
Cisco Remote Dial Access: Voice and Data Specialization for AM's
Cisco Sales Expert v1
Cisco Sales Expert v2
Cisco Security Specialist 1
Cisco Storage Networking Design Specialist
Cisco Storage Networking Support Specialist
Cisco VPN/Security Sales Specialist
Cisco Voice Over Frame Relay
Cisco Wireless LAN Design Specialist
Cisco Wireless LAN Sales Spec
Cisco Wireless LAN Sales Specialist
Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist
Converged Business Solution Integration
DSL Specialization for Account Managers
DSL Specialization for SE's and FE's
EMEA SME v1.0
Enterprise
Enterprise - Japanese Language Version
Enterprise Skills Assessment
Enterprise for Account Managers
IPT Telephony Troubleshooting
Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professional
Network Management Specialization
Network Management for Account Managers
Network Mgt.
Open Programmable Switching Engineer
PBX Fundamentals
QoS
SCM Operation and Maintenance
SNA/IP Design Specialist
SNA/IP Solutions
SNA/IP Support Specialist
SNA/IP for Systems Engineers
Security Solutions
Selling AVVID Architecture
Small-to-Medium Business
Switched WAN Solutions for the Enterprise
Unity
Unity Engineer Specialization
Unity Engineer Specialization v1.1
Voice Solutions for Account Managers
Voice Solutions for System Engineers
Wireless LAN for Account Managers
Wireless LAN for SEs
Wireless LAN for SEs and FEs



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References
^ http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html
^ a b c Cisco Exam Pricing Change
^ Cisco Net Academy
^ http://www.imakenews.com/eletra/go.cfm?z=cisco_netacademy%2C210289%2Cb6r83Vcv%2C1776031%2Cbbkt8W5
^ 642-901 BSCI
^ 642-812 BCMSN
^ 642-825 ISCW
^ 642-845 ONT
^ 642-892 Composite
^ CCNP Prep Center
^ CCIE's Worldwide - A breakdown of CCIE qualified engineers around the world
^ Cisco 1993 Press Release Cisco press release announcing CCIE
^ Cisco CCIE general facts
^ Most respected certification
^ CertCities certification survey
^ CertMag certification survey, 2003
^ Cisco 2006 CCIE Survey
^ Network World IT salary review
^ Employer Information: What CCIE certification stands for; Why you should hire a CCIE; Why you don't want to lose a CCIE from your staff.
^ http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/certified_ccies/worldwide.html
^ http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/rs/lab_exam_blueprint.html