WHICH CISCO CERTIFICATIONS SHOULD YOU EARN?

CISCO CERTIFICATION : WHICH CERTIFICATION SHOULD YOU EARN?

In the IT field, proficiency in technical hardware and software isn’t a bonus — it’s required. As one of the largest networking companies in the world, Cisco has developed certification paths and training to equip IT professionals to successfully deploy and manage Cisco technology.

Cisco training and certifications also give you a firm grasp of modern IT concepts such as software-defined networking and standard network management to broaden your job prospects.

Here’s a breakdown of Cisco certification paths and how to choose the best one for you.

Your Complete Guide to Cisco Certification Paths

The right Cisco certification path for you depends on your interest, experience level and career goals.

Cisco has certifications for different experience levels: Entry, Associate, Professional and Expert. The two primary certification paths are network operations or network design. Cisco professionals can also specialize in specific technologies including data center application, services or voicemail.

Here are some popular Cisco certification paths:

CISCO CERTIFIED ENTRY NETWORK TECHNICIAN (CCENT) PATH

The CCENT is the first step of the Cisco certification path. It’s an entry-level certification focused on setting up, maintaining and troubleshooting branch networks. It’s an excellent foundation for IT professionals interested in networking careers.

CCENT provides a base for understanding network security, a critical area of concern for IT organizations. It’s also a prerequisite course for other Cisco certifications. You can enhance the value by pairing it with other certifications such as CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA Network+ or upgrading to more advanced Cisco credentials.

CCENT Courses

To earn your Cisco CCENT certification, you’ll need to complete this course:

§  Cisco® Interconnecting Cisco® Networking Devices Part 1 v2.0 (ICND1)

CISCO CERTIFIED NETWORK ASSOCIATE LEVEL (CCNA) PATH

The Cisco CCNA certification path covers several specializations. Here are the different Cisco certification specialties and skills you’ll learn.

CCNA Routing and Switching

The CCNA distinction is one step up from the CCENT level and expands on the CCENT certification. The CCNA Routing and Switching certification demonstrates skills to deploy, secure, maintain and operate medium-size Cisco networks.

To earn your CCNA Routing and Switching certification, invest in these training courses:

§  Cisco® Interconnecting Cisco® Networking Devices Part 1 v2.0 (ICND1)

§  Cisco® Interconnecting Cisco® Networking Devices Part 2 v2.0 (ICND2)

§  Cisco® Interconnecting Cisco® Networking Devices Accelerated v2.0 (CCNAX)

CCNA Security

With the CCNA Security certification, you’ll learn how to develop a security infrastructure and detect and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities.

Before working toward your CCNA Security certification, you’ll need to complete the CCENT and CCNA Routing and Switching (or CCIE) certifications.

The following course will help prepare you for the CCNA Security exam:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® IOS Network Security v3.0 (IINS)

CCNA Cloud

With the CCNA Cloud certification, you’ll develop the skills to perform entry-level provisioning and support of Cisco cloud solutions.

These courses will help you achieve the CCNA Cloud certification:

§  Cisco® Understanding Cisco® Cloud Fundamentals v1.0 (CLDFND)

§  Cisco® Introducing Cisco® Cloud Administration v1.0 (CLDADM)

CCNA Collaboration

The CNNA Collaboration exam covers skills required for voice, data, video and mobile applications.

These three courses will prepare you for the CCNA Collaboration certification exams:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Collaboration Devices v1.0 (CICD)

§  Implementing Cisco Video Network Devices, Part 1 (CIVND1)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Video Network Devices, Part 2 v1.0 (CIVND2)

CCNA Data Center

With the CCNA Data Center certification, you’ll become proficient in data center network design, implementation and maintenance.

Take these courses to build your skills for the CCNA Data Center certification:

§  Cisco® Introducing Cisco® Data Center Networking v1.0 (DCICN)

§  Cisco® Introducing Cisco® Data Center Technologies v1.0 (DCICT)

CCNA Service Provider

Within the service provider specialty, you’ll learn how to deploy, improve and maintain carrier-grade network infrastructures with CCNA Service Provider.

These two courses will help you achieve the CCNA Service Provider certification:

§  Cisco® Building Cisco® Service Provider Next-Generation Networks, Part 1 v1.01 (SPNGN1)

§  Cisco® Building Cisco® Service Provider Next-Generation Networks, Part 2 v1.01 (SPNGN2)

CCNA Wireless

The CCNA Wireless certification focuses on skills to support and monitor wireless networks for optimal performance.

The CCNA Wireless certification builds upon the previous CCNA training and certifications — you’ll need a CCENT, CCNA Routing and Switching or CCIE certification to take the CCNA Wireless exam.

Take this course to prepare for the CCNA Wireless exam:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Wireless Network Fundamentals v1.0 (WIFUND)

Check out the full list of Cisco training courses.

CISCO CERTIFIED NETWORK PROFESSIONAL (CCNP) PATH

After achieving the CCNA (or CCIE), CCNP is the next step in the Cisco certification path. You’ll learn skills required for working with complex local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs).

With a CCNP, you’ll be able to apply protocols relevant to both physical and virtual network infrastructures to work on networking projects.

You’ll need the CCNA or CCIE certification before you can achieve the CCNP. Here are the available CCNP certifications and the skills you’ll learn:

CCNP Routing & Switching

Learn to plan, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks.

Take these courses for your CCNP Routing & Switching certification exam.

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® IP Routing v2.0 (ROUTE)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Switched Networks v2.0 (SWITCH)

§  Cisco® Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco® IP Networks v2.0 (TSHOOT)

CCNP Security

The CCNP Security specialty will help you choose, support and troubleshoot VPNs, IDS/IPS and firewalls for networking environments.

Take these four courses to prepare for your CCNP Security certification:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Edge Network Security Solutions v1.0 (SENSS)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Threat Control Solutions v1.0 (SITCS1)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Secure Access Solutions (SISAS)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Secure Mobility Solutions v1.0 (SIMOS)

CCNP Collaboration

Develop advanced collaboration skills to design, configure, deploy, troubleshoot and develop Cisco Collaboration and Unified Communications devices, networks and applications.

Before the CCNP Collaboration certification, you must complete the CCNA Collaboration or any CCIE certification.

Investing in these courses will help you achieve the CCNP Collaboration certification:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® IP Telephony & Video, Part 1 v1.0 (CIPTV1)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® IP Telephony & Video, Part 2 v1.0 (CIPTV2)

§  Cisco® Troubleshooting Cisco® IP Telephony and Video v1.0 (CTCOLLAB)

§  Cisco Integrating Cisco Unified Communications Applications v8.0 (CAPPS)

CCNP Data Center

For CCNP Data Center, students can choose a data center concentration that fits their needs.

You must complete the CCNA Data Center certification or any CCIE certification before moving on to CCNP Data Center.

To start, you’ll need these two courses for the CCNP Data Center certification:

§  Cisco® Data Center Unified Computing Implementation v5.0 (DCUCI)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Data Center Unified Fabric v5.0 (DCUFI)

From here, you can choose to take either of these two courses:

§  Cisco® Data Center Unified Computing Design v5.0 (DCUCD)

§  Cisco® Designing Cisco® Data Center Unified Fabric v5.0 (DCUFD)

Or, you can take these two:

§  Cisco® Troubleshooting Cisco Data Center Unified Computing v5.0 (DCUCT)

§  Cisco® Troubleshooting Cisco® Data Center Unified Fabric v5.0 (DCUFT)

Cisco CCDP

Cisco CCDP is a great option for senior-level IT positions, including network design engineers and network/solution architects. You’ll learn about Cisco network design, including advanced addressing and routing protocols, services virtualization and integration strategies for multi-layered enterprise architecture.

Investing in these three courses will help you achieve the Cisco CCDP certification:

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® IP Routing v2.0 (ROUTE)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Switched Networks v2.0 (SWITCH)

§  Cisco® Designing Cisco® Network Service Architecture v2.1 (ARCH)

CCNP Wireless

In this certification, you’ll learn to implement, operate and design Cisco wireless mobility and network infrastructures.

To get the CCNP Wireless certification, invest in these courses:

§  Cisco® Conducting Cisco® Unified Wireless Site Survey v2.0 (CUWSS)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Unified Wireless Voice Networks (IUWVN)

§  Cisco® Implementing Cisco® Unified Wireless Mobility Services v2.0 (IUWMS)

§  Cisco® Implementing Advanced Cisco® Unified Wireless Security (IAUWS) 2.0

Earn Your Cisco Certification at HB Services

Ready to boost your skills and confidently leverage Cisco technology for your organization? Take a look at our full list of training courses or give ushttp://www.hbservices.in/CEH.html a call to find the right Cisco certification path for you.