What Certification Should You Pursue After The CCNA ?

Once you've got your CCNA, you're ready to move on to the next level, the Professional certifications. For years, Cisco had one Professional certification, the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. Over time, Cisco has expanded this level of certifications to include the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) and Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP).

With security and voice being the two most rapidly expanding areas of today's networks, some new CCNAs consider going after the CCSP or CCVP without first adding the CCNP to their resume.

While it's temping to hurry up and get a Cisco security or voice certification, the best thing you can do for your networking career is achieve your CCNP certification first, then decide on the CCVP or CCSP.

Why? Because the CCNA is just the tip of a very large iceberg when it comes to routing and switching. It's a very important accomplishment, and the CCNA is indeed the foundation of your networking career, but you need to add on to that level of understanding routing and switching before moving on to more specialized areas.

Two examples are OSPF and BGP. You learn about the theory of OSPF and some basic and intermediate configurations of that protocol in your CCNA studies, but the knowledge you acquire of OSPF in your CCNP studies is invaluable. As for BGP, there is no BGP in the CCNA curriculum, but it is a great idea to have some BGP knowledge in today's networks. It's also good for your career.

I know it is a huge temptation to go after the security and voice certifications while not paying attention to the CCNP. Do yourself a huge favor and add the tremendous amount of routing and switching knowledge needed for the CCNP to your knowledgebase, and you can then move on to the CCSP or CCVP. Even better, you'll be better prepared to climb the biggest certification mountain around - the CCIE!

Securing Your Network And Your Career With Cisco's CCSP Certification

You don't need me to tell you that security is the #1 concern in today's networks. With that in mind, your career path must include some security certifications, or you will be left behind.

Cisco's Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) certification demands a candidate be well-rounded and well-versed in Cisco security measures. Besides the difficultly we've all come to expect from a Cisco exam, this five-exam path covers every major aspect of network security (from Cisco's viewpoint, anyway!)

You must hold a valid CCNA certification to earn your CCSP.
Typically, the first exam CCSP candidates take is Securing Networks With Cisco Routers An Switches (SNRS), followed by Securing Cisco Network Devices (SND). After you've nailed these two exams, which obviously focus on devices more familiar to CCNAs and CCNPs, you'll be faced with three exams that are more specific to Cisco security devices.

Your PIX knowledge will be tested with the Securing Networks With PIX and ASA (SNPA) exam, followed by the Implementing Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) exam.

In October 2005, the final exam is scheduled to change from a VPN exam (CSVPN, Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks) to Securing Hosts Using Cisco Security Agent (HIPS). If you're just getting started on the CCSP track, you'll be taking the HIPS exam. (Insert your own joke here.)

The CCSP is valid for three years; to recertify, you'll need to pass the 642-541 CSI exam or any CCIE written exam. As always, this is subject to change, and you should bookmark Cisco's Learning page (found off the main Cisco webpage) to make sure you're aware of the latest changes to Cisco certification and recertification requirements.

Not only must you know how to secure your network, you also need to secure your current job and the possibilities for your future. By pursuing and obtaining the CCSP, you will do all three at once.

Passing The CCNA and CCNP: Three Myths About Cisco Exams

One of the drawbacks to the Internet is that it allows myths and "friend of a friend" stories to spread quickly, and usually the story becomes more exaggerated as it's passed along. Cisco exams are no exception. Here are three often-repeated myths and exaggerations regarding the CCNA and CCNP exams.

1. The survey you fill out before the exam determines the questions you'll get. Before you actually start your exam, Cisco presents you with a survey asking how you prepared and how comfortable you feel with certain technologies. It's a little awkward to rate yourself on Frame Relay, ISDN, etc., especially since the exam you're about to take covers those subjects. It's human nature to think that these questions impact your exam, but they do not.

I've seen posts on the Net saying that if you rank yourself as "great" in a subject, your exam will have harder questions on that topic, and if you rank yourself lower in that same subject, your exam will be filled with questions on this topic. Cisco has debunked this myth, so get it out of your mind. Don't think too much when you're filling out the survey.

2. If you miss a question, the exam keeps asking you about that topic until you get one right. This is known as "adaptive testing", and Cisco does not use this kind of testing in its exams. Your questions are drawn from a large question pool before you start the test. Those of us who remember adaptive testing from Novell exams years ago don't particularly miss this kind of testing! (For those who haven't taken an adaptive exam, you never knew how many questions you were going to get, only that there was a minimum around 15 questions. Your exam could end at any time after that. Nerve-wracking!)

3. If you use an extra command in the simulator questions, it'll be marked wrong. The Cisco simulator engine in the CCNA and CCNP exams acts just as a router or switch would. You are not going to be penalized for using an extra command. If the engine doesn't accept a command, you'll be told that when you use it. Just configure it as you would a router or switch.

When you walk into the exam room totally prepared with a combination of theoretical knowledge, hands-on experience, and configuration troubleshooting skills, you are ready to pass. Don't let Internet gossip distract you from the task at hand -- passing!

Cisco CCNA Certification: The Path To Take After Earning The CCNA

Once you earn your CCNA certification, you've got quite a few exciting choices ahead of you! The majority of CCNAs go on to pursue another Cisco certification, and this is a wise decision. The more you know, the more valuable you are in today's IT market.

A question I'm often asked by new CCNAs is "Which certification should I go after next?" Often, these new CCNAs have their eye on the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) certification. While adding a security certification to your resume is an excellent idea, I strongly recommend that new CCNAs acquire their Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification before pursuing their security certifications. The CCNP requires you to pass three or four exams (depending on the path you choose) that will demand a further mastery of some subjects you studies to earn your CCNA as well as several important topics that you haven’t seen yet.

The CCNP builds on the foundation of networking knowledge you built when you earned your CCNA, and your CCNP study will add greatly to your skills and resume. There are some common technologies that you'll see in many networks - BGP and route redistribution among them - that you don't learn about in your CCNA studies. By pursuing your CCNP, you'll also learn much more about OSPF, switching, and refine your troubleshooting skills. These are skills that will pay off in your current job as well as any future job hunting you do.