Cisco Refreshes Certifications for Increasing Network Engineering Jobs

(Cisco Networkers) -- In response to growing demand for highly qualified professionals capable of designing, implementing, securing and operating increasingly sophisticated networks and technical infrastructure, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced a new Service Provider (SP) Operations certification track as well as a major revision of its popular CCNP® certification.



Key Facts/ Highlights

• The growing complexity of corporate IT (information technology) networking, coupled with the demands of telecom-IT convergence and relentless pressure to reduce costs within the enterprise, continues to stimulate interest in managed services. Canalys research predicts that the worldwide service provider market will grow by 7.5 percent year-on-year in 2010.*

• The new Cisco® Service Provider Operations certification track, the first of its kind in the networking industry, verifies that the certificate holder has completed a program to attain the knowledge and skills required for operating an extensible service provider infrastructure to deliver rich managed services.

• The CCNP revision reflects the evolving job tasks of global network professionals, including a greater emphasis on highly secure, complex routing and switching, support for branch offices and mobile workers, and the delivery of voice and video services.

• CCNP offers a development path for CCNA® certification holders, the world's single largest group of networking professionals, and a solid foundation for those interested in pursuing expert-level certification.

• Sixty-six percent of managers believe IT certifications improve the overall level of service and support offered to end users, and 75 percent say certifications are important to team performance, according to IDC.**

Service Provider Operations Certifications

• Designed specifically for Cisco service provider customers, partners and Cisco networking engineers, the new Cisco SP Operations track is focused on developing the capabilities to operate complex service provider Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) infrastructures.

• The Cisco CCIE® SP Operations certification assesses and validates core IP NGN service provider network operations expertise, including the skills required of an expert (Tier III or Tier IV support) operations engineer to troubleshoot and maintain complex service provider IP NGN core (PE-PE and PE-CE) network infrastructures in both Cisco IOS® and Cisco IOS XR operating environments. In addition, it validates broad theoretical knowledge of operations management processes, frameworks and network management systems.

• The Cisco CCNP SP Operations certification validates the knowledge and skills required of a professional-level (Tier II or Tier III support) network operations engineer to isolate network performance problems and to implement proactive fault-prevention measures using operations management processes, frameworks and network management systems.

• The Cisco CCNA SP Operations certification targets entry-level students with a foundation of network operations skills in SP IP NGN environments required of associate-level (Tier I support) operations personnel.

CCNP

• Cisco has updated its CCNP certification with a significant amount of new content through a comprehensive process involving customers and partners from around the globe. The revision focuses on the competencies that are needed to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot the networks of today and is designed to be more predictive of job readiness.

• Extensive hands-on labs, e-learning lessons and self-paced demos reinforce maintenance and troubleshooting skills.

• The CCNP certification is designed for network engineers with at least one year of professional work experience who are ready to advance their skills and work independently on complex network solutions.

• Three new courses provide the skills required to plan, configure and verify complex routing and switching solutions and utilize an ITIL®-compliant approach to network troubleshooting. The courses are ROUTE v1.0 -- Implementing Cisco IP Routing, SWITCH v1.0 -- Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks, and TSHOOT v1.0 -- Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Networks.

• The revised CCNP certification requires three 120-minute exams -- ROUTE #642-902, SWITCH #642-813, and TSHOOT #642-832 -- that validate the key competencies of network engineers.

Availability

• The revised CCNP courses and e-learning materials are available now. The exams are scheduled to be available in March/April 2010.

• The CCNA Operations certification is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2010.

• The Cisco CCNP SP Operations certification is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2010.

• The CCIE SP Operations written exam is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2010. The practical exam is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2010.

Original article: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0579534.htm

Cisco certifications CCENT, CCNA

Whether it’s a farmer checking crop prices on the Internet, a small business working with remote suppliers or a huge corporation conducting business worldwide, local and global economic growth depends on networks.
In fact, by enabling communication, collaboration and automation, networks have become so essential that the demand for IT professionals who can build, manage and update them is growing exponentially. The worldwide gap between skilled networking professionals and available networking jobs of all types is expected to reach nearly 3 million by 2012. Further, an IDC white paper found 60,000 new IT professionals will be needed each year for the next three years in North America alone.
The roles and needed skills of networking professionals are changing as well, as networks are changing to deliver new capabilities. In fact, as more and more critical business functions move into the fabric of the data center, entirely new job roles are emerging. The next generation of IT workers will be able to specialize more quickly than their predecessors and focus on new technologies such as voice, security and wireless mobility.
And employers increasingly will look to hire such specialists. A worldwide study by Forrester Consulting found that more companies expect to add dedicated jobs for network security, voice and wireless LANs within five years.
Not surprisingly, the majority of respondents to the Forrester survey said professional certifications will become essential for candidates who want jobs involving advanced networking knowledge and skills. To better prepare the architects of the networked economy for today’s challenges, Cisco has aligned its portfolio to these new job roles and has updated a number of its certifications, increasing the pathways that IT professionals can take to develop their careers.

Cisco CCENT: Expanding the Entry-Level Workforce

Cisco’s newest associate level certification, Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT), validates the skills required to successfully install and verify small routed and switched networks. Students who attain this level of certification have developed basic network configuration, verification and other operational skills required for positions such as help-desk technician and technical support assistant.
The certification is an accessible point of entry for people beginning a career in networking and an optional first step to the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, which signifies a comprehensive understanding of networking fundamentals. CCNA also is a prerequisite to earning higher-level Cisco career certifications.

CCNA: Specializing Early in a Networking Career

Although IP telephony, security and wireless mobility are considered advanced networking technologies, they quickly are becoming a standard part of many networks. Knowledge of only the networking fundamentals may no longer be enough for career success. Networking professionals today benefit from a specialty focus early in their careers.
CCNA Voice, CCNA Security and CCNA Wireless certifications verify that networking candidates have the specialized skills that are in high demand among employers. These new concentrations extend a candidate’s knowledge of routing and switching gained from attaining the prerequisite CCNA certification.
CCNA Voice certification helps prepare learners for jobs such as voice administrator, voice engineer and voice manager. This certification indicates that students are familiar with unified communications applications and architectures, and it validates their skills in configuring and managing the latest technologies for a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) infrastructure.
CCNA Security certification offers a valuable credential for those in jobs such as network security specialist, security administrator and network security support engineer. This certification verifies the ability to manage security devices, implement security policies and mitigate risks. For those ready to advance in an exciting security career, the CCNA Security certification serves as preparation for pursuing the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) certification.
CCNA Wireless certification is designed for those working as network associates or administrators, wireless support specialists and wireless local area network (LAN) project managers. This certification confirms skills in configuring, implementing and supporting Cisco wireless LANs in small and medium-sized business and enterprise installations. In the future, CCNA Wireless certification holders will have the option of pursuing higher-level Cisco certifications for wireless networks.

CCDE: Designing Next-Generation Networks

Responding to strong customer demand for professionals who can collaborate on network architecture strategy and not just implement, Cisco has introduced an expert-level certification focused on design: Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE). This certification program applies a solutions-based educational approach and serves the growing number of networking experts who have the knowledge to assess network business requirements and translate them into effective network designs.
Approximately 30 percent of those who hold Cisco’s highest certification — Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) — are responsible for network design each day. However, these design experts are no longer involved in hands-on configuration, but rather in strategic design and architecture. The CCDE certification was created to provide IT professionals who specialize in network design with a credential that recognizes senior-level expertise and provides incentives for experienced practitioners to continue their professional development.
The CCDE curriculum includes sophisticated, multi-vendor network design principles, theory and analysis, as well as strategic architecture concepts that go beyond the network. Modeled after the CCIE expert-level certification, the CCDE credential requires passing a two-part exam: a qualification exam and a practical exam.

Cisco Updates Provide Up-Skilling for Today's Networking Space

By Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn — December 2008