San Jose, California-based Cisco Systems is a recognized world
leader in the design, manufacture and sale of networking equipment. They
are certainly a formidable force, commanding a huge market share for
its various products, leading to a $10-billion net income in fiscal year
2012.
Cisco also has a line of certifications for its many different products. The Cisco site even features a very streamlined certification path tool that allows professionals of all levels to quickly drill down to the appropriate career path certifications. Cisco has five levels of network certification: Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert and Architect, the highest level of accreditation within the Cisco Career Certification program.
Cisco Certifications
In 2009, Cisco introduced the new Cisco Certified Architect ranking, which helps IT networking professionals work with both IT and non-IT executives in the business. The CCA is now the highest level of certification from Cisco and will be fusing the IT knowledge required of a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert or CCIE with MBA business principles.
With Architect, these five levels form the Cisco certification hierarchy and cover seven different paths:
After earning your Associate certifications, you can proceed to the Professional and then the Expert level certifications. These certifications help solidify your understanding and skills in the specific area of expertise you have chosen.
The Architect level certification would not be easy to attain. On top of obtaining the CCIE, you would also need to pay a lot of money for it. The CCA costs $15,000 and requires a minimum of 10 years of experience working in the IT industry.
More than this, you would need to be accepted into the Architect program where you would be asked to propose networking solutions to different business requirements. You would face a panel of experts and would be asked to defend your proposal, and, if needed, modify it in front of the board.
Cisco also offers the Cisco Certified Technician certification exam that measures one's skills in diagnosing, restoring, repairing and replacing critical Cisco system and networking devices at customer locations. The CCT tests for the following domains:
What You Should Know About Cisco Certification in General
Generally, Cisco certifications are timed and proctored. They usually last from one to two hours. Lab exams take eight hours. Question types vary, including multiple choice with single and multiple answers, fill in the blanks, simulations and drag and drop questions.
The exams are generally delivered online. The questions should be answered in sequence.
As for costs, entry-level exams typically range from $125 to $150. Associate level exams cost $150 to $295, professional, expert and specialist levels certification generally costs $200, $350 and $200, respectively.
As veteran IT pros already know, recertification is an important part of your ongoing IT career as well as an indicator of expertise to their employers. With Cisco, valid certifications may be renewed indefinitely, but must be maintained in a timely manner or certifications can expire or become inactive. Cisco recommends keeping all certifications current and suggests individuals should recertify by advancing to the next level of certification or passing the designated recertification exam(s).
Cisco also has a line of certifications for its many different products. The Cisco site even features a very streamlined certification path tool that allows professionals of all levels to quickly drill down to the appropriate career path certifications. Cisco has five levels of network certification: Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert and Architect, the highest level of accreditation within the Cisco Career Certification program.
Cisco Certifications
In 2009, Cisco introduced the new Cisco Certified Architect ranking, which helps IT networking professionals work with both IT and non-IT executives in the business. The CCA is now the highest level of certification from Cisco and will be fusing the IT knowledge required of a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert or CCIE with MBA business principles.
With Architect, these five levels form the Cisco certification hierarchy and cover seven different paths:
- Design
- Network Security
- Routing and Switching
- Service Provider
- Storage Networking
- Voice
- Wireless
After earning your Associate certifications, you can proceed to the Professional and then the Expert level certifications. These certifications help solidify your understanding and skills in the specific area of expertise you have chosen.
The Architect level certification would not be easy to attain. On top of obtaining the CCIE, you would also need to pay a lot of money for it. The CCA costs $15,000 and requires a minimum of 10 years of experience working in the IT industry.
More than this, you would need to be accepted into the Architect program where you would be asked to propose networking solutions to different business requirements. You would face a panel of experts and would be asked to defend your proposal, and, if needed, modify it in front of the board.
Cisco also offers the Cisco Certified Technician certification exam that measures one's skills in diagnosing, restoring, repairing and replacing critical Cisco system and networking devices at customer locations. The CCT tests for the following domains:
- CCT Telepresence
- CCT Data Center
- CCT Routing and Switching
What You Should Know About Cisco Certification in General
Generally, Cisco certifications are timed and proctored. They usually last from one to two hours. Lab exams take eight hours. Question types vary, including multiple choice with single and multiple answers, fill in the blanks, simulations and drag and drop questions.
The exams are generally delivered online. The questions should be answered in sequence.
As for costs, entry-level exams typically range from $125 to $150. Associate level exams cost $150 to $295, professional, expert and specialist levels certification generally costs $200, $350 and $200, respectively.
As veteran IT pros already know, recertification is an important part of your ongoing IT career as well as an indicator of expertise to their employers. With Cisco, valid certifications may be renewed indefinitely, but must be maintained in a timely manner or certifications can expire or become inactive. Cisco recommends keeping all certifications current and suggests individuals should recertify by advancing to the next level of certification or passing the designated recertification exam(s).
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