Cisco CCNA certifications: common info, benefits, exams

Certification: Cisco CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate

The CCNA certification is a second level credential for Cisco career. CCNA certification is designed to validate the skills of an individual at installing, operating, configuring and troubleshooting small to medium sized branch networks. This also includes verification and implementation of connections to far distance and remote sites in WAN. The pattern of this exam keeps updating with the advancements and improvisations in the technology. For instance, the 2013 exam announced changes in the exam in accordance with the training and certification curricula with changing industry job positions. The CCNA exam is the associate level exam which covers a vast area of topics and subjects covering the implementation and operations of Cisco services and networking.

The individuals holding Cisco certification are regarded as highly learned professionals who have all the basic knowledge of networking systems and the operations of Cisco networks. The vast CCNA syllabus gives an individual the recognition in the industry which is career boosting and allows them to explore different sections of networking industry. Designed to test the abilities of the candidates to be able to operate on advance networking technologies, the credential holders are automatically suited for several high post job roles.

As mentioned above, the successful candidates are eligible for high paying and career building job roles. Among the most reputed and demanded job positions available for the CCNA certificate holder are:

- Network specialists

- Network engineers

- Security administrators

- Network administrators

- Routing and switching specialists

These positions are secured by the organization themselves for the potential candidates who attain this certification.

As the basic aim of this certification is to check if the candidate is able to understand all the fundamental concepts of networking technologies and its operations, the credential holds great value and acts as a proof for the skills of an individual. There are several concepts a candidate must be aware of before opting for this certification exam. Each concept is based on the networking solutions provided by Cisco and verifies that the individual is a professional who is able to understand and operate on these products and services. Although the topics and subjects are too vast to be covered, following are the most important and basic subjects the candidates should know about:

- Verification of VLANs

- Resolving network issues

- Installation, operation, identification and troubleshooting of Cisco routers and switches

- Identification, operation and recognition and IP data and network protocols

- Verification and configuration of ACL, OSPF, NAT, dynamic routing and static routing

- WAN technologies and its configuration, identification and verification

- Network security

- Selection of the right network devices

- Operation and identification of IPv6 and IPv4 scheme.

The CCNA exam is further divided into specializations. There are number of fields a candidate can select after opting for this exam. Following are the pathways that are available for CCNA exam:

• CCNA Data Center,
• CCNA Routing and Switching,
• CCNA Security provider
• CCNA Service operation
• CCNA Service Provider
• CCNA Voice
• CCNA Video
• CCNA Wireless

Each pathway is a specialization that required related knowledge and skills. To select a pathway candidate will have to cover the basic and related subjects of the exam.

The CCNA exam requires no formal pre requisites. The candidates can be eligible for the exam if they have a 12 year formal education. But the experts think that having an experience in the field can prove to be of high importance.

Required exams: The CCNA exam requires only one and the main exam that will get you the credential. There are no pre requirements or exams candidates will have to pass before CCNA. However, CCNA itself is the requirement for further pathways and network specializations designed by Cisco.

Required courses: The CCNA syllabus is comprehensive and to the point. The candidate require to previous courses. There are a few recommended curses by Cisco itself which includes the famous ICND 1 and 2 course exam. Other than that the Cisco training and lab practices are also recommended. Candidates can also opt for the article courses available by Cisco.

Study materials: Cisco provides the CCNA syllabus and all the related information on its website. There are different ccna learning options available including video training, books, practice tests etc. They also provide the E learning services and hand on lab practice sessions to the candidates. Other than Cisco, other various online platforms offer different course guidelines and comprehensive studies covering different topics of CCNA certification.