CISCO ® Certifications

″ Being Cisco Certified simply means being a professional. ″

Personal pride, professional growth and increased compensation are the most popular reasons why IT professionals seek certification. The widely respected IT certification programs available through Cisco Career Certifications bring valuable, measurable rewards to network professionals, their managers, and the organizations that employ them. Visit Cisco's website for more information on Cisco certifications.

Certifications overview

Certification Path	Entry	Associate	Professional	Expert
Routing & Swithching	CCENT	CCNA	CCNP	CCIE
Design	CCENT	CCNA\CCDA	CCDP	CCDE
Security	CCENT	CCNA Security	CCSP	CCIE Security
Service Provider	CCENT	CCNA	CCIP	CCIE SP
Storage Networking	CCENT	CCNA	CCNP	CCIE SN
Voice	CCENT	CCNA Voice	CCVP	CCIE Voice
Wireless	CCENT	CCNA Wireless	none	CCIE Wireless

*CCNA course is being replaced by CCNA Discovery and CCNA Exploration

Three Levels of Certification

• Associate: The first step in Cisco networking begins at the Associate level, which also includes CCENT, an interim step to Associates for those with little job experience. Think of the Associate level as the apprentice or foundation level of networking certification.
• Professional. This is the advanced or journeyman level of certification.
• Expert. This is CCIE, the highest level of achievement for network professionals, certifying an individual as an expert or master.

Six Different Paths

• Routing and Switching: This path is for professionals who install and support Cisco technology-based networks in which LAN and WAN routers and switches reside.
• Design: This path is aimed at professionals who design Cisco technology-based networks in which LAN and WAN routers and switches reside.
• Network Security: This path is directed toward network professionals who design and implement Cisco Secure networks.
• Service Provider: This path is aimed at professionals working with infrastructure or access solutions in a Cisco end-to-end environment primarily within the telecommunications arena.
• Storage Networking: This path is for professionals who implement storage solutions over extended network infrastructure using multiple transport options.
• Voice: This path is directed toward network professionals who install and maintain Voice solutions over IP networks.