Importance of Cisco CCNA Certifications

Vendor: Cisco

---

Certification overview

Cisco certifications are growing more and more valuable among Information Technology professionals. These accreditations validate IT professionals' expertise and technical aptitude in Cisco, which is gaining a bigger market among private and public organizations year after year. The levels of Cisco network certifications are: Entry level, Associate level, Professional level, and Expert level and Architect level.

Candidates for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification are trained with fundamentals of Cisco networks and technologies. There are several paths under the associate level:

• CCNA Routing and Switching
• CCDA
• CCNA Data Center
• CCNA Security
• CCNA Service Provider
• CCNA Service Provider Operations
• CCNA Video
• CCNA Voice
• CCNA Wireless

A candidate must pass a CCNA test in order to get a certification. To fair well, students prepare months ahead in order to answer correctly as many CCNA questions as possible in the exams. CCNA exam questions differ for every path or area of specialization. There are CCNA sample questions and ccna simulation questions available online for candidates who would like to test their skills and aptitude before taking the actual test.

The accreditation for new network engineers with less than three years of experience is called CCNA Routing and Switching . It validates a candidate's fundamental knowledge in networks and is a highly valued qualification for Network Specialists, Administrators, and Support Engineers. To pass the exam for this path, a student must answer correctly CCNA questions about installing, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting routed and switched networks.

Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) is especially for network design engineers, technicians, and support engineers. It validates an IT professional's ability in enabling effective network environments. A candidate must also have mastery of network design foundations. An IT practitioner with CCDA certification is well-versed in designing basic campus, data center, security, voice, and wireless networks.

Designed for business services and technology architects is CCNA Data Center certification. It is also for presales, design, and implementation engineers who would like to save time, effort and resources on data center blueprint, installation, and maintenance.

The CCNA Security certification warrants network-related security technologies. To get this certification, one must have competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security structure. With this CCNA qualification, an IT professional shows knowledge not just in developing a security infrastructure, but also in recognizing threats and vulnerabilities to networks. A student aiming for this certification may choose to download a file of CCNA simulation questions to prepare for the real test.

CCNA Service Provider is an associate-level certification coveted by network engineers, systems engineers, and network specialists who are tasked with delivering an infrastructure that is scalable and carrier-grade and can expand rapidly to support introduction of new managed services and other requirements. CCNA exam questions for this path involves how to deploy, maintain and improve network infrastructures.

CCNA SP Operations certification is designed for network professionals to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed to seclude network performance problems and execute fault measures. It validates a candidate's know-hows in troubleshooting environment within carrier class IP NGN core network infrastructure. However, this certification is being retired and the last day to take the test for CCNA Service Provider Operations certification will be on January 31, 2015.

Ideally for audiovisual professionals working with analog solutions is the CCNA Video certification. They can expand their knowledge into a Video-over-IP networked video environment through this accreditation. A student who wishes to prepare for certification may avail of CCNA practice questionsspecifically for this path.

CCNA Voice accreditation validates associate-level skills in administering a voice network. To attain a certification in this path, one must have skills in IP PBX, IP telephony, handset and other VoIP technologies. CCNA question and answer files specifically for CCNA Voice are available through various wesbites.

An IT professional's knowledge and skills in configuring, implementing and supporting wireless LANs, particularly networks using Cisco is emphasized by a CCNA Wireless certification. The curriculum for this certification includes preparing a candidate to configure, monitor and troubleshoot basic tasks of a Cisco WLAN.

Required exams

Students must pass the required examination/s for their chosen path in order to achieve certification. In each test, there are various types of CCNA question covering the chosen path.

For the Routing and Switching path, a candidate must pass the following tests:

• 200-120, or
• 100-101 ICND1
• 200-101 ICND2

To attain a CCNA Data Center certification, a candidate must pass these exams:

• 640-911 DCICN
• 640-916 DCICT

There are two required CCNA tests for the Service Provider path. These are:

• 640-875 SPNGN1, and
• 640-878 SPNGN2

To achieve a CCNA Video certification, one must pass these tests:

• 200-001 VIVND
• 640-461 ICOMM

Some paths require a candidate to pass only one CCNA test. A candidate aiming to attain CCDA must pass the 640-864 DESGN exam. Candidates aiming to achieve a CCNA Security certification must pass the 640-554 IINS test. For those aiming to attain a CCNA Voice certification, the 640-461 ICOMM exam must be passed. And a student in the Wireless path must pass the 640-722 IUWNE exam. Some websites offer CCNA question and answer files to help students study for the exams.

Required courses

To prepare for CCNA qualification tests, students are recommended to complete courses related to their path of choice. CCNA test prep courses are offered by training institutions to prepare students for CCNA tests. The following courses are recommended for those aspiring to achieve CCNA Routing and Switching:

• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1
• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2
• Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices: Accelerated

CCNA Data Center students can best prepare by undergoing the following courses:

• Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking (DCICN)
• Introducing Cisco Data Center Technologies (DCICT)

There are two recommended trainings for students aspiring for CCNA Service Provider certification:

• Building Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation Networks, Part 1 (SPNGN1)
• Building Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation Networks, Part 2 (SPNGN2)

CCNA Video certification candidates may choose to undergo the following courses:

• Implementing Cisco Video Network Devices, Part 1 (VIVND1)
• Implementing Cisco Video Network Devices, Part 2 (VIVND2)
• Introducing Cisco Voice and Unified Communications Administration (ICOMM)

Candidates could also prepare for qualification exams by studying sample CCNA questions and answers available online. There are also CCNA practice questions that may help students to better prepare for the tests. Some of these CCNA sample questions pertain to specific network subjects such as CCNA subletting questions. A candidate aiming for CCDA could best prepare by undergoing a course called Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESGN). This is to enhance his/her knowledge and skills in fundamentals of network design. While a student in the Security path could prepare by undergoing a course on Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS). A candidate aiming for CCNA Voice certification may undergo a course called Introducing Cisco Voice and Unified Communications Administration (ICOMM). A student in the Wireless path could best prepare by availing of a course on Implementing Cisco Unified Wireless Networking Essentials (IUWNE).

Study materials

There are recommended study materials in Cisco's website. These include training videos, tech seminars and other readings. The website also provides syllabi for guided learning. CCNA exam questions and answers in various websites may also help students prepare for the exam. PDF files of CCNA question paper samples may be used to gauge students' skills and knowledge in their chosen paths. There is a study group for every path and level where candidates could ask questions and share ideas and tips with other students who are also aspiring to attain their certifications. Some CCNA certification holders share the CCNA test questions and CCNA interview question that they've encountered when they took their exams. For those seeking an organized and instructor-led courses, links to Cisco Authorized Learning partners could also be accessed in the website.

---

Related IT Articles

1. Achieve Success in Cisco CCNA Certs
2. CCIE Certification Program Overview
3. CCNA accreditation for new network engineers
4. CCNA Certifications Exams
5. CCNA Data Center, CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA Security, CCNA Service Provider and others
6. CCNA Questions and Answers
7. CCNP Candidates Requirements
8. CCNP Data Center, CCNP Routing and Switching, CCNP Security, CCNP Service Provider and others
9. Cisco CCIE Certifications Preparation
10. Cisco CCNA Common Info
11. Cisco CCNP Certifications Info
12. Cisco CCNP Certifications Overview
13. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Certifications
14. Cisco Certified Network Associate Certifications
15. Cisco Certified Network Professional
16. Cisco Network organization
17. Cisco Networking Systems
18. Common Info About CCNP Certifications
19. Concepts related to Cisco CCCNA Certifications
20. Different Cisco CCNA Certifications
21. Facilities of CCNA Certified People
22. General review of Cisco CCIE Certifications
23. General review of Cisco CCNA Certifications
24. General review of Cisco CCNP Certifications
25. Get more knowledge about CCNA
26. Popular Cisco CCNA Certifications
27. Prepare to CCNP certifications
28. Required examinations to achieve Cisco CCNA certification
29. Structure of the examinations for Cisco CCNA
30. Understanding of CCNA