An online degree is an academic degree (usually a college degree, but sometimes the term includes high school diplomas and non-degree certificate programs) that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. Improvements in technology and the increasing use of the Internet worldwide have led to a proliferation of online colleges that award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Cisco Certifications: CCNP Security Certification

CCNP Security certification program is aligned specifically to the job role of the Cisco Network Security Engineer responsible for Security in Routers, Switches, Networking devices and appliances, as well as choosing, deploying, supporting and troubleshooting Firewalls, VPNS, and IDS/IPS solutions for their networking environments.

CCNP Security Prerequisites

Valid CCNA Security certification, or
Valid CCSP certification, or
Valid CCNA certification plus SND exam pass

CCNP Security Exams

642-637 SECURE v1.0
642-617 FIREWALL v1.0 (Last day to test:May 28, 2012) OR 642-618 FIREWALL v2.0
642-647 VPN v1.0 (Last day to test: May 28, 2012) OR 642-648 VPN v2.0
642-627 IPS v7.0

CCNP Security Recertification

Cisco professional level certifications (CCDP, CCNP, CCIP, CCNP Voice, CCNP Security, CCNP SP Operations, CCNP Wireless) are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following before the certification expiration date:

Pass any current 642-XXX Professional level exam, or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam,
OR any CCIE Certification can act as a pre-requisite, or
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR current CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications

Cisco Certifications: CCNA Security Certification

Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA Security) validates associate-level knowledge and skills required to secure Cisco networks. With a CCNA Security certification, a network professional demonstrates the skills required to develop a security infrastructure, recognize threats and vulnerabilities to networks, and mitigate security threats. The CCNA Security curriculum emphasizes core security technologies, the installation, troubleshooting and monitoring of network devices to maintain integrity, confidentiality and availability of data and devices, and competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security structure.

CCNA Security Prerequisites

Valid Cisco CCNA or any Cisco CCIE certification can act as a prerequisite.

CCNA Security Exams

640-553 IINS (Last day to test: September 30, 2012)

640-554 IINS

CCNA Security Recertification

CCNA Security certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following before the certification expiration date:

Pass any current CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, or security, or voice, or SP Ops), or
Pass any current 642-XXX Professional level exam, or
Pass the current CCDA DESGN exam, or
Pass any current Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams or MeetingPlace Specialist exams, Implementing Cisco TelePresence Installations (ITI) exams, Cisco Leading Virtual Classroom Instruction exams, or any 650 online exams), or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam, or
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam or current CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview and the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications

Cisco Certifications: Cisco Certified Design Expert

Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)
The Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) certification is one of the highest technical networking certifications offered by Cisco. Put your knowledge and experience to the test. Achieve your Cisco CCDE certification and accelerate your career.

The CCDE certification is quickly becoming accepted worldwide as one of the most prestigious networking certifications in the industry. Network engineers holding an active CCDE certification are recognized for their expert-level knowledge and skills in network infrastructure design. The deep technical networking knowledge that a CCDE brings ensures that they are well qualified to address the most technically challenging network infrastructure design assignments.

The program continually updates and revises its testing tools and methodologies to ensure unparalleled program quality, relevance, and value. Through rigorous written and practical exams, the CCDE certification program sets the standard for network design expertise.

Cisco introduced the CCDE certification in 2008 to recognize senior-level network designers and to assist the industry in distinguishing the top echelon of networking design experts worldwide.

Requirements for Certification

CCDE certification is intended for professionals who have day-to-day responsibility for designing complex, converged IP networks. Candidates are strongly encouraged to have at least seven years of networking experience and a thorough understanding of network infrastructure principles and design topics.

There are no formal prerequisites for CCDE certification. Cisco CCDA and CCDP certifications focus on developing solid network design skills and are recommended as a path to CCDE, but they are not mandatory prerequisites. No specific training or other professional certifications are required.

Step One: CCDE Written Exam

The 2-hour, written qualification exam covers network design in the areas of routing, tunneling, Quality of Service (QoS), management, cost, capacity, and security. You must pass the written exam before you are eligible to schedule the CCDE practical exam.

CCDE Written Exam Overview

352-001 CCDE Exam
The CCDE Written Exam is the qualifying exam for CCDE certification. The CCDE Written Exam will test a candidate's combined knowledge of routing protocols, internetworking theory and design principles .The exam assesses a candidate's understanding of network design in the areas of routing, tunneling, Quality of Service, Management, Cost, Capacity, and Security. This exam combines in-depth technical concepts with Network Design principles and is intended for a Network Professional with at least 5 years of experience in Network Engineering or Advanced Network Design.

Step Two: CCDE Practical Exam
The 8-hour practical exam tests your ability to perform design analysis, justify design requirements, and develop a design implementation based on best practices. Only candidates that have a passing score on the CCDE Written Exam may register for the CCDE Practical Exam.

CCDE Practical Exam Overview
The Cisco CCDE Practical Exam is an 8-hour, scenario-based design exam that will assess your ability to analyze design requirements, develop network designs, justify design decisions, and validate and optimize a network design that is based on best practices. The exam will assess your ability to apply your specific body of knowledge into current business problems of technical network design.
Only candidates that have a passing score on the CCDE Written Exam may register for the CCDE Practical Exam. The topics that are covered in the CCDE Practical Exam are located within the exam topics. The exam scenarios may change in each instance that the exam is delivered; however, the topics will remain the same.

Cisco Certifications: CCENT Certification "Design"

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) validates the ability to install, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network, including basic network security. With a CCENT, network professional demonstrates the skills required for entry-level network support positions - the starting point for many successful careers in networking. The curriculum covers networking fundamentals, WAN technologies, basic security and wireless concepts, routing and switching fundamentals, and configuring simple networks. CCENT is the first step toward achieving CCNA, which covers medium size enterprise branch networks with more complex connections.

CCENT Prerequisites

No prerequisites

CCENT Design Required Exams

640-822 ICND1

CCENT Recertification

CCENT certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following exams before the certification expiration date:

Pass the current ICND1 exam, or
Pass the current ICND2 exam , or
Pass the current CCNA exam, or
Pass the current CCDA exam, or
Pass any current CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, or security, or voice, or SP Ops), or
Pass any current 642-XXX professional level exam, or
Pass any current Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams or MeetingPlace Specialist exams or Implementing Cisco Telepresence Installations [ITI] exams), or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam, or
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR current CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications

Cisco Certifications: CCNP Certification

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) validates the ability to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks and work collaboratively with specialists on advanced security, voice, wireless and video solutions. The CCNP certification is appropriate for those with at least one year of networking experience who are ready to advance their skills and work independently on complex network solutions. Those who achieve CCNP have demonstrated the skills required in enterprise roles such as network technician, support engineer, systems engineer or network engineer.

CCNP Prerequisites

Valid CCNA certification or any CCIE Certification can act as a prerequisite.

Required Exam(s)

642-902 ROUTE

642-813 SWITCH

642-832 TSHOOT

CCNP Recertification

Cisco professional level certifications (CCNP, CCNP Wireless, CCDP, CCSP, CCNP Voice, and CCIP) are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following before the certification expiration date:

Pass any current 642-XXX Professional level exam, or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam,
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam, or CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications.

Achieving or recertifying any of the certifications above automatically extends your active Associate and Professional level certification(s) up to the point of expiration of the last certification achieved.

Cisco Certifications: CCIE Routing and Switching

Expert Level Knowledge and Experience

Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching

Certifies the skills required of expert-level network engineers to plan, operate and troubleshoot complex, converged network infrastructure.

Requirements for Certification

There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications or training courses are not required. Instead, candidates must first pass a written qualification exam and then the corresponding hands-on lab exam. You are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the topics in the exam blueprints and strongly encouraged to have three to five years of job experience before attempting certification. You can review the exam preparation materials included on this page for more information.

Step One: CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam

You must pass the two-hour, written qualification exam which covers networking concepts and some equipment commands before you are eligible to schedule the lab exam.

CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam #350-001, v4.0

The CCIE R&S written exam is a two-hour qualification exam with 90-110 questions taken online at a Cisco authorized Pearson VUE testing center. The questions are a combination of multiple choice and more complex, interactive items that assess technical knowledge on topics such as IP, IP routing, bridging and switch-related technologies, and some equipment commands. The exam is closed book and no outside reference materials are allowed.

Step Two: CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Exam

The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to configure actual equipment and troubleshoot the network in a timed test situation. You must make an initial attempt of the CCIE lab exam within 18 months of passing the CCIE written exam. If you do not pass the lab exam within three years of passing the written exam, you must retake the written exam before being allowed to attempt the lab exam again.

Cisco Certifications: CCIE Security Certification

Expert Level Knowledge and Experience

The CCIE Security Programs recognizes individuals who have the knowledge and skills to implement, maintain and support extensive Cisco Network Security Solutions using the latest industry best practices and technologies

Benefits of CCIE Security Certification

The CCIE Security Certification is the industry standard for recognition and rewards for Network Security Engineers who have demonstrated expert level performance in implementation, configuration and troubleshooting of Cisco network security solutions . Attaining and maintaining this performance-based, practical certification proves skills only achievable by distinct experts in the network security field and carries a prestige and honor that is envied by security professionals worldwide. Not only must a Security CCIE prove their theoretical knowledge of security best practices, they must perform them in a lab environment with real equipment using real-world scenarios. Therefore, the CCIE Security is considered one of the most advanced Network Security Certifications available and qualifies candidates to manage, lead, and design the most complex network security teams and projects available in the Industry.

Requirements for Certification

Step One: CCIE Security Written Exam

You must pass the two-hour, written qualification exam covering networking concepts and some equipment commands before you are eligible to schedule the lab exam.

CCIE Security Written

350-018 CCIE Security Exam

Duration: 120 minutes (90-110 questions)

The written exam is a two-hour, multiple choice test with 100 questions covering areas such as security protocols, operating systems, application protocols, security technologies, and Cisco security applications. All exam materials are provided and no outside reference materials are allowed.

Step Two: CCIE Security Lab Exam

The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to get a secure network running in a timed test situation. You must make an initial attempt of the CCIE lab exam within 18 months of passing the CCIE written exam. If you do not pass the lab exam within three years of passing the written exam, you must retake the written exam before being allowed to attempt the lab exam again.

CCIE Security Lab Exam

Configuring a Network to Given Specifications

The CCIE lab exam is an eight-hour, hands-on exam which requires you to configure a series of secure networks to given specifications. Knowledge of troubleshooting is an important skill and candidates are expected to diagnose and solve issues as part of the CCIE lab exam.

Core Knowledge Questions
The CCIE Security lab exam begins with a brief Core Knowledge section, consisting of four questions requiring a short typed response, generally no more than four or five words. Candidate have up to 30 minutes to complete the four questions and may move on to the rest of the exam if they finish early. No access to the Cisco documentation is provided during this part of the exam and candidates may not return to the Core Knowledge questions once they have moved on. Core Knowledge questions cover material from the list of exam topics and well-prepared candidates should be able to answer the questions without difficulty. All candidates must pass the Core Knowledge section in order to achieve CCIE certification.

Effective August 15, 2011, the CCIE Security Lab Exam, in all global locations, will no longer include the four open-ended Core Knowledge questions. The removal of Core Knowledge questions allow candidates to utilize the total lab time for configuration and troubleshooting. The total lab time will remain eight hours.

Lab Environment
The Cisco documentation CD is available in the lab room, but the exam assumes knowledge of the more common protocols and technologies. Documentation can only be navigated using the index; the search function has been disabled. No outside reference materials are permitted in the lab room. You must report any suspected equipment issues to the proctor during the exam; adjustments cannot be made once the exam is over.

Lab Exam Grading
Each question on the lab has specific criterion. The labs are graded by proctors who ensure all the criterion are met and points are awarded accordingly. The proctors use automatic tools to gather information from the routers to perform some preliminary evaluations, but the final determination of a correct or incorrect configuration is done by a trained proctor.

Results
You can review your lab exam results online (login required), usually within 48 hours. Results are Pass/Fail and failing score reports indicate major topic areas where additional study and preparation may be useful.

Reevaluation of Lab Results
You may request a reevaluation of results for Routing and Switching, Security and Service Provider labs for up to 14 days following your exam date. Use the link next to your lab record called "Request for Reread". Due to the equipment used, rereads are not available for the Voice and Storage Networking exams. Each reread costs US$250 plus any applicable local taxes. Payment is made online via credit card and your card will be charged upon receipt of the request. You may not cancel the reread request once the process has been initiated and refunds are only given when the results change from Fail to Pass.

A reread consists of a second proctor loading your configurations onto a rack to recreate the test and rescore the entire exam. This process may take up to three weeks after receipt of payment. Only one reread per lab attempt is permitted. The result of the reread is an updated score report with success rates for each major section. Be aware that scores may decrease. Exams receive a Pass mark only when the total exam score exceeds 80%. Before requesting a reread, consider that, historically, only 0.3% of exams have been changed from Fail to Pass

Cisco Certifications: CCNA Certification

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) validates the ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot medium-size route and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN. CCNA curriculum includes basic mitigation of security threats, introduction to wireless networking concepts and terminology, and performance-based skills. This new curriculum also includes (but is not limited to) the use of these protocols: IP, Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Serial Line Interface Protocol Frame Relay, Routing Information Protocol Version 2 (RIPv2),VLANs, Ethernet, access control lists (ACLs).

CCNA Exams

640-802 CCNA or ( 640-822 ICND1 and 640-816 ICND2 )

CCNA Recertification

CCNA certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following before the certification expiration date:

Pass the current ICND2 exam, or
Pass the current CCNA exam, or
Pass the current CCDA DESGN exam, or
Pass any current CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, or security, or voice, or SP Ops), or
Pass any current 642-XXX Professional level exam, or
Pass any current Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams or MeetingPlace Specialist exams, Implementing Cisco TelePresence Installations (ITI) exams, Cisco Leading Virtual Classroom Instruction exams, or any 650 online exams), or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam, or
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR current CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications

Cisco Certifications: CCENT Certification "Routing & Switching"

CCENT Prerequisites

No prerequisites

CCENT Recertification

CCENT certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, pass ONE of the following exams before the certification expiration date:

Pass the current ICND1 exam, or
Pass the current ICND2 exam , or
Pass the current CCNA exam, or
Pass the current CCDA exam, or
Pass any current CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, or security, or voice, or SP Ops), or
Pass any current 642-XXX professional level exam, or
Pass any current Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams or MeetingPlace Specialist exams or Implementing Cisco Telepresence Installations [ITI] exams), or
Pass any current CCIE Written Exam, or
Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR current CCDE Practical Exam, or
Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications

Cisco Certifications: Cisco Certified Architect

Cisco Certified Architect is the highest level of accreditation achievable within the Cisco Certification program. It is the pinnacle for individuals wishing to show their formal validation of Cisco technologies and infrastructure architecture.

Cisco Certified Architect Prerequisites

Valid CCDE certification

There are no formal training programs available for the Cisco Certified Architect certification. However, candidates wishing to attain their Cisco Certified Architect certification must meet before an in-person board made of Cisco-appointed exam committee members during which the candidate defends their proposed network solution.

Responsibilities of the Cisco Certified Architect

Lead creation and evolution of architecture
Analyze technology and industry market trends
Establish governing principles for networks
Selection of technology and products
Identification of organization resource needs
Lead the development of communication and education plan for network architecture

Candidates wishing to apply to become a Cisco Certified Architect must also hold a valid Cisco Certified Design (CCDE) certification, validating their expert level design and business level skill set.

Defining the Cisco Certified Architect

A Cisco Certified Architect gathers the business requirements and objectives necessary to produce a blueprint for an integrated, large-scale, complex, global network. They can translate business parameters and objectives into functional requirements for a network design. In addition, Cisco Certified Architects can clearly communicate and advocate proposed Cisco network architectures.