While all Cisco’s offerings are affected, we will be focusing on CCNA in this piece. With any change comes questions and uncertainty, and we’ll help fill in the gaps here. At a high level, Cisco is making its certification landscape less complex and more modern. This is a good thing. However, if you’re actively working on a CCNA, you’ll need to understand what these changes mean for you. Also, SPOTO Club’s Training Courses are the best bet for you to achieve this certification easily.
Let’s dive into the current state of the CCNA.
The CCNA Today
The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is a certification program offered by Cisco that enables you to demonstrate your knowledge of IT fundamentals. Completing the CCNA will allow you to better market yourself in a very competitive IT industry. Under the CCNA as it currently stands, you can specialize in a certain area by following the program that best fits your needs or interests. CCNA currently offers the following paths:
CCNA Cloud
CCNA Collaboration
CCNA Cyber Ops
CCNA Data Center
CCNA Industrial
CCNA Routing and Switching
CCNA Security
CCNA Service Provider
CCNA Wireless
Feb. 24, 2023: New Era of Cisco Certification Commences
Beginning Feb 24, 2023, the CCNA certification program will see lots of changes. For starters, the following certifications are going to be replaced by the new CCNA:
CCNA Cloud
CCNA Collaboration
CCNA Data Center
CCDA
CCNA Industrial
CCNA Routing and Switching
CCNA Security
CCNA Service Provider
CCNA Wireless
Most of the CCNAs which are listed above would be required multiple exams to complete. If you wish to earn the new CCNA, you only need to complete one exam, which would be going live on Feb 24, 2023. This new exam (200-301 CCNA) would be covering a wide range of networking, security, automation, as well as programmability topics.
The Fate of the CCENT:
The CCENT currently counts as one of the two required exams for several CCNA certifications. You can pass the ICND1 (100-105) exam and earn your CCENT. You then could take the ICND2 (200-105) exam at a later date to earn your CCNA.
Again, to earn the new CCNA, you will only be required to take one exam. However, the CCENT will not apply to the new CCNA certification. This means if you wait until Feb. 24, 2023, you would be required to complete the new exam in order to obtain your CCNA.
What’s this DevNet Business?
The same day they announced the new CCNA, Cisco also unveiled its DevNet certifications. DevNet is a new realm for Cisco and will focus on DevOps, automation, and development. Given where the industry is going, this makes a lot of sense. The DevNet certification that’s comparable to the CCNA is the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate. Like its counterparts, the DevNet exam would be going live with the new CCNA exam on February 24, 2023.
The Bottom Line
Even if you haven’t started, but are interested in going for your CCNA, there’s no reason to hold off at this point. The changes are still over eight months away; that’s plenty of time to study and complete the requirements before the change.
While certification changes can be intimidating, changes like these show the ability to adapt to the times. In IT, where big changes come practically overnight, it’s important to be as flexible as possible. The best investment you would be able to make is in yourself. Make sure it’s a good one. Also, gain the prep courses which are being offered at the SPOTO Club. They are the best when it comes to IT Certification Training Programs.
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