The Best Cisco Certification Path

There is a Cisco certification path that will suit you, whether you're new to Cisco or looking to improve your skills. There have been new Cisco certification options since February 24, 2020. These are designed to give you the freedom to innovate and reinvent yourself to make a difference in your role in your company. Continue reading to learn more about the Cisco certification path, the best career path, and training options to help you prepare for success.

Cisco Certifications: Benefits for Your Career

These are the top Cisco certifications to help you accelerate your career.

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• Cisco Certified Network Professional Enterprise (CCNP Enterprise).

Cisco certification is proof of your Cisco knowledge. Jobs that you can get with your CCNA include network engineer, systems administrator, and information technology (IT) director.

According to PayScale, the average CCNA salary would be $76,000 Certified employees can command higher salaries and have the skills to succeed in their job. These tips will help you land a job as a Cisco Networking Specialist.

Cisco Certifications are a benefit for organizations

They have been the most popular choice for securing and streamlining these networks. Cisco professionals are highly valued by organizations because of this. Cisco certifications allow organizations to provide the necessary skills for deployment. They also give you the ability to use Cisco products to their full potential. This will allow you to maximize your IT investments and reduce downtime by having skilled technicians deal with any issues that may arise. This increases customer satisfaction as issues are resolved quickly.

CISCO LEARNING CREDIT

Cisco Learning credits can be purchased separately or as an attachment to your software purchase. Each Cisco Learning Credit can be used to purchase Cisco training at SPOTO. Before you register for your class, make sure to let your SPOTO Account Executive about Cisco Learning Credits.

2020 Updates and Modifications

These paths represent the biggest Cisco certification change in 25 years. This is a summary of the changes made to Cisco's new certification pathways:

• All levels of DevNettrack certified
• CCENTentry-level cert is being retired
• CCNA will be consolidated into one certification and require one exam
• CCNP will have five concentration areas and require TWO exams
• Specialist LEVEl is awarded after passing the first exam within a CCNP track
• CCIE will require two exams. The first is a CCNP exam and the second is a CCIE lab test
• The new courses will be available over the next six months. They are aligned with the new certifications
• The requirement certification requirement will now occur every 3 years

BENEFITS OF THE NEW CISCO CERTIFICATION STRUCTURE

These are the top benefits of Cisco's new certification system.

• You can start wherever you like, depending on your level of expertise. There are no prerequisites for earning your specialist, expert, professional, or expert certification.
• Continuing education credits are available for recertification or ongoing development for CCNA and Cisco Certified Specialist, CCNP, CCIE, and CCNA.
• It is easier to attain CCIE status.
• New Emeritus lifetime tenure CCIE certifications for CCIE maintained continuously for 20 years.
• For completing training courses, badges are required.
• There is no longer an administrative fee for continuing education as of February 24, 2020.
• All certifications require re-certification every 3 years.

Is the CCNA going away?

The Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician will be retiring. The new CCNA will replace the CCENT at the Associate level. The new CCNA will validate a wide range of skills and foundational knowledge. The exam will only cover networking and security basics, along with automation and programming. Previously, CCNA applicants had to pass multiple exams to obtain one of the 10 CCNA certifications.

These certifications will be replaced by the new CCNA exam (#200-301)

• CCNA Cloud
• CCNA Collaboration
• CCNA Cyber Ops
• CCNA Data Center
• CCDA Design
• CCNA Industrial
• CCNA Routing & Switching
• CCNA Security
• CCNA Service Provider
• CCNA Wireless

The CCNA training course will cover both ICND1 & ICND2, but the advanced information from both courses will be transferred to the new CCNP-level courses.

Is CCIE still worth it?

Yes, there will be no CCIE-specific written exams for the CCIE. Candidates must pass the CCNP core test and then sit for the 8-hour CCIE lab in their concentration. To earn the CCIE Security, you would have to pass the CCNP Security Core exam (SCOR 300-701), and then take the 8-hour lab, CCIE Security v6.0. This is the same for all CCIEs, except for CCIE Enterprise.

You have two options for the Enterprise track: CCIE Enterprise Wireless or CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure. Each track adopts the CCNP Enterprise exam. (ENCOR 300-401) Then they diverge in the lab requirement. Each track has a specific lab requirement: CCIE Enterprise Wireless v1.0, and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure v1.0.

Here is the complete list:

• CCIE Enterprise Wireless
• CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure
• CCIE Security
• CCIE Service Provider
• CCIE Collaboration
• CCIE Data Center

WHAT IS THE COST OF CISCO TRAINING?

For a five-day live Cisco training course Implementing, Administering Cisco Solutions it costs $3795 You can also find pricing information for other Cisco training courses on our Cisco training page. Simply select the course that interests you and we will send you a quote. SPOTO, a Cisco-Authorized Training Partner, is a trusted provider of Cisco technologies training. To help you build your career and organization, get assistance from a SPOTO Cisco trainer.