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August 2007

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Archived Issues

Cisco changes CCNA, introduces CCENT

Cisco has adapted its certification offering to meet the changing needs of the IT industry. Significant changes have been made to Cisco’s certification offering, with the introduction of a new base-level certification, the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) and important changes to the content learnt in the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.

These changes are a positive step for Cisco as the market for training and certification changes, indeed as the IT industry changes, so too should the certifications that form the basis for skills acquisition.

Why the new entry-level cert?

The CCENT is an important introduction to the training landscape. Significantly, the Network Associate level of the Cisco certification pyramid in Routing & Switching will now be shared between the CCENT and the CCNA. The major benefit of this move is that people starting their networking career can do so in much smaller, manageable steps.

The CCENT certification requires candidates to sit the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND) course and successfully complete the associated exam, ICND1 640-822 (due to be released this month).

The traditional Cisco certification path always started with the Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies (INTRO) course, followed by the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices (ICND) course. Candidates would also have to successfully complete associated exams.

This is of course changing. The INTRO course is being retired and the ICND course is being built upon and then split into two 5-day courses (parts 1 and 2).

What are the changes to the CCNA?

Where the CCENT requires candidates to sit ICND Part 1, the CCNA certification requires that both ICND Parts 1 & 2 are undertaken and the associated exams successfully passed. There is also the option to complete a CCNA composite exam instead of the two ICND exams.

For more information about Cisco Certifications and training at DDLS, contact your Account Manager or the DDLS Customer Care Centre on 13 12 01.