The Cisco CCNA, is it really enough in today’s market?

Introduction

Lots of people have written or called me recently asking if the Cisco CCNA (640-802) is sufficient to enter the networking job market or to help them up-skill for a promotion.  This is a crucial question that everyone who is undertaking (or thinking of taking) the CCNA should know.  In this article I will explain why the CCNA is an essential certification to have, but in today’s financial climate might need some backup!

History of the CCNA

The CCNA came about almost 10 years ago after calls for an entry level certification on Cisco networking.  Originally Cisco only offered the CCIE which as you may know, is an incredibly hard exam to undertake, let alone pass!

Cisco released the CCNA and it immediately became very popular, one of the most popular and required certifications on the market (and still is).  Cisco also decided to follow this up with the release of the CCNP which was the intermediate certification and acted as a stepping stone towards the pinnacle CCIE.

Back when the CCNA and CCNP were released, Security, Voice and Wireless technologies didn’t exist in the way they do today.  Chances are that today your computer uses a firewall, you may use Skype (which is Voice over IP or VoIP) and probably use wireless for connecting to the internet.

These technologies were all in the distant future.

An ever changing market

As time has passed, and technology has evolved naturally things get better, quicker, smaller, cheaper etc.  This is very true of networking.  In the year 2000 a router could only be used to connect two or more networks together and do some basic security (Access Lists).  If you pick up a new Cisco router today, that device can still connect multiple networks, but can now run a firewall, provide voice capabilities and wireless access for the rest of the office.  Essentially you can buy one router or “box” that can do everything, even home broadband routers can do everything now and they cost less than $100!

Recently there has been a huge increase in companies trying to save money.  In the current weak financial market it’s even more important now than ever.  If a company can buy one device instead of three and save hundreds or thousands of dollars it’s an easy decision.  The problem arises when somebody (yes I mean YOU) has to support that device and the network, gone are the days when the original CCNA would provide you with enough knowledge or experience to configure let alone fix that router if it went wrong.  You now need more!

I’m not saying the CCNA (640-802, Routing & Switching) is useless, far from it.  In fact the “standard” CCNA is a pre-requisite for all new certifications; it’s still that important in networking and is the very first step you should take when either embarking on a new career or trying to improve your current one.

But times are changing, for the better.

The future of the CCNA!

Cisco is very good at listening to what their customers want, and for the past few years there has been increasing demand for new certifications and tests to demonstrate a person’s ability in these new key technologies.

In June 2008 Cisco acted.  They released the CCNA Security, CCNA Voice and CCNA Wireless so engineers could improve their skills and prove their abilities to companies or potential employers.  Cisco believes very strongly in the need to maintain and develop new skills and understands the importance of doing so in a time of recession.

There is an excellent article on the Cisco website (link below) which details how the new certifications will help and even has a study where senior IT decision makers express how important these new skills are to them their companies :-

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-2323

If Cisco posts an article about something, you know it is of great importance.  They are THE market leaders when it comes to networking and know exactly what the market demands or requires.

How can we help YOU?

Networks Incorporated understood the importance these 3 new technologies would have on the IT market and believed so strongly that in late 2008 we announced 3 new Cisco courses to address the skills shortfall.  These 3 new CCNA’s will shortly be available and interest has been overwhelming to say the least.

We are the first company in the UK to offer all 4 CCNA certifications at affordable pricing and you can benefit from immense savings by signing up for the Cisco passport where you can do all of the CCNA’s for the price of 2!  There are no time limits and unlimited free re-sits.

http://www.networksinc.co.uk/Cisco_Training_Passport.htm

We are committed to helping you succeed in whatever your chosen careers and are always here to help, if you want more information on the Cisco passport or would just like some free advice; please feel free to contact us.

We exist to help you!

About Stuart Juggins

Stuart Juggins is the CEO of Networks Inc Ltd, who have been teaching Cisco courses in the UK since 2002. Customers include BT, Shell, British Army, Jaguar, Ford and many many more. Stuart lives in Luton, Bedfordshire with his wife and son. Stuart is available for personal one-to-one coaching and mentoring to help ensure you pass your Cisco exams on your very first attempt.