Cisco has introduced many types of certification over the years. They offer five levels of IT certification ranges from entry-level to expert. The CCNA certification program is one of the leading qualifications and in an ever-changing IT landscape, it is the flagship of Cisco.
CCNA covers important domains such as Routing and Switching, Collaboration, and Service providers. It also includes Data Center, Security, etc. The new CCNA program contains some additional domains like IP services, security, IP connectivity, and automation and programmability.
The new certification program is straight to the point, relevant to the technology today, and has a bright future ahead. IT networking is the fastest growing industry in the technology world. This article explains what is the latest CCNA certification 200-301.
This article will hopefully answer:
The CCNA Certification 200-301 program covers many fundamentals under one roof. In this program, you only need one training program and one exam. This program covers various powerful modules such as Network Access, Automation, and Programmability. CCNA provides a strong foundation to start your professional career in any IT field.
These are some of the core elements that constitute the CCNA exam. After learning the foundational knowledge, you will be proficient in all the aforementioned fields especially security and automation.
If you want to start your career in networking, you should be specialised in at-least one CCNA domain. Cisco offers ten CCNA certification to validate your skill sets which are as follows:
This field validates the skills of entry-level networking professionals. In this domain, you will learn and perform some system admin functions. The most common job you can easily get is network administrator after getting CCNA certification in Routing and Switching.
CCDA is an entry-level certification for support technicians and design engineers. The main purpose of CCDA is to design and secure new networks. They can also extend the existing networks and enhance their performance.
It is the initial certification step which is followed by the professional and expert certs. The network engineer is a typical job for CCDA certified person.
Many companies and organisations are adopting cloud strategies dramatically. Therefore, data centres and network professionals must be familiar with how to work with public and private clouds. CCNA Cloud certification targets both private and hybrid cloud environments.
For example, this certification is based on the Cisco InterCloud, Unified Fabric, and Unified Compute. Network administrators and Cloud Architect are the most common jobs for this certification type.
4. CCNA Collaboration
This certification covers different basic collaboration solutions of Cisco i.e. VoIP and video conferencing offerings. All these solutions can even operate standalone instead of working in conjunction with Cisco WAN or LAN.
After getting certified in CCNA collaboration, you can get CCNA R & S certification. Though it is not mandatory, it would help certainly. However, you must have a solid understanding of IP networking, video conferencing, and streaming.
Collaboration, Telecom, VoIP, and Unified Communication Engineers are remarkable job options for this certification.
Who is not familiar with the disastrous IT security breaches? Therefore, cybersecurity professionals have many job opportunities. It is a very complex field that requires very proficient engineers to protect against and detect breaches. CCNA Cyber Ops certified person can apply for Information Security Analyst and network security engineer post.
Today’s data centres are a hive of servers, software, and switches. They need cutting-edge technologies and efficient strategies like distributed computing, storage virtualisation, and software-defined networking.
So these centres demand professionals with a wide range of networking skills. You can apply for different jobs in data centers such as Data Center Manager, Network Engineer, and Technician.
All giant industries such as chemical plants and laboratories have connections with different types of technologies. The CCNA Industrial certification is for plant administrators, process control specialists, and manufacturing engineers.
This certification validates the skills for entry-level network security jobs. You might be confused between CCNA Cyber Ops and Security certification. The Cyber Ops certification targets the entire IT environment but CCNA Security targets only the Cisco network.
Over the past few years, cloud services have become a buzz word in business models. Cisco provides an open architecture where service providers can offer cloud-based apps and other services to their clients.
For example, the Cisco infrastructure provides many services such as video streaming and support for IoT. The CCNA Service provider certification is for Network Engineer, Network Infrastructure, and Backbone Support Engineer.
Several organisations use Wireless LANs to facilitate their employees and visitors. Wireless arrangements are taking over the wiring obsolete. People are accustomed to wireless connectivity at malls, hospitals, coffee shops, and other public areas.
The CCNA Wireless certification is for Wireless Network Administrator, Mobility Engineer, and Field Network Engineer.
For CCNA certification, you need proper training and passing the required exam. The best way is to firstly assess how comfortable you are with Networking. If you already have the experience or have completed CCNA previously, you may just need a refresher course.
If you are brand new to Networking but have decent knowledge on computer hardware, then you may choose to have E-Learning with Labs, mentors, EBooks and Practice exams. This total learning format gives you the best chance to pass first time. You have to appreciate that the more resources required, it will be reflected in the relevant course you decided to purchase
Understanding the exam paper pattern and practice makes perfect can be very beneficial for you. The CCNA exam contains around 75 different types of questions. The questions can be drag and drops, multiple-choice questions, or a couple of simulations. You can directly apply to Cisco for an exam or take help from Cisco Learner Partners. The outcome of your exam depends on your training.
Passing grades depend on the exam you take which is 80% in most cases. If you earn the CCNA certification, it can earn a computer support specialist or network administrator job for you! After passing the exam, you will receive a certificate of Cisco Certified Network Associate. You can ask for a hard or soft copy. Hard copies may attract a cost.
Many candidates don’t pass the exam in the first attempt. So there is no need to worry if you don’t pass your exam in the first attempt. You can retake your exam after waiting for 5 working days. These days, you can assess the report of your exam. After working on the weak areas, you can perform much better in your next exam.
The certificate is valid for three years. You will have to pass a professional level or an associate-level exam to renew your certification. It ensures that you are competitive and have up-to-date knowledge of information technology.