Earning a CCNA Certification
CCNA is the acronym for the Cisco Certified Network Associate certification that is offered by the Cisco Company. A certification from Cisco, more so CCNA, is considered a first-level career certification in apprentice knowledge of networking. With an approved CCNA certification, the certification holder is considered skilled in installation, configuration, operation and troubleshooting of routed and switched networks. It also means such an individual can implement and verify remote site connections in wide area networks.
In the 640-802 exams, a passing score is required to be Cisco certified. However, this score is subject to change by use of statistical analysis. Because the exam questions and passing are subject to change, Cisco does not publish exam passing scores; instead candidates receive a score report that includes the passing score for the given exam as well as the exam sections’ score breakout.
There are many other CCNA certification papers that candidates can undertake and one of these is the CCNA Security certification. Such a certification validates that the holder has acquired the knowledge and the skills to secure Cisco networks. In addition, this CCNA certification is offered to a network professional that has demonstrated his or her ability to develop a security infrastructure and is able to recognize network vulnerabilities and threats and mitigate such threats. It is necessary that the professional be able to use the Cisco technologies to maintain integrity, confidentiality and availability of network resources and devices in a competent way. Again, this requires a pass in the 640-553 IINS (Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security) test.
Consider for example, what you are expected to cover before you take up a CCNA certification exam. You need to have good knowledge of Cisco-based network protocols, bridging and switching techniques and hardware components, routing, WAN protocols, LAN design and good knowledge of the OSI Reference Model of communication. A good knowledge of Cisco basics will also be necessary with some background knowledge in networking. As you can see, this is not an easy ride for a beginning network engineer. To make it easier to learn however, a software called packet tracer helps beginning learners make virtual configurations, deployment and implementation of Cisco systems and reproduce networks the same way as in the real world. It is a great tool to have if you are learning Cisco all by yourself.
A CCNA certification is valid for three years after which you must re-certify it passing either an ICND2 exam, a concentration exam, a Cisco Specialist exam or a professional-level exam.
