Latest developments in CCNP Certifications
Certification: Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching - Cisco Certified Network Professional Routing and Switching
CCNP is one of the most famous certifications related t networking technology. In fact it is the only technology which deals with the Cisco networking equipment and focus on every aspect of local and wide area net working. It enables you to work with networking technologies and supports you to optimize the infrastructure of the networking systems. CCNP is the professional level of Cisco networking certifications achieved after the entry level and the associate level. With the passage of time Cisco has brought many changes and modifications in CCNP. The developments are related to the curriculum of the CCNP certifications as the Cisco has developed its training material according to the current needs of the networking technology. In addition to this Cisco has also got accreditation of ANSI. These current developments have entirely modified the shape of the certification. Not only Cisco has changed the curriculum but also added many other certifications creating whole new bunch of certifications at professional level. In this content the main focus will be on the latest developments in CCNP certifications and discussing about what is new. CCNP has introduced new courses at professional level which are:
- CCNP Routing and Switching
- CCNP (Data Center)
- CCDP (Design)
- CCNP (Security)
- CCNP SP (Service Provider)
- CCNP SP Ops (Service Provider Operations)
- CCNP (Voice)
- CCNP (Wireless)
Let us discuss the latest developments related to each of the certifications. All of the developments are due to modification in the curriculum and separation of various certifications. There are other important developments as well which would be discussed at the end.
1. CCNP Routing and Switching
CCNP Routing and Switching has been offered since the inception of Cisco certifications but it has gone through a major change. The certification was previously consisting of four courses namely BSCI, BCMSN, ISCW, ONT. But from the last few years it is now achieved by passing three exams namely ROUTE, SWITCH and TSHOOT. Each of the courses has different features. ROUTE is a light and handy exam and except IS-IS, multicast and DHCP it has every necessary ingredient. A notable feature in Route is that it comes with more depth on IPv6 including internet access and VPN tunnels. SWITCH on the other hand consists of almost all switch support solutions except multicast which was present in its predecessor BSMSN. Switch supervisor redundancy and wireless is added to switch making it more suitable. TSHOOT has made its appearance with a lot of new and useful material
CCNP Data Center:
CCNP data center now after new developments enhance the knowledge in the advanced concepts of the unified computing and unified fabric. The course is designed with the intent to enable a candidate to install, configure and maintain data centers. It adds to the knowledge of data center networking. It also includes reference network topologies, route services, protocols and traffic design concepts
CCDP (Design):
With the latest modified and developed CCDP training material, CCDP provides you the knowledge related to principles that govern the network design concepts. The certification is divided into three exams namely ROUTE, SWITCH and ARCH. The ARCH exam test the skills of a candidate related to networking infrastructure and convergence networking resolutions. The ROUTE and SWITCH are almost same as they are in CCNP (routing and switching).
CCNP (Security):
As a sharp development in CCNP security, the focus is shifted to the security of routers, switches and networking devices. It also enables you to choose, deploy, support and troubleshoot firewalls including VPNs in the networking areas. The course consists of four exams namely SENSS, SITCS, SISAS and SIMOS.
CCNP SP (Service Provider):
With the modified training materiel the CCNP SP now focuses on the configuration, implementation, troubleshooting, and optimization of IP networks. The course is divided into four exams. The courses are related to route, advance route, core and edge. The course enhances the knowledge in the configuration, verification, and troubleshooting of routing protocols.
CCNP SP Ops (Service Provider Operations):
SP Ops deals with the network performance problems like fault measures etc. The certification is divided into four exams namely OFCN, MSPRP, MSPVM and MSPQS.
CCNP (Voice):
CCNP Voice is a five-exam certification. The course examines the operation of gateways, unified border element, QoS in voice network, installation and configuration of unified communications manager, survivability for remote sites during failure in WAN and SIP precondition.
CCNP (Wireless):
Cisco has made remarkable development in their wireless certification. CCNP Wireless is a professional course that deals with wireless networks and mobility infrastructures focusing on the management and recognition of Cisco Wireless LAN. The certification is divided into four exams namely CUWSS, IUWVN, IUWMS and IAUWS.
Other Important developments
The other important developments include:
- An important development in CCNP in 2014 Introduction of Cisco learning network premium which has made the study of networking technology easier and interesting. It enables you to access more than 400 additional self-study resources where new video content is updated every week and there is practical virtual lab experience. The package also includes Cisco training videos.
- Cisco certifications including are awarded ANSI accreditation. By this Cisco has become the first institution to get accreditation from ANSI. ANSI (American National Institute Accreditation) deals with the accreditations of various certifications in America. By virtue of this accreditation CCNP has become a more trustable and authentic certificate. The CCNP certifications which got accreditation are as follows:
- CCNP Routing and switching
- CCNP Security
With CCNP two of the CCNA certifications also got accreditations which are:
- CCNA Routing and Switching
- CCNA Security
This is indeed a major development in the Cisco certifications.
- Another important development is that the certifications are now available on demand. All of these virtual networking certifications can easily be achieved by online registration. The course combination tool is quite useful in this case.
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