Cisco Certification & Its Types

More businesses have started investing in cloud infrastructure to manage and safeguard data on the virtual platform. As the companies turn to the cloud for managing data, they show an increasing dependency on the vendors that offer underlying networking software and hardware. Therefore, the demand for network professionals will rise in the future.

In such a scenario, professional network aspirants should undergo Cisco certifications to build their careers in this field. Cisco certifications have been regarded as the most prestigious certifications for network professionals. Thus, one can easily find jobs in this field after undergoing such certification courses training.

Cisco Certification Tracks

Before understanding Cisco certification and its types, we need to understand various tracks in which Cisco offers its certifications. There are basically 8 tracks in which Cisco offers its certifications.
These Cisco certification tracks are:

• Enterprise
• Security
• DevNet
• Collaboration
• Data Center
• Service Provider

These 6 tracks are available for both the Professional and the Expert-level certification by Cisco. However, the other 2 tracks, i.e Cyber Ops, is only available at the associate and the professional level and the Design track is only available for the expert level certification.

Cisco Certification Levels

At present, Cisco has four levels of certification programs. The CCT certification is suitable for people who want to pursue careers as Cisco technicians, and Associate-level certification helps a person find a career in networking and IT technologies. Similarly, the professional-level certifications train professionals for today's job roles in IT technologies, covering the core concepts that span a technology area while also allowing flexibility to choose a focus area.

Finally, the expert-level certifications help professionals learn advanced networking and administration skills covering the end-to-end lifecycle of complex networks, from designing and deploying to operating and optimizing. In the following section, you can find details on different levels of Cisco certification like tracks, their core exams, and their concentration exam.

1. CCT (Cisco Certified Technicians)

The CCT certification program from Cisco is known as Cisco Certified Technician. The certification program aims to develop skills to diagnose, repair, restore, and replace the Cisco networking devices for the Cisco customers. The professionals will have the advantage of collaborating with the Cisco Technical Assistance Center. For resolving the technical issues, you can contact the technical assistance center anytime. Find the three CCT certifications in the following section.

•   CCT Collaboration: The 100-890 CLTECH certification intends to nurture essential skills for the support and maintenance of collaboration products from Cisco. Examples of such products are video-calling devices and phones. If you complete the certification, you will identify various product models, cables, and accessories required to install such devices.
•   CCT Data Center: Preparing for the 010-151 DCTECH certification, candidates will learn how to support and maintain Cisco unified data center computers. After completing the certification programs, you can identify various servers, cables, and accessories.
•   CCT Routing and Switching: Through 100-490 RSTECH certification training, you will acquire the skills to provide support and maintenance for Cisco routers, operating systems, and switches. You will learn about various Cisco router models. Additionally, you will become a component to use the Cisco Command Line Interface.

2. Associate Level Certification

The associate level also includes three types of certification programs. Candidates have to undergo a 120 minutes examination to obtain the following certifications.

•   CCNA 200-301: The certification is suitable for a person interested in learning network access, network fundamentals, security fundamentals, IP connectivity, network automation, and many more. The certification helps network professionals acquire arrays of networking technology and software development skills.
•   DEVASC 200-901: The Cisco Certified DevNet Associate (DEVASC 200-901) focuses on software development. Candidates do not need to qualify for any prerequisites. However, Cisco recommends the program for people familiar with software development and Python programming. The certification intends to investigate your skills in maintaining the applications developed on the Cisco platform.
•   CBROPS 200-201: This certification is suitable for people interested in building a career in cybersecurity. Cisco mentions no formal prerequisites for appearing in this examination. And candidates passing the exam verify their skills in cybersecurity operations and procedures.

3. The Professional Level Certification

Cisco has seven technological tracks under its professional-level certification. Each track has its core exam and concentration exams. To earn CCNP certification in a respective track, one must pass its core exam and one concentration exam of their choice.

Cisco Certification Exams

Here is a list of all the Cisco certification exams for the professional level.

4. Expert Level Certifications

For obtaining Cisco's expert-level certifications, you need to undergo two challenging examinations, the qualifying exam and the lab exam. There are seven certifications under the expert level, and the qualifying exam acts as the prerequisite to appearing in the CCIE lab exam.

Find those Cisco certifications track, qualifying exams, and lab exams below.

Cisco Certification Overview and Background

Cisco Systems Inc. specializes in communications and networking services. The company is globally known for manufacturing routing, switching products for computer networks. Businesses can direct voice, data, and video traffic using these products from Cisco. Additionally, the company offers unified communication, storage networking, collaboration, and many other applications for seamless cloud and data center management.

Cisco launched its Certification programs to educate IT professionals to render technical support to the customers for Cisco products. From an entry-level to the expert level, Cisco has introduced different levels of certifications for the network professionals. You need to pass the certification examinations to obtain one or more credentials. A person with multiple Cisco credentials is regarded as an expert in underlying networking hardware and software.

Benefits of Cisco Certifications

Cisco Certification is beneficial for both employees and employers. So, how can the certifications benefit both of them?

Benefits of Employees: 

According to Haynes's report published in 2020, IT professionals have noted a salary hike of almost $13000 after procuring the specialization certifications. Thus, acquiring Cisco certifications will fetch better rewards in terms of revenue for the networking professionals. Beyond the salary hikes, a person can increase the chance of getting a job through such certifications.

Benefits for the Employers:

Hiring Cisco certified professionals help employers obtain standard and professional services from network professionals. Cisco certification confirms a person's skill in a particular segment of computer networking. A person with multiple certifications is competent in numerous fields of computer networking. Hiring such individuals will bring productivity for the employers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do Cisco certifications have high demand?

Cisco certifications are vital for a few jobs. More than 26% of employers give priority to recruiting Cisco certificate holders. A good number of employers only seek Cisco certified professionals for managing data centers, networking applications, and network security.

2. What is the Cisco certifications price?

For different levels of Cisco certifications, the applicants have to pay different fees.

Currently,

• The Associate-level cost 300 USD + Taxes
• The Core Exam costs 400 USD + Taxes
• The Concentration Exam costs 300 USD + Taxes
• The CCIE Lab Exam costs 1600 USD + Taxes

3. How much salary hike can you anticipate after Cisco certification?

Salary increases for most people who obtain Cisco certifications. If your existing employer does not increase salary, you can find other potential employers ready to pay an exciting package to the Cisco certified networking professionals. Overall, the average salary hike can be between 20 to 50 percent.

Cisco Certification Training

The learning path for Cisco certification varies depending on the level of the certificate and your existing networking knowledge. At PyNet Labs, we offer professional online-based training for different levels of Cisco certifications. You can check our batch schedule and find admission to an ongoing batch according to your convenience.

Call/WhatsApp/Telegram us at +91 – 9821215002 or mail us at [email protected] to train the above-listed Cisco Certification programs.