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Cisco CCNA Security Certification

Certification: Cisco CCNA Security - Cisco Certified Network Associate Security

Certification Overview

In this era of advancing technology, it has become a necessity for any business firm or organization to ensure that their communication system remains up to date. This is why there is a huge demand for certified Network Security specialists who will act in maintaining the network security in these organizations. This will prevent the leak of confidential data and will help in the smooth functioning of the internal data system with no attack or intrusions from other networks. This vast opportunity has encouraged many young individuals who have paced their career in IT or engineering to take a certification from Cisco in CCNA Security.

Who can do this certification?

Network professionals who have the strong desire to gain an attractive salary may complete this certification.

Benefits

A CCNA Security Certification means that you have the necessary skills required to identify the flaws in security measures and can take specific action against it. It shows that you also have the ability to formulate a network security infrastructure which will act to counter the security threats in the future. The curriculum also ensures that the certified network professional is well equipped with all the core security and networking concepts which can help him in working in a diverse environment.

Associated Exam

The students are required to sit for a single paper which is named: Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS). On successfully completing the paper, the students are certified.

Prerequisites

According to the Cisco website any certification on Cisco CCENT, CCNA Routing and Switching or CCIE Certification could act as a prerequisite for the exam.

Examination Overview

There are lots of discussion materials and study papers provided online by Cisco. The CCNA Security PDFdiscussion sheets online are provided by many training organizations whose objective is to help the students in preparing for the CCNA Security exams. Also during practical training, CCNA Security manual lab PDFhelps the student in developing an idea about the technical mechanisms in use for various devices. The measures of improving, developing and formulating security procedures and protocols are practically demonstrated in the security lab. Therefore, time spent in the security lab is vital.

The syllabus overview is given below:

  • Securing Cisco routers
  • Implementingmechanisms on Cisco routers
  • Reducing threats to Cisco routers
  • secure network management
  • Reducing threats of Common Layer 2 attacks
  • Implementing the Cisco IOS firewall feature
  • Implementing the Cisco IOS IPS feature
  • Implementing site-to-site VPNs

The basic principles behind the maintenance of network devices will be discussed in the syllabus which includes securing the routers which are in controlling of transferring the data from the organization to the external environment. Therefore, the routers should be secured at first. Detailed mechanism on how to implement security aspects on Cisco routers can also be found out while the candidate is doing training based on the particular course.

The syllabus also includes a section where they stress on the importance of managing the network in an effective manner to keep it free from all external threats. A special kind of attack which is harmful for the company, known as layer 2 attack can be easily blocked by a network engineer because has the sufficient knowledge required to construct and implement that particular security mechanism.

Other measures of protection against spyware, worms can be found out in implementing the firewall feature section of the syllabus. This area stresses on the effectiveness of firewall in ensuring the security of the network systems.

The last 2 section gives a demonstration of the IPS technology and how it monitors the environment and responds to threats. The last section explains the types of cryptography and an overview of IKE protocol functionality and phases.

Validity of the certification

The certificate is valid for three years and for recertifying, one of the below mentioned action must be undertaken:

  1. Passing of an associate level exam except for ICND1 exam
  2. Passing any current professional level exam
  3. Passing any current Cisco Specialist exam
  4. Passing any current CCIE Written exam
  5. Passing any current CCDE Written exam or CCDE Practical exam
  6. Passing the Cisco certified architect

Expert Review

Cisco is continuously improving the standards of its education system by developing challenging approaches to solving network security problems. The curriculum is becoming rigorous day by day. Cisco is trying to take a number of accreditations to increase the value of the certification. This is ensuring that the curriculum is perfectly suited to meet the higher standards required in the industry.

Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, vice president and general manager