Security is a hot subject in today's networks, and will continue to be for a long period of time to come. With that in mind, you must think about including a Cisco security certification to your resume and firewall abilities to your capability.
It's rather a jump from the CCNA to the CCSP (Cisco Certified Security Professional), and Cisco has actually made that leap more workable by including Expert accreditations. These accreditations can offer quite a boost to both your resume and your skill set, and act as a fantastic "stepping stone" to the CCSP.
At present, Cisco provides 4 VPN/Security accreditations, those being Cisco Firewall Program Specialist, Cisco IPS Expert, Cisco VPN Specialist, and Cisco VPN/Security Sales Professional. Given that every WAN engineer has contact with Cisco firewall softwares regularly, we'll take a closer take a look at this popular accreditation initially. (And those who want to be WAN engineers had better discover something about firewall programs, too!).
At the writing of this short article (October 21, 2005), Cisco is providing a choice for each of the two examinations you'll need to pass to earn this certification. For the very first examination, you can take either the 642-551 SND (Securing Cisco Network Gadgets) or 642-501 Browse around this site SECUR (Protecting Cisco IOS Networks). The last day to sign up for the SECUR exam is December 19, 2005.
For either, you'll need to be able to answer concerns relating to the proper use of Cisco security gadgets; how to set up security on a Cisco switch and on a router, including syslog logging, AAA, ACLs, and security for router services and user interfaces.
The options for the 2nd test are the 642-522 SNPA (Securing Network with PIX and ASA) and 642-521 CSPFA. Subjects for these tests consist of, IPSec, NAT, firewalls, AAA, and policy mapping. (As constantly, you need to check for the most recent examination blueprints at Cisco's site. Click "Learning And Events" on the main page, www.cisco.com).
The only requirement for this accreditation is that you need to hold a valid CCNA certification.
As always, getting some hands-on experience is the best method to prepare for your Cisco tests. (Your company is going to get a little upset if you practice your configs on his/her PIX. It would be an excellent concept to have an excellent attorney, too.) There are online rack rental services that consist of Cisco security devices in their pods.
Cisco certifications are a terrific way to help protect your career as well as your network. The more you understand, and the more varied your abilities, the better you are to your present and future companies. Utilize your CCNA as a structure, and keep building on your skills!