How to get Your Cisco Certifications

In general you can obtain your Cisco Certifications by pursuing level by level following the 3 steps describe as below:-

FIRST STEP - (Entry and Associate Level)

In general you can start Cisco Career Certifications journey either with CCENT as an interim step to Associate level, or directly with CCNA for network operations or CCDA for network design.

CCENT validates the knowledge and skills needed to configure and verify small routed and switched networks, including the ability to configure IP addressing, implement basic security measures, and understand the concepts of wireless networking.

CCNA certification validates the knowledge and skills required to install, operate and troubleshoot a small to medium-sized routed and switched network, including the ability to implement and troubleshoot protocols to manage addressing and authentication, as well as establish and troubleshoot connections to service providers over a WAN

The CCDA certification (Cisco Certified Design Associate) indicates a foundation or apprentice knowledge of network design for the Cisco Internetwork Infrastructure. CCDA certified professionals can design routed and switched network infrastructures involving LAN, WAN, and dial access services for businesses and organizations.

SECOND STEP - Professional Level

The Cisco Certified Professional is the professional-level certifications such as CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCIP and CCVP. These certifications are divided into different certification path (or track) for meeting varying of your needs. The Professional level is the advanced level of certification.

CCNP® (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification indicates advanced knowledge of networks. It is the second stage of the Network Installation and Support track, and it teaches the installation, configuration, and operation of LAN, WAN, and dial access services for medium-to-large networks with multiple protocols. The content emphasizes topics such as security, converged networks, quality of service (QoS), virtual private networks (VPN) and broadband technologies

The CCDP certification indicates advanced or journeyman knowledge of network design. With a CCDP, a network professional can design routed and switched networks involving LAN, WAN, and dial access services, applying modular design practices and making sure the whole solution responds optimally to the business and technical needs and is designed to be highly available

The CCVP certification recognizes the increased importance placed on IT professionals of today who are responsible for integrating voice technology into underlying network architectures. Individuals who earn a CCVP certification can help create a telephony solution that is transparent, scalable, and manageable. Earning a CCVP certification validates a robust set of skills in implementing, operating, configuring, and troubleshooting a converged IP network. The certification content focuses on Cisco Systems CallManager, quality of service (QoS), gateways, gatekeepers, IP phones, voice applications, and utilities on Cisco routers and Cisco Catalyst switches.

FINAL STEP - Cisco Certified Expert

This is the highest level of achievement of Cisco certifications. CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) is the most respected high-level certification, recognized worldwide as the doctorate" of networking