How does ccna work

In order to acquire your CCNA Collaboration, you'll need to pass two exams, the first covering Cisco Unified Communications telephony solutions , the second covering the characteristics of Cisco voice and video over IP solutions , and the practical implementation of a Cisco video conferencing system.

We're all familiar with the news reports of disastrous IT security breaches. It's not surprising then that cybersecurity professionals are in-demand. Cybersecurity is a hugely complex field, so organizations are deploying teams of specialists to protect against and detect breaches and respond to incidents. The CCNA Cyber Ops certification will prepare IT professionals such as network and system administrators to get an associate-level job on a cybersecurity team.

With security as a key role for most networking positions, CCNA Cyber Ops shows up as an optional certification for more generalized postings. Cybersecurity is a broad and complex topic, so job titles and responsibilities can vary. Roles will be distinct and specialized in large organizations, whereas in small shops, both the analyst and responder roles might fall to a network administrator. The security analyst role is focused on the tools, procedures, and controls that need to be in place, whereas an incident responder's job is to use those tools to recognize and counter threats as they occur.

Today's data centers are not your father's data center. Technologies and strategies such as distributed computing, servers and storage virtualization, software-defined networking, automation, and cloud computing have driven massive changes from the modern data center's mainframe-centric ancestors. The typical data center now is a hive of servers, switches, and software — tightly networked and demanding data center professionals with a broad range of skills.

The CCNA Data Center certification helps prepare systems and networking admin professionals for a role in a data center. Job titles vary — data center technician is one, but generic titles such as network engineer and systems analyst are also often used. As with cybersecurity, data center design and administration covers a wide set of topics — from installation and configuration to maintenance and ongoing operation of the data center infrastructure.

When IT enters the realms of factories, chemical plants, oil and gas facilities, laboratories, and the like, you'll see connections to different kinds of technologies — process control, Internet of Things IoT , and manufacturing tools. The CCNA Industrial certification is for manufacturing engineers, process control specialists, and plant administrators, as well as traditional network and systems engineers who work with these industrial networks.

The job titles for these roles vary tremendously, but some quick job-site searches pick up titles such as Industrial Network Specialist and Industrial Network Engineer.

The certification assumes a level of expertise in network fundamentals and switching and routing technologies, so the CCNA Routing and Switching is a prerequisite. The CCNA Industrial is a logical progression for certified network admins who want to work with industrial networks. The jobs are similar to network and systems admin jobs in the front office, but in the plant, you'll be dealing with a converged network with hardened terminals, process sensors, and smart machines.

You'll also be configuring and troubleshooting the specialized network protocols that are used in controlling industrial equipment. CCNA Security is the certification that validates the skills necessary for entry-level security jobs. Four ways to purchase this course: E-Learning Classroom training Digital subscription Private group training. CCNA success story.

Learn more about CCNA. The network needs you With the recent additions of security and automation, the CCNA certification is poised to launch a new generation of IT careers. Start your CCNA journey. Step 1: Review Use the exam topics to evaluate what you already know, identify areas of focus, and build your study plan.

Exam topics. CCNA At-a-glance. CCNA Essentials. Step 2: Study and train Once you know which topics your exam will cover, choose a study or training option that works for you. Buy e-learning. Find a class. Cisco Digital Learning. Advertising Disclosure. Cisco Systems Inc. The company is probably best known for its business routing and switching products, which direct data, voice, and video traffic across networks around the world.

However, Cisco also offers storage networking, applications for unified communications, telepresence and collaboration WebEx , and an array of services from simple product support to complete solutions for data centers and cloud management. To ensure that IT professionals have the skills and knowledge necessary to support Cisco products and solve customers' technology problems on many fronts, the Cisco Career Certification program is all-embracing.

That is, it begins at the entry level, then advances to associate, professional, and expert levels, and in some certification areas caps things off at the architect level. Each level offers one or more credentials. Obtaining a credential usually involves passing one or more certification exams.

For higher-level credentials, candidates must also prove they meet necessary prerequisites. The higher the level of certification, the more credentials and prerequisites one needs to meet those requirements. There are many certifications and paths one can take in Cisco's career program.

That said, its two main paths cover network operation and network design. The Cisco Career Certification program also includes a number of specializations. These certifications acknowledge a professional's skills in a specific Cisco technology, such as data center application services, voicemail and messaging or rich media.

Cisco specializations are organized into two primary categories: one targeting technical specialists and another targeting digital transformation specialists. The CCNA designation is assigned to individuals that have successfully completed proprietary Cisco exams in one or more of the following disciplines. The training to take the exams is available to applicants in the form of online courses, hard copy books, and in a classroom setting. After the candidate takes the exam, a report is generated by Cisco showing how the candidate did on each piece of the exam along with an indication as to whether the candidate passed or failed.

If the candidate passes, they are then CCNA certified for the next three years. The recertification process involves taking the exam but not exactly the same questions again or taking a test from a higher Cisco certification tier. CCNA level engineers are dispatched to a business most often because either something needs to be set up or something has gone wrong. Usually, these IT support professionals are working on either physical, virtual, or wireless network of the organization.

Once the hardware has been bought and has arrived at the premises, the following steps are taken:.