Cisco CCNP Certification

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Certification is a professional-level certification provided by the IT/Networking giant Cisco to the networking professionals.

What is the Cisco CCNP Certification?

Cisco CCNP certification is a professional-level certification provided by Cisco. This certification is suitable for IT professionals who have some experience in networking and want to advance their careers in that field.

The Cisco Certified Network Professional Certification training is best suited for networking professionals having a minimum experience of one year. CCNP is a professional level certification that earns an individual specialist certification.

Who should take Cisco CCNP Certifications?

Individuals working in networking should prepare for CCNP Certification and Training.

Eligibility Criteria

There are no formal prerequisites for the new CCNP certification exam. Earlier candidates need to pass the CCNA certification exam in order to be eligible for the CCNP exam. But now, there are some structural changes to the CCNP certification exam. And after February 2020, there are no prerequisites to appear for the CCNP certification exam.

Benefits of CCNP Certification

1. Availability of jobs is high

CCNP Certification qualifies you for a variety of jobs, which include Third Line Support, Network Engineer, Network Analyst, and many more.

2. Salary potential is high

The growth in the pay scale is clearly visible once you get CCNP certified. A CCNP Certified individual earns 3x to 4x times more than a non-certified professional.

3. Skill recognition

CCNP focuses on theory as well as practical knowledge. In real-time scenarios, practical knowledge comes in handy. Being certified by a reputable organization such as Cisco means that you have received your CCNP training from the best in the industry.

4. Excellent job growth

Along with professional-level certification, CCNP will make you an expert in domain level knowledge.

5. You make yourself eligible for more advanced certifications

Cisco encourages to take more certifications in the subject area. The CCNP core exams also serve as qualifying exams for CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) lab exams.

6. You get an opportunity to keep up with technology

Software and Networking are getting more interlinked with every passing day. Professional-level certification such as CCNP helps you keep up with the rising standards.

7. Get the opportunity to work in several nations of the world

CCNP certification offers good career opportunities in emerging economies like India, UK, Australia, Dubai, etc.

Skills measured by CCNP certification

In the CCNP certification exam, you get tested in the following fields:

troubleshooting,
implementation,
verification, and
planning for LAN and WAN.

Cisco CCNP Certification Exam

There are several tracks of the Cisco CCNP certification.

CCNP Security
CCNP Enterprise
CCNP Data Center
Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional
CCNP Service Provider
Cisco Certified DevNet Professional
CCNP Collaboration

A candidate may select any of the above tracks. The candidate would need to appear for one core exam and one concentration exam to qualify for the Cisco CCNP certification in any of the technology tracks.

The format of the examination has been updated in 2020. The pattern now consists of the following:

Core Examination focuses on your basic skills, and for that, you need to take an online training course. The core exam is ENCOR.
Concentration Examination focuses on network design; automation; SD-WAN, which are industry-specific topics.

The role of The Security Buddy in helping you prepare for the Cisco CCNP Certification Exam

Cisco CCNP certification tests a candidate’s knowledge of security fundamentals along with networking fundamentals. The Security Buddy covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics that are written with several certification exam syllabi in mind. Some of the articles are free and available to everyone. And, some of the articles are available to The Security Buddy premium members only. The membership price is only $50/year.

Interested readers may find the following links useful:

All topics as per the recent Cisco CCNP Syllabus

All articles on cybersecurity as per categories

The Security Buddy Membership Plan

Cisco CCNP Certification Exam Fees

The cost of the CCNP certification exam can range anywhere between $100 to $1500 based on the level of examination. One would get details at this link: http://www.vue.com/vouchers/pricelist/cisco.asp#prices

Cisco CCNP Certification Syllabus

In the CCNP certification exam, a candidate is tested on the following topics:

Configure and Verify NAT/PAT
Infrastructure security
VPN technologies
Level 2 and Level 3 Technologies

The latest CCNP exam has seven tracks.

CCNP Enterprise
CCNP Data Center
CCNP Security
CCNP Service Provider
CCNP Collaboration
Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional
Cisco Certified DevNet Professional

Each of the above professional-level certifications requires two exams – one core exam and one concentration exam of the candidate’s choice.

There are different syllabuses for each of the above certification exams. Interested readers may find the detailed syllabuses of core exams and the concentration exams of each of the above CCNP certification exams at the following links:

Cisco CCNP Certification Prerequisites

Required: At present, there is no prerequisite for the Cisco CCNP certification. A candidate can appear for one CCNP core exam and one or more concentration exams to earn the Cisco CCNP certification.
Recommended: Experience in the field of networking for almost three to five years is recommended.

Cisco CCNP Certification Jobs and Salary

Hiring Managers love certified professionals. Hence, high paying jobs are typical.

Network Engineer earns up to $100,000 to $110,000/ year
Senior Network Engineer earns up to $130,000 to $140,000/ year
Software Architect earns up to $135,000 to $145,000/ year
Network Administrator earns up to $70,000 to $80,000/ year

Career Paths of Cisco CCNP Certification

Cisco CCNP Certification offers different career paths:

CCNP Enterprise
CCNP Data Center
CCNP Security
CCNP Service Provider
CCNP Collaboration
Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional
Cisco Certified DevNet Professional

A candidate can choose any of the above tracks and specialize in more than one field. Paid Educators and Consultants specialize in more than three fields, where their whole job is to learn the information and disseminate it to people.

What is CCNP Security?

CCNP Security is a technology track of the Cisco CCNP certification. To qualify for this Cisco CCNP Security certification, a candidate needs to appear for one core exam and one concentration exam. The core exam focuses on the candidate’s knowledge of security infrastructure. And, the concentration exam focuses on industry-specific topics.

At present, there is one core exam and several concentration exams for the Cisco CCNP Security certification.

Core Exam:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR)

Concentration exams:

Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Next Generation Firewall (SSNGFW)
Implementing Secure Solutions with Virtual Private Networks (SVPN)
Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Next-Generation IPS (SSFIPS)
Securing Email with Cisco Email Security Appliance (SESA)
Implementing and Configuring Cisco Identity Services Engine (SISE)
Securing the Web with Cisco Web Security Appliance (SWSA)
Implementing Automation for Cisco Security Solutions (SAUI)

Is CCNA Certification Necessary for CCNP?

Today, there are no prerequisites for the Cisco CCNP Certification. The basic pattern of the exam offers one core examination and one or more concentration examinations. (What is the Cisco CCNA Certification?)

Does the Cisco CCNP Certification expire?

The Certification expires every three years and needs to be renewed. You can either opt for the same level or appear for the advanced level examination.

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