Tuesday, June 3, 2008

How To Earn Cisco's VPN Specialist Certification

How To Earn Cisco's VPN Specialist Certification
There's an emphasis on security in today's networks, & that is reflected in Cisco's certification tracks. Cisco offers a CCIE Security track & the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) intermediate-level certification, but there is no real equivalent to the CCNA on the security side. Instead, Cisco offers several different Security Associate certifications.

The cool news is that you’ve got a lot of security specializations from which to choose; the bad news is that you’ve got a lot of choices! In choosing a specialization, take some time to choose a certification that will be of practical use to you in your current position or in your “dream job”.

four of the more popular Security Associate certifications is the Cisco VPN Specialist certification. This two-exam track consists of a Securing Cisco Network Devices (SND, 642-551) exam & a Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks (CSVPN, 642-511) exam. To earn the Cisco VPN Specialist exam, you must hold a valid CCNA certification.

What should you expect on these exams? On the SND exam, expect to be grilled on basic security features on both switches & routers, as well as VPN 3000 concentrators, PIXes, & IDS/IPS Sensors. You'll require to be ready to configure & troubleshoot basic AAA configurations, access-lists, syslog, AutoSecure, & much more. You should also be solid with IPSec.

This is a demanding certification that is an excellent addition to your resume & your skill set. For the latest on this & other Cisco certifications, you should regularly visit the Learning & Events section of Cisco's website. As a Cisco certification candidate, it is your responsibility to stay current of any additions & changes to Cisco's certification paths - & it is cool for your career!

IPSec will also be part of your CSVPN exam. As you'd expect, you'll also be expected to be cool with the VPN 3000 Concentrator series, including browser configuration, generating users & group, the Windows VPN Software Client, & more.
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Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO, SEHK: 4333) is a multinational corporation with more than 63,000 employees and annual revenue of US$35 billion as of 2007. Headquartered in San Jose, los angeles, it designs and sells networking and communications technology and services under two brands, namely Cisco, Linksys, WebEx, IronPort, and Scientific Atlanta.