The new Cisco exam blueprint also indicates that Cisco is looking to make the exam more relevant to workers in today’s fast-moving business world. For this reason, they are removing some existing topics and replacing them with new ones. The four exams in this series are being discontinued, but the official study guide still lists the exams as well as the corresponding topic descriptions.
The removal of some exams is a positive for students and professionals who had already completed these previous exams. This is especially true of Cisco specialist exams like the CCNA Cyber Ops and CCNA Tools. The blueprint indicates that future exams in these two sections will now be re-themed to be relevant to workers. In addition, these exams have been divided into new topics so that there’s less confusion when studying for the exams.
As a result of these changes, the Cisco exam blueprint now calls for examination of more general IT skills than were seen in previous exams. Two previously required exams that were required to become an entry level sociologist are now listed as electives: the Multivitamin Study Guide and the Cisco Exam Certificate. These subjects were deemed unnecessary by the current testing methodology and for this reason have been removed from the exam. However, both are good supplementary courses to get before obtaining the real CCNA certification.
Another enhancement comes in the form of a preassessment exam for users with no Cisco experience. This exam is not like any other CCNA exam, which means that people with no CCNA experience are not qualified to take it. This makes it an even more important exam to get for potential employees who might not have any CCNA experience whatsoever. Two types of non-CCNA exam courses are offered as foundation courses for the new preassessment exam. These are: Cisco Technology Associate (CTA) and Cisco Learning Associate (CLAS). Both are accompanied by a CCNA lab.
When someone looks at the CCNA Security Overview, they will see that there are three major components that they need to learn and master in order to be prepared for the CCNA Cyber Ops designation. These are: protocols, devices, and networks. Of course, we already know that we need to know how to configure and install these components in order to get them working. The real part of this CCNA syllabus is teaching someone how to protect their system against possible attacks, whether these attacks come from within their system, or from someone outside.
A good way to start learning about CCNA cyber operations is to look at a CCNA syllabus and do the necessary research on each topic. For example, someone may find that there are many different studies on TCP/IP packets and might wonder what exactly those packets do. They can do further research on those topics, such as reading books, listening to podcasts, and visiting web pages that explain the subject matter. Then they can implement all the knowledge they have learned. They don’t have to do all of this work by themselves, but when they have a good grasp of all of the basic information, they can apply it to their job and start seeing results.
Of course, getting a CCNA certification isn’t always automatic. Someone has to actually pass the exam in order to gain the credential. There are a few different ways to do that, including training, hands-on practice, or just by having a knowledgeable mentor who has already passed. If someone already has a Cisco certification, then perhaps they should hire a CCNA consultant to give them a refresher course. However, most people will be better served by hiring an instructor who can show them everything they need to know. A good infosec consultant can teach individuals and groups of people how to secure their networks and their data.
