CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
Cisco First Network Certification is the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification and it is a first step to all current Cisco certifications. It is a stepping-stone approach to CCIE certification. The Next Step is the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Someone with a CCNP has all the skills and knowledge he or she needs to attempt the CCIE lab.
Why Become a CCNA?
Cisco, not unlike Microsoft or Novell, has created the certification process to give administrators a set of skills and to equip prospective employers with a way to measure skills or match certain criteria. Becoming a CCNA can be the initial step of a successful journey toward a new, highly rewarding, and sustainable career.
The CCNA program was created to provide a solid introduction not only to the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) and Cisco hardware, but also to internetworking in general, making it helpful to you in areas that is not exclusively Cisco’s. At this point in the certification process, it’s not unrealistic to imagine that future network managers—even those without Cisco equipment—could easily require Cisco certifications for their job applicants. If you make it through the CCNA and are still interested in Cisco and internetworking, you’re headed down a path to certain success.