The Value of Certification for Employers

As organizations become more globally connected, they are also more vulnerable to network attacks and threats. Compromised security can disrupt key operations, reduce productivity and inflict significant economic losses on a business. While many innovative security products are available, it is the security experts who choose, implement and maintain the appropriate solutions that will truly protect assets and ensure seamless operations. In this environment, certification is an objective way of identifying such experts.

Another reality of IT security is that hiring managers may have little direct experience with the technologies their employees must implement and maintain. Even small and medium-sized businesses are adding security professionals to their staff. Hiring managers need a benchmark to help them choose a qualified person. Certifications can play an important role in gauging and verifying an individual’s proficiency and skill set.

Security concerns are not just confined to the company’s managers and executives. Customers, investors and business partners are also sensitive to security threats. Having certified individuals on staff can increase the confidence these groups have in their interactions with an organization, boosting credibility, reputation and value.

Security is no longer just a technology concern, but a key strategic consideration. As companies rely more on their networks to connect employees, business partners and customers, security has become increasingly complex. Many key security technologies are still evolving, and new standards are emerging. You might wonder if it’s possible to develop a valid security certification. Do the vast array of certifications available offer real value or merely reflect the booming interest in security?

A survey of security-related IT positions over the past five years finds increasing specialization in areas such as security design, virtual private network (VPN) implementation, security operations and intrusion analysis. Some of these roles are being recognized as individual professions, with universities offering course work in certain security disciplines and industry associations catering to specific niches. As the roles have become more narrowly defined, the skills required have too. Specialization therefore actually facilitates certification, as exams and programs are able to focus on a more specific set of topics.

The Value of Certification for Professionals

On an individual level, certifications help you characterize your experience and expertise for potential employers. Earning a particular security certification, especially one with rigorous hands-on testing, offers objective proof of your ability. In a slow job market, certifications help you differentiate yourself from other job seekers and can help you position yourself for broader opportunities. In a current work situation, earning a certification can lead to a higher level of trust or authority over new projects.

With the demand for IT professionals who are certified in security-related topics on the rise, those holding the most highly regarded certifications are reported to receive consistently higher base salary, bonuses and raises compared with other, less specialized IT positions. According to Information Security Magazine, “Security professionals in four out of six surveyed positions earn in excess of $100,000 in annual base salary and bonus.” Salary scales for security certification holders are actually outperforming the overall market for IT professionals, and overall, security experts have maintained their value and positions equally or better than most other skill sets in the past years.

Cisco’s Security Strategy and Certification Program

Cisco Systems Inc. is committed to the intersection of networking and security. Cisco’s Integrated Security strategy is a critical component of the Intelligent Information Network and has led to Cisco’s recent acquisitions of Riverhead Networks and Twingo Systems, as well as its “Self-Defending Network” initiative-an innovative approach to security that develops the network’s capability for identifying, preventing and mitigating security threats.

Cisco offers three graduated levels of certification: Associate, Professional and Expert. The expert-level certification, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) is known throughout the industry as the “doctorate of networking.” CCIE is one of the industry’s most respected certifications, requiring candidates to pass both a written exam and an eight-hour, hands-on lab exam.

In 2001 Cisco began offering a special CCIE track for security. Cisco recently revised the exam with updated security technologies. The new exam tests knowledge of stand-alone intrusion detection system (IDS) sensors, which provide accurate threat detection and quick response to breaches; stand-alone VPN concentrators, which create a secure path into the enterprise and improve security for branch locations and remote employees; VPN/security management systems, which help configure, deploy and troubleshoot complex, secure networks; and AES and EAP wireless protocols, which help ensure secure wireless access.

Choosing the Right Certification Program

A list of current programs shows certifications sponsored by hardware vendors, software vendors, point solution vendors, process specialists, consulting organizations and industry consortiums. How do you decide which credential to pursue?

You might start by considering one of the most notable trends in information technology today—the growing connection between security and the network. According to Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group and security industry expert, “Networking and security are moving closer together—a critical process in ensuring system availability and performance.”

Another consideration should be the reputation and rigor of the program. As more and more IT certifications have been introduced in the market, skepticism has grown over whether a particular exam tests real-world skills or merely theoretical knowledge that can be found in a book. Hands-on exams stand out as being the most practical and the toughest to pass.

Make sure the certification you spend your time and effort to earn is well respected in the industry as a symbol of true expertise. Find out whether the program has a requirement for recertification and how often the exams are revised and updated. You want your certification to have strict standards to maintain its value over time.

I was fortunate enough to talk to Lorne Braddock Sr., the manager of the CCIE program, about the move from a two-day test to a one-day test. Like many CCIEs, I had a knee-jerk reaction to the move. I was aware of the huge backload that Cisco was experiencing with people waiting to get into the lab; in some cases, the waiting list was approaching a year long. Many Cisco partners required people to get certified to retain or gain a preferred partner status. For many Cisco partners, the revenue difference between a gold and silver partnership is in the millions. Another problem for Cisco and its customers was the difficulty in scheduling a two-day exam that you can get sent home early on. This not only costs time and money to Cisco’s customers, but it also leaves many open lab slots.

Moving to a one-day, 8 1/2-hour test resolved many of these problems, but the question remained—what do you cut? The program decided to enhance the Layer 1 or physical aspect of the written test. The physical portion of the lab exam was a rather “technically” small portion of the lab exam, but it did consume some time. Another portion of the exam that could be cut was the troubleshooting portion. The reality is that if you spent the last 8 1/2-hours successfully configuring this very difficult exam, you are not going to get stumped when someone changes the router password or an IP address. I personally know a lot of CCIEs, and of those who have failed the exam, no one has ever failed the troubleshooting portion. Therefore, the four hours of troubleshooting also was cut from the lab exam.

In a nutshell, Cisco made the written portion of the CCIE exam more difficult because it deals with more physical layer topics. The lab exam now is a one-day, 8 1/2-hour exam in which time will be critical factor.

Cisco is not taking enough action to stamp out the sale of counterfeit products on internet auction sites, according to networking-product resellers.

Mike Sheldon, chief executive of reseller Network Hardware Resale, told ZDNet.co.uk on Wednesday that Cisco was not willing to co-operate with resellers to investigate potentially counterfeit Cisco products being sold on auction sites such as eBay.

“The real problem we run into is that the best we can determine is that the Cisco products are likely to be fake,” said Sheldon. “If you see authorised Cisco partners in China selling them at 95 percent off the list price, what are you going to think? We have reached out to Cisco in a number of different media, but we haven’t heard much back.”

Both Network Hardware Resale and the United Network Equipment Dealer Association (Uneda), a trade association of over 300 secondary-market network-equipment dealers, said they have contacted Cisco on a number of occasions over the past three years.

Uneda said it had already outlined its concerns over suspected counterfeit Cisco kit on auction sites in a letter sent to Cisco chairman and chief executive John Chambers in November 2007, and had not received a response from the company.

“We have offered in the past to help Cisco with counterfeit eradication on eBay,” wrote Uneda secretary Conrad Vickroy in the letter. “We received no response from you on this offer, and we still see many sellers advertising ‘New Cisco’ out of Chinese outlets that we suspect are absolutely not genuine Cisco equipment.”

Further letters from Uneda to Chambers, in December of last year and March of this year, also received no response, according to Sheldon, who is also president of Uneda. Emails from Sheldon to Neal Rubin, Cisco’s senior director of litigation, received no reply, according to Sheldon.

However, Sheldon did say that Cisco had been in contact to say it would consider helping in certain circumstances, as long as Network Hardware Resale provided complete records of purchase orders with the suspected affected providers, going back 10 years. Sheldon said it was not possible to meet this condition for commercial reasons.

Cisco confirmed that it had not been working in conjunction with Uneda, but said that it had been working with other organisations to tackle counterfeiting. Cisco declined to comment about the availability of counterfeit goods on internet auction sites.

“As part of our commitment to the integrity and quality of Cisco technology and services, our brand-protection team maintains an ongoing, proactive and company-wide effort to minimise potential damage to our brand and customers as a result of counterfeiting,” a Cisco spokesperson said.

“Cisco works with a number of organisations engaged in this area, including Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting And Piracy, the World Customs Organization and the Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement. Cisco is currently not engaged with Uneda,” said the spokesperson.

IT pros looking to make their workplaces greener might want to check out a new CompTIA exam.

The new exam is geared toward IT supervisors, data center managers, and other IT admins who need to ensure that their operations and resources are green,CompTIA, or the Computer Technology Industry Association, is now offering a Green IT exam to certify IT professionals in the use of environmentally-friendly technologies and policies. CompTIA is a nonprofit trade group that offers certification, research, and other services to IT professionals.

The exam offers 30 questions that have to be answered in an hour, and test takers must get 70 percent of the answers right to pass. To bone up for the exam, CompTIA advises people to have at least 18-24 months of technical experience under their belts and to already have CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Server+ certification.

More specifically, the exam covers key environmental topics such as waste disposal, preserving power, lowering your company’s carbon footprint, recognizing green IT standards, setting up virtual machines, and determining your return on investment in setting up green IT projects.

The exams are given through Pearson VUE and Prometric test centers, while the courseware is available from Axzo Press and Element K, said CompTIA.

“Green IT is at the heart of virtually every aspect of sustainability, from the power grid, smart buildings, and environmental control systems to telepresence, telecommuting, and virtualization,” said Terry Erdle, CompTIA’s senior vice president for skills certifications, in a statement.

Why choose CompTIA 220-601? First of all, let’s take a look at its prospects.

Worlds leading internet networking company CompTIA  A+ Certification providing solutions to each and every company has traveled a long distance in a short time. CompTIA has introduced many information technology certifications to cater everyday industry needs. These certifications are today dreams of young IT professionals entering the field of networking. It’s worth it having these listed in your resume when you apply for any job. One of these highly worthy certifications is CompTIA 220-601.

There is a big demand of such certified professionals in the international job market and they are offered lucrative salary packages. CompTIA 220-601 exam deals with the topics related to IP routing, bridging, non-IP desktop protocols, some equipment commands and switch-related technologies. This is basically a closed book exam.

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Who’s bothering to go for classrooms for an IT Certification? People are bored of classroom system of studies and taking the exams?? But to survive in the industry everyone needs a certification from a well-known company or a corporation. Now anyone can get any IT certification the admired companies without attending the exams or even the classes anywhere!! There are many online exam agents to help you for any IT certification form any legendary corporate like Microsoft, Cisco, Apple, Sun and some companies even provide CompTIA certification!! Now who heeds for classrooms or exams for IT certifications. You need not study for the certifications or even write the exams anywhere or any exam centers. The exams will be attended on your behalf by the exam agents. So go for the exam agents and get any IT certification!!

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With the symbiotic relationship between Cisco and VMWare, I’m slowly becoming a VMWare junkie. Their free ESXi platform is entirely addicting. Anyhow, I’ve always dreamed of having a SAN in my home connected to my VMWare ESXi server…now it’s possible!!! IOMega (now EMC) has created some low-cost, VMWare-certified SAN storage.

These are cheaper buying from Amazon.com rather than IOMega. While I’d love a ix4-200r, it’s only got one Gigabit Ethernet port (no redundancy), so I went for the ix4-200d (dual GBit Ethernet ports). Anxious for it to arrive! Boy – Wireshark books and iSCSI storage all it one week – it’s Christmas in March!

A word on the “VMware Certified” — pretty much for anything that doesn’t require a driver in the VMkernel there really isn’t much special about iSCSI or NFS or FC targets being certified. It basically means that the company chose to pay vmware to put their stamp on the system and add it to the HCL.

For home or test lab use with ESXi I’d honestly recommend building out a small NAS with OpenSolaris or Nexenta. If you can, do it with more than 4 drives or add a small SSD for L2ARC and/or ZIL and you will pretty much be set for a home lab.

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