Whether you aim at a shift or a growth in your career, or you are aiming at an enviable hike, earning the much coveted Cisco certification can always be an option for you. Microsoft Azure certifications and Cisco certifications are highly acclaimed worldwide. Apart from having huge acceptance in the IT industry, it also ushers in many career opportunities for professionals who earn the certificates. Thus, earning a Cisco certification is nothing less than a dream for IT professionals. Through this article, we would try to understand the benefits that a Cisco certification have, how the industry perceives of the certification and how employees and employers benefit from the certification alike.

Cisco offers general and specialized certifications. Both require the candidates to clear the exams to get certified and call themselves CISCO CERTIFIED. This enhances the reputation of the candidate. The general credentials have been categorized under four various levels of expertise. It is presented through seven diverse paths, including security,routing and switching, storage networking,and design. Most of the Cisco certifications are very popular in the IT industry but some always gain prominence, and they are CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE which are highly sought after. Talking more from the employers’ perspective, recruiters have accepted that IT professionals with the Cisco certifications have shown exceedingly higher speed in completing network – related projects when compared to the others.They also have a better grasp over their peers when it comes to deriving solutions related to technical issues. The certified employees have been more proficient in terms of completing projects with a much higher success rate. The company as whole had benefited by recruiting Cisco certified employees, as it has helped them reduce their network support costs, brought down their network downtime, increased their capability of withstanding project load and the combined efforts have increased customer satisfaction manifold. This directly proves that given a choice an employer would be more gullible to an employee with a Cisco certification. As a Cisco certified specialist, employers would be ready to recruit you on grounds of your expertise concerning networking concepts and fundamentals.

Now, that we have understood the demand and eligibility that the certification increases among employers, let us look into aspects that talk about the factors that it contributes towards the growth of an employee.

The Cisco Qualified Specialist program offers an unsurpassed method for technical professionals to improve their foundational networking knowledge. Specialist certifications helps people to attain knowledge and build upon things like networking which leads to Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) or Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP), and then CCIE.As a matter of fact, when compared with other certification programs, the Cisco certifications win hands down when we talk about factors such as ROI and higher business growth, no wonder why companies eye on certified candidates, at the end of the day which business does not want to grow and invest in better human capital. The plus point that the certified employees enjoy is that they have a better understanding of a range of specialties.  The focused certifications target at helping the companies with higher productivity, cost reduction and by having a superior prowess in optimum utilization of the available limited resources and sites like Cisco CCNA Certification 200-125 makes it way easier to pass the exams.  The certification programs keeping in mind the growing needs of the industry, is based on advanced technologies which address segments like the – content networking, IP telephony, optical, storage, wireless and certain security disciplines. The candidates are perfectly exposed to the knowledge and skill that is needed to handle such technologies. With the validity of two years Cisco aims that the certified employees are always abreast with the growing and ever changing and evolving needs of the industry. This ensures that there is no sense of complacency. With all the positives it is needless to mention that salary boost is a natural resultant of the Cisco certifications.

Cisco also offers some certifications especially for the channel partners and resellers too.
An example of a Cisco Qualified Specialist certification designed for the partners and resellers is the Cisco VPN Security Sales Specialist. On achieving the certification candidates demonstrate a greater understanding and better knowledge of a Security Blueprint for Enterprise Networks (SAFE),and are at a more comfortable position when it comes to selling Cisco Virtual Private Network and Security solutions.They also get well versed with the features and specialized functions like the Cisco identity, security perimeter, security management and intrusion protection products and solutions.The candidates who attain the certifications are not only tested on their knowledge but also on practical aspects like the current industry trends and a complete understanding of the metrics and key drivers concerning the business. This ensures that the candidates have a holistic understanding and differentiate themselves from the rest. The channel strategy offered by Cisco enables the candidates to get an experience in selling and deploying Cisco technologies worldwide.

Candidates get to choose from a variety of programs to hone and sharpen their skill sets for the advanced technologies. One can go through the details about the global network of Cisco Learning Partners and the Cisco Partner E-Learning Connection, visit www.cisco.com/go/certifications. This would give the interested candidates a clarity regarding the subject and the processes involved to attain the prestigious certification.


Now when the reasons for earning the certification are crystal clear, the next step would be the commitment. The journey would require some serious determination along with investment in terms of money and time both. To earn the certifications and to become part of the elite pool of techies it is imperative that one needs to put in a great deal of hard work, as the courses aim in preparing you in a way that you are adept with the advanced technologies of the world. But with the due course of time and with the great exodus in terms of job offers and pay hike, I am sure the time invested would become the greatest asset for you. And above all there cannot be a greater satisfaction than an internal growth involving your knowledge and skill sets – as these remain with you forever.

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