The CCENT certification is a greatly respected IT certification course conducted by CISCO Career Certifications program and is a valuable qualification for network professionals their employers and the companies they work for. Now, a bit about CISCO.. CISCO is a multi-billion dollar multi national corporation with a presence in many countries. It sells and designs networking and communication technology and allied services.

There are five levels of IT certification by CISCO. Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert and Architect. There are various options available from where one can match one’s certification preference to one’s job role. The various options are Service Provider, Network Security, Routing and switching etc.

The CCENT Certification evaluates the skills required for network support positions at an entry level.. A CCENT certified individual can operate and manage all sorts of problems in a small enterprise branch network including its security. This certification is the stepping stone towards getting a CCNA certification meant for larger networks. The required exam is called the 640-822 ICND1 or the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part-1 Exam. It is a 90 minute exam, consisting of 40-50 questions.
It is held in various languages like English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian. Korean, French and Portuguese.

To prepare for this exam one is advised to take the ICND1 v1.0 course. The exam contains questions on fundamentals of networking, getting connected to WAN, basic concepts of security and wireless, fundamentals of routing and switching. OSI and TCP\IP models, WAN technologies, IP addressing, configuring and operating IOS devices, configuring RIPv2, default and static routing and implementing DHCP and NAT.

In more detail the CCENT certification includes questions on description and operation of data networks, implementing a small switched network, implementing an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet the network needs of a small branch office, and implementing a small routed network. There are also questions which ask you to explain and select the appropriate administrative tasks required for a WLAN, identify security threats and decription of methods of controlling them and also questions on implementing and verifying WAN links.

The ICND1 v1.0 course is offered by CISCO learning partners, the authorized source for CISCO IT training and is delivered by CISCO certified instructors..

There is a link on the CISCO website by which one can view locations of learning partners in every country.

The ICNDI v1.0 course consists of 5 days of virtual classroom and web based training, five days of classroom and 5 days of remote lab and simulations. By the end of the course the trainee learns describe how networks function, become conversant with identifying and learning the functions of major network components and the open system interconnection reference model. Also in the agenda is learning to use host to host packet delivery process, becoming conversant with issues relating to increased traffic on Ethernet LAN and identifying switched LAN technology solutions to Ethernet.. The student also becomes an expert on the reasons for connecting networks with routers and how routed networks transmit data through networks using TCP\IP . He also learns the major devices of WAN’s, configuring PPP encapsulation, static and dynamic routing, PAT and RIP routing…RF wireless access methods are also taught.

CISCO press offers various titles that the student has to go through before the exam. These books can be purchased from the CISCO marketplace bookstore.

After becoming certified the new trainee can find placements in branch offices of companies having small size networks. He or she is advised to visit the CISCO job portal.
Global demand for IT professionals is growing by leaps and bounds. Whether one is starting, changing or enhancing one’s career, his journey into the world of IT starts at CISCO with CCENT certification