6/26/2007 -- Cisco Systems announced yesterday that it will release a new version of its Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification on Aug. 1, along with a brand-new entry-level title, the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT).

The new CCNA exams have been"completely revamped" and will focus on a much broader range of technology, Jeanne Dunn, senior director of learning for Cisco, told CertCities.com/TCPmag.com. "It's not just about routing and switching. [There's] a little wireless, a little security...very systems-based."

-- advertisement (story continued below) --

The CCNA will still be available in a one-exam format (a.k.a. "composite" format) or the two-exam option that debuted a few years ago. However, with the new track, those who pass the first of the two-option CCNA exams will earn the CCENT title. The exams are (click on exam numbers below to view objectives and exam details):

• ICND1 640-822: CCNA Part 1/CCENT
• ICND2 640-816: CCNA Part 2

  or

• CCNA 640-802: CCNA Composite

The new certifications will also cost more: The new composite exams will be $125, up from $100, and the one-exam version will cost $150, up from $125.

For years, most of Cisco's exams have traditionally cost $125. When asked whether the price increase to $150 for the new one-exam version of the CCNA is an indication that other Cisco exam prices would be rising, a spokesperson for the company replied, "Cisco is not announcing any [other] price increases at this time."

The revamped CCNA exams will debut in English format at Pearson Vue and Thomson Prometric testing centers worldwide on Aug. 1, with translated versions to follow. Training will debut in July.

The new exams will contain hands-on simulation questions; Cisco does not release the number of questions per exam.

According to a spokesperson, candidates who choose to go the two-exam route will be able to "mix and match" between the current and new exams until the older ones expire on Nov. 6 of this year.

Dunn said that adding the CCENT is part of Cisco's overall goal to get more qualified candidates pursuing networking careers. "We recognized the need to...have an new entry point, a halfway point to [let] new people coming into networking showcase their skills and talents," she said.

"Everyone has entry-level certs. This is going to be state-of the-art...no one else is doing this."

"I think the other really exciting part is that [the new, broader focus] showcases to people why networking is probably the best career in IT you can have," she continued. "We really believe that networking has the broadest range of skills development you can have ....you have a huge, wide span of job roles, pay and level of responsibility. It's pervasive, it's the one technology that fits everywhere, and interconnects everywhere."

Dunn also said that the CCENT will play a major part in one of Cisco Learning's overall goals: to triple or quadruple the size of the certification program over the next few years, including greatly expanding its ranks overseas. "We want to be able to grab that talent [for our partners and customers] -- and be able to grab it anywhere in the world," she said.

Dunn would not say whether the company would be implementing a tiered-pricing option to make the exams more affordable in developing countries, but did say that Cisco is considering packaged training and testing alternatives.

Dunn also would not disclose what the current size of the Cisco certified program is -- the last released number, approximately 700,000, was given to CertCities.com/TCPmag.com in late 2005-- but she did say the ultimate goal is 2 to 3 million.

According to Dunn, the revamped CCNA and the new CCENT are just the beginning. "You'll see even more option specializations, more entry-points, and something that starts to look at advanced skills in a different way over the next two years," she said.

Dunn declined to give further details on these upcoming projects.

For more information on the new CCNA and the CCENT, go here. -Becky Nagel