11/10/2004 -- Today Cisco Systems is officially announcing a new Cisco Unity Support Specialist credential as part of its Qualified Specialist certification program.

According to Cisco, the ideal candidate for the new title is a field or systems engineer who will be expected to install and troubleshoot Cisco Unity Voice Mail and Cisco Unity Unified Messaging applications. Like the previously announced Unity Design specialization, Cisco recommends that candidates seeking the Support title hold a Microsoft System Engineer (MCSE): Messaging Windows 2000 or 2003.

The certification consists of one exam, 642-100: Unified Communications Systems Engineer (UCSE), now available at Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide.

The addition brings the total number of titles in Cisco's Qualified Specialist program to 27. Cisco offers these specialty credentials in a number of technical areas, including IP telephony, storage and security. Most require candidates to also hold an associate- or professional-level Cisco certification, such as the Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA) title.

According to an announcement made by Cisco today, the number of  networking professionals with Cisco Qualified Specialist certifications increased by 60 percent over the last 12 months. Exact numbers were not released.

Overall, Cisco has granted more than 600,000 certifications worldwide.

More information on the new title should be posted on the certification area of Cisco's Web site shortly. -Becky Nagel