6/15/2006 -- Cisco Systems announced Tuesday its Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) certification was certified by the U.S. National Security Agency and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) as meeting the 4013A training standard for system administrators in the federal department and agencies.

The designations were awarded to Cisco on June 5 at the 10th Colloquium for Information Systems Education (CISSE) in Adelphi, Md.

"We're pleased to have Cisco's CCSP certification and security training curricula recognized by the NSA and CNSS," said Don Field, director of certifications at Cisco Systems. "This designation enhances our ability to provide end-to-end solutions to the U.S. government with comprehensive security products, services, and training designed to meet their needs."

Candidates who pass the current set of CCSP exams will receive a letter from Cisco stating they have completed the Cisco curriculum that meets CNSS 4013A standards. For those who have passed a combination of current and previous CCSP exams (exams released prior to the September 2005 CCSP curriculum update), they will receive the 4013A letter only if they have passed both the 642-502 SNRS: Securing Networks with Cisco Routers and Switches and 642-551 SND: Securing Cisco Network Devices exams.

The CNSS also recertified Cisco's security training courseware as meeting the 4011 training standard for information security professionals in the federal government. To get the 4011 National Training Standard for Information Systems Security Professionals, individuals must pass the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and SND exams.

For more information, go here. -Dan Hong