4/22/2003 -- Cisco Systems announced yesterday that the company awarded its 500,0000th certification in March.

The only other companies known to have reached the half-million mark in their IT certification programs are Microsoft and Novell.

Cisco declined to provide a breakdown of the count by titles, but did say that the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) community has grown to 9,500.

"The continuing growth and adoption of Cisco Career Certifications, particularly in security and IP telephony, is evidence of Cisco's preeminence in the networking industry and increasing confidence in the competence of certified professionals," Tom Kelly, vice president of Cisco's Internet Learning Solutions Group, said in a printed statement announcing the milestone. "For employers and network professionals alike, Cisco certifications are badges of expertise, aptitude and hands-on capability that is unparalleled in the industry."

Cisco launched the CCIE title in 1993, with the full program (associate, professional, and expert levels) debuting in 1998. Since then, the program has grown into seven Career certifications (plus several CCIE tracks) and 13 Certified Specialist titles. Aside from the lab-based CCIE, some of Cisco's most well known certifications include the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and the Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP).

Last year, CertCities.com's readers voted Cisco's certification program as the best IT certification program. Its CCIE title also topped CertCities.com's list of the 10 Hottest Certifications for 2003.

More information on Cisco's certifications can be found here. -B.N.