2/8/2001 -- High-end IP router manufacturer Juniper Networks announced last week that it is launching a certification program for ISP networking professionals.

The program features two titles: Juniper Networks Certified Internet Specialist (JNCIS) and Juniper Networks Certified Internet Expert (JNCIE).

For the JNCIS, candidates must pass a 70-question multiple choice exam. Topics include IP networking technology and Juniper Networks products. The exam is proctored by Prometric, and costs $125.

Those who pass the JNCIS can then sit for the JNCIE, a two-day, hands-on lab exam held at Juniper's headquarters. "It tests hands-on IP skills at an expert level," said Scott Edwards, Jupiter's senior manager of Technical Education.

The company started developing the program last May at the behest of its partners and customers. "[They] wanted us to define what the bar should be," Edwards said

Although the program is open to everyone, Edwards said Juniper anticipates that most participants will be employees of its partners. "[It would be hard] to get the experience needed [to pass] without being in that environment," he explained.

"There are people out there that have this level of ability," he continued. "We just want to give them this opportunity."

Juniper Networks is a competitor with Cisco in the high-end router market; however, when asked about the similarties between Junipers' JNCIE title and Cisco's expert-level CCIE title (which also features a two-day, hands-on lab), Edwards said that any likeness is purely coincidental. "We designed what our partners wanted...It is what it is," said Edwards. "Most vendors have opted for a demonstrative test...It's just the right way to do it."

For more on Juniper Networks' certification program, visit http://www.juniper.net/training/certification/. -B.N.