Twenty years ago, Cisco’s prestigious expert-level certification CCIE was once a common pursuit for those in the IT industry. But the industry and goals for its IT pros have changed over time, and the population of those looking to get their CCIE has diminished. We simply have more diverse needs than ever before. Yet, the world does still need individuals extremely proficient in the configuration of Cisco networking and security products. And there remains rewards for those who earn a CCIE-level title.
If you’ve been torn about pursuing either the CCIE for Enterprise Infrastructure or Security, there is good news. There are two ways that Cisco has made this pursuit more practical. The first, is a change Cisco made a few years back by making the “COR” exams such as SCOR and ENCOR the new CCIE-written exams. The written exam used to be a beast unto itself (and I do mean beast). Now, these COR exams, once passed, do open the door to the practical lab. We should be clear; one would never sit the CCIE lab directly following passing a COR exam. A great deal of additional study would be required. Nevertheless, this means a certification that you are likely to consider if you are in one of these disciplines does double duty.
But you might have already known of the new CCIE written strategy. But there is news that extends this to make the CCIE wildly-more approachable. Cisco now has opened their CCIE laboratories in Enterprise Infrastructure and Security to individuals who have passed the CCIE written (i.e., SCOR or ENCOR).
This paves the way for individuals in both areas. Acquiring hands-on-experience with ALL the tools evaluated on in the practical lab is brutally challenging. Now, there is a tidy and not-too-expensive solution for getting in front of the actual CCIE testing environment. Here’s more information about this new Cisco offering:
If you plan the CCIE as part of the certification story of your career, this might be what makes it a good time to hunker down. If you aren’t set qualified for the CCIE lab, you should schedule your CCNA, ENCOR and/or SCOR classes.
