Cisco Raises the Bar with Highest-Level IT Networking Certification: Cisco
Certified Architect New Certification Resides Above CCIE to Validate
Competency and Experience in Support of Growing Innovation in Network
Infrastructure Architecture
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 29, 2009 – Responding to strong customer and market
demand to recognize the architectural expertise of network designers, Cisco
today introduced the Cisco Certified Architect, the highest level of
accreditation achievable within Cisco® Career Certifications.
Key Facts/Highlights:
- Advanced technologies such as Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco
TelePresenceTM and mobility are converging and increasing the
opportunities for innovation and collaboration while adding to the
complexity of enterprise networks.
- According to IDC, "With many existing certifications focused on point
technologies, architect-level certifications bring together project
management, business needs analysis, and IT elements into a true solutions
framework and validate a candidate's ability to address planning, design,
interoperability, and connectivity issues." *
- Gartner reported in its 2008 IT market compensation study (U.S. based),
that "IT organizations continue to have difficulty in finding skilled IT
professionals, especially enterprise architects, network architects, project
managers and Web application programmers." **
Cisco Certified Architect:
- The Cisco Certified Architect certification recognizes the
architectural experience and competency of network designers who can support
the increasingly complex networks of global organizations and effectively
translate business strategies into evolutionary technical strategies.
- Cisco channel partners play a critical role in enabling customers to
deploy advanced new technologies supported by professionals with the skills
required to use these innovative solutions.
- The certification stands above the expert-level CCIE® certification in
terms of difficulty, with an emphasis on expertise in network infrastructure
architecture and a proven ability to work with executive-level customers to
ensure that business requirements are incorporated into successful designs.
Certification Process:
- The Cisco Certified Architect certification will be administered as a
board exam.
- Candidates will propose and defend an architecture solution to a set of
business requirements, and the candidates will be asked to modify their
proposals "on the fly," based on additional requirements presented by the
board.
- Prerequisites include a CCDETM certification, approximately 10 years of
industry experience, and acceptance into the program via an application
process.