The original subject of this assessment blog was purely Cisco certifications, and mainly the free courses offered at the Network Academy.
However I am already certified by CompTIA in both the Network+ and Security+, I am very familiar with certifications. So I think a better use of this blog is to help answer a question that many people who are just getting into networking are constantly faced with. CCNA, or Network+ ? Cisco or CompTIA ?
I personally had to make this decision recently, and it is the most common question that I would see when researching.
I will start by covering the basics of the Cisco, and Cisco Certifications as required by the assessment, plus the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), but then I will move on to the, CompTIA and explain why I chose that route, while comparing the pros and cons of each.
What is Cisco ?
Cisco is a massive multinational technology conglomerate. They develop, produce and sell networking hardware/software, telecommunications equipment, and other high level networking technology services and products.
Cisco also has many child companies/subsidiaries such as OpenDNS (Which we are using for in our assessment 2 network), Webex (video collaboration tool), Jabber and Jasper, Cisco specializes in specific tech markets, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), domain security and energy management — Cisco Systems. (May 19, 2021).
Cisco is one of the leading companies it the IT scene, due to the sheer size, that is as much as I will cover about that. From here I will focus on the certifications.
Cisco Certifications
Cisco has a wide range of professional IT certifications for their Cisco Products. I will start with what we have been tasked with, which is the Cisco Networking Academy. The Networking Academy (netacad) is an online remote learning tool from Cisco. It is free to sign up for, and offers many useful courses, ranging from short self-led online tutorials to 70 hour tutor-led courses, based around Cisco related certifications and fundamental networking and security. It is an amazing resource for someone just getting into networking, or someone who is wanting to improve themselves and their knowledge.
I have chosen the ‘Introduction to Cyber Security’ course offered on the network academy. The home screen of the course looks like so:
There are chapters to go through that explain the relevant information. During, and at the end of each lesson, there is a helpful quiz to revise what you have just learnt, this really helps with memorizing the new information.
At the end of the course, there is a final course consisting of everything from the course. This acts as a gateway to ensure that you have payed attention, and have retained all of the new info. The main purpose of this final exam is that once complete, you can print a certificate of completion, which can then be added to your LinkedIn/CV to help show employers that you are knowledgeable in the subject.
Cisco Certified Network Associate
These certifications are very low-level though. A much better goal (but far more difficult), and a cert that holds much more value is the CCNA. The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is one of the strongest entry-level certs that you can get. It is perfect for anyone looking to get into networking, and is definitely worth the effort and study required to achieve it.
The CCNA has recently changed, and it is a huge improvement. Prior to February 24, you could pick one of the following paths for your CCNA:
- CCNA Cloud
- CCNA Collaboration
- CCNA Data Center
- CCNA Industrial
- CCNA Routing and Switching
- CCNA Service Provider
- CCNA Wireless
This old option required at least two exams to get certified, (and sometime more). With the new CCNA, all the previous topics have been consolidated into one exam, and only one exam is required to get certified. Specializing has been moved to come later, at the expert level (see image above).
The huge amount of different options is something that originally scared me away from the CCNA, so this is a huge improvement for them, and the certification itself, making it an even better entry-level cert. This is also a lot cheaper than the CompTIA counterparts, the associate level Cisco exams cost $300 to sit.
The CCNA covers 6 main fundamental subjects
These main subjects are broken down further into each individual requirement/topic.
The duration of the new CCNA 200–301 exam is 120 minutes it contains roughly 100–120 questions.
Pearson VUE & The CCNA Exam
To earn a CCNA, you must pass a proctored exam from Cisco. These exams can be done at any ‘Pearson VUE’ testing center. Pearson VUE is a company that offers computer based testing solutions, and is used by most certification providers to proctor their exams
Pearson VUE also offers online testing, this started around 2020, and was a huge help to anyone wanting to get certified. These online tests are very professional. (I have used the online testing system twice myself, as the closest center is in Auckland).
Online Testing Rules
- The tests are monitored through both video and audio.
- Any excessive/suspicious noise can result in instant failure
- You must be alone in a room with nothing within arms reach (besides the laptop).
- Before starting, you take pictures of yourself, your ID, and multiple pictures displaying the area that you are sitting the exam in (checking for anything suspicious in view).
- If anyone walks in the room, it will most likely be an instant fail.
- NOBODY besides the person taking the test is allowed to see the screen, if someone else accidentally walks in and sees the screen, instant fail. This is due to the privacy and professionalism involved in these exams and qualifications.
- Nothing can be used (some centers may offer blank paper, but the online tests do not allow any paper at all, there is a drawing tool within the app, I didn’t use it. If you are needing to write things down, you probably need to study more, these are insanely hard exams, and there is not much time to think about the questions.
- The test is taken in a secure software that locks any browser or tabbing options, all other windows must be closed before starting, the software ‘takes over’ your computer and securely connects you to the exam. A proctor will be watching and listening on the other end if you need any help, or they may tell you to not cover your mouth (not allowed), or speak up about any other rule infringements.
I personally never even heard the proctors voice during either of my exams I just sat the exam, 80–90 minutes of absolute silence and stress, and then finished.
CompTIA (The Computing Technology Industry Association)
CompTIA is quite different from Cisco. CompTIA is a non-profit ‘trade-association’ that issues professional certifications for the IT industry.
It is considered one of the IT industry’s top trade associations -Mark Zonca (August 2016).
CompTIA issues vendor-neutral professional certifications in over 120 countries. The organization releases over 50 industry studies annually to track industry trends and changes. Over 2.2 million people have earned CompTIA certifications since the association was established — Peter Fabris (2015).
CompTIA offers many certifications, at varying levels. The easiest way to understand this is, and what I used is the image below, it shows each exam/cert in their logical hierarchal order (exams do not have to be taken in any order whatsoever, but it is recommended, as each cert builds on the knowledge of the previous, for example, doing Network+ first taught me half of what I needed to know for Security+, as they are so closely related).
- The ITF+ is the absolute beginner level
- A+ is general IT/computing and hardware (consists of 2 exams)
- Network+ is all about networking and the fundamentals
- Security+ is arguably the most popular, a common choice for an entry level security cert. Based around everything security (Network security, compliance, threats and vulnerabilities, cryptography, access control, identity management, application/data/host security, and more recently governance and automation).
- CySA+ Cyber security Analyst: Capture, monitor, and respond to network traffic findings. Also blue team/analyst related topics: software and application security, automation, threat hunting, and IT regulatory compliance.
Each certification lasts only 3 years, to retain the qualification, continuing education credits must be earned before the 3 years are up. The easiest way to do this is to study for, and pass a higher level exam (see image below).
The exams/exam content themselves are altered every 3 or so years in order to stay relevant. New technology is added, and the whole exam structure is changed. Example:
It doesn't change the certification that you receive, but the exam content and topics change.
Cisco vs CompTIA differences
The main difference, and why I went for CompTIA, is that CompTIA exams are vendor-neutral, and are concerned with teaching EVERYTHING about the content/subject. Where Cisco’s certs and exams are ONLY for their products and services, they are really based more around Cisco, as they are a money making conglomerate, and like most huge companies, they have proprietary technology/services that they want to push. Their exams follow that format, and can end up being a lot less useful if the business you want to work for doesn't use Cisco services/products.
You still learn the basics with the CCNA, but it’s different, you are learning about ‘Cisco’s networking’ whereas with CompTIA, you are learning about professional industry standards, and it is vendor-neutral. Once the fundamentals have been learnt, it becomes easier to learn the companies/hardware's/technologies specifics later on. CompTIA exams are also a bit more expensive (depends on the level, but Network+ is roughly $333 USD, and if you fail, you have to pay this again).
In conclusion, I would always recommend the Network+ or the Security+ over the CCNA. The vendor-neutral aspect, and the much more professional feel are far more valuable in my opinion. It really depends on your path, and where you want to be, plus what is most common around you. Security+ can be found on many job listings. The same goes for the Network+, and the CCNA, both are listed in many entry level networking roles.
It is hard to find a definitive answer on what is ‘better’, and there are countless pages of debates on the issue. They both have their individual values and uses. Study your area, or the company that you aim to work for for a better idea of what you want to choose. This is just my personal take.
References
Arne Holst. (June 17, 2020). Cisco — Statistics & Facts. https://www.statista.com/topics/2286/cisco/.
Cisco Learning Network. (2021). 200–301 CCNA Exam: Cisco Certified Network Associate. https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/ccna-exam-topics
Cisco Networking Academy. (n.d.). https://www.netacad.com.
Cisco Networking Academy. (n.d.). Introduction to Cybersecurity 0521 wr. https://lms.netacad.com/course/view.php?id=527729
Cisco Systems. (May 19, 2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco_Systems.
Mark Zonca (August 2016). “CEO Profile — Todd Thibodeaux”. Naperville Magazine.
Peter Fabris (December 11, 2015). “CompTIA’s Update Ready to Install”. Sync Magazine.
