Global Knowledge welcomes new entry-level
Cisco CCNA course and accreditation
25 June 2007
Leading training company says that
customers can be certain that staff who attain the new entry-level
qualification are well-equipped to manage their
networks
Michael Pohl, European Business Development
Director for Cisco, Global Knowledge, notes, “Global Knowledge is
increasingly extending its strategic development into new areas
ensuring further growth, whilst offering the benefits of a unified
European Organisation to our vendor partners, such as Cisco, and
our major customers throughout the twelve countries in which we
have a presence”.
Global Knowledge, Europe’s leading independent
training company, is welcoming the major overhaul
of the CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification
programme, which was announced today, saying that they will give
customers an assurance that staff who attend will be very
well-equipped to manage their networks.
Cisco has replaced the former four-day
introductory course for the CCNA qualification with a new course
with updated content that is more relevant and useful for today’s
IT networking professionals. Those who successfully complete the
new, five-day Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 1 (ICND1)
course and the associated exam will qualify as a Cisco Certified
Entry-level Network Technician (CCENT).
The new ICND1 course and qualification will
benefit both students and their employers and according to Michael
Pohl, “The new course and qualification is exactly what
organisations looking to get good value from their investment in
Cisco skills development need. It ensures that networking
administrators and IT professionals who attend have an excellent
grounding in all the technologies they need in order to manage and
get the best from Cisco-based networks today. We believe that
customers will respond very positively to its introduction.”
“The new CCENT certification is also very
welcome”, he adds. “This new, entry-level qualification
gives the course real, tangible value. It will mark out individuals
as Cisco-certified and underline the credibility of the course and
the investment that organisations are making in the skills
development
of their staff and the efficient running of their networks.”
“There is a strong performance-focused element
to the assessment of delegates for the new CCENT qualification and
this”, says Pohl, “will reassure employers that their staff have
attained the practical skills and competency required to install,
verify and support simple network configurations”.
The new ICND1 course has a much has greater
breadth and includes content covering areas such
as wireless networking and security, as well the fundamentals of
Cisco networking. “Having a good working knowledge of all the
technologies that are now converging on the network is essential as
networks today are much more than switches, routers and protocols –
increasingly they are carrying voice and video traffic and security
is becoming an integral part of network functionality. Many
networks also have wireless connections as well. To manage the
network effectively, you need to have an understanding of all these
different aspects and this is exactly what the ICND1 course will
deliver” says Pohl.
“In addition, the ICDN1 course provides much
more of a ‘hands-on’ experience for delegates and provides them
with a good basic trouble-shooting and performance management
skills”, Pohl notes.
“Individuals who want to qualify as a
fully-fledged Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) will still
need to complete the second and much more in-depth five-day course,
which will now be known as ICND2. As well as those planning
to go on to achieve the full CCNA qualification, the ICND1
course
will appeal to those who may have other IT certifications such as
CompTIA A+ or Net+ , or anyone preparing for an entry into an IT or
networking field, particularly those enrolled in a Cisco Networking
Academy programme”, says Michael Pohl.
Global Knowledge is introducing scheduled
ICND1 and ICND2 courses from 30th July. Current
scheduled courses and qualifications are not affected by the
introduction of the new courses.
Media contacts:
Rickard Hagenstam
Marketing Manager Nordic
Telefon: +46 8 445 16 62
Email: rickard.hagenstam@globalknowledge.dk
About Global Knowledge:
Global
Knowledge is the largest privately held provider of training and
enterprise learning services
for information technology (IT) and management professionals. The
company offers a broad array of hands-on IT, project management,
and professional skills training featuring proprietary core and
custom curriculum, as well as content from leading companies,
including Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel and Red Hat. Delivered in
classrooms, at private facilities, or over the Internet, Global
Knowledge has helped Fortune 500 companies, organizations and
government agencies leverage learning to turn knowledge into
productivity for employees, customers, and channel partners.
Founded in 1995, Global Knowledge employs more than 1,200 people
worldwide and is headquartered in Cary, N.C.
The company is owned by New York-based investment firm Welsh,
Carson, Anderson, and Stowe. For more
information visit http://www.globalknowledge.net/