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Cisco® announces comprehensive updates to its premier CCNP® professional-level networking certification. The new program provides networking professionals with the knowledge and skills required to deploy and maintain fully integrated network infrastructure services and applications.

Integrated Networking Expertise in Demand
The new CCNP program maintains its focus on the advanced skills required to manage the routers and switches that form the network core, but also expands to include techniques to deploy and support wireless, voice, and security applications on the network edge. Network professionals who achieve the new CCNP certification will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to fully utilize Cisco intermediate session routing (ISR) routers, which provide wire-speed delivery of concurrent data, voice, video, and wireless services applications. By passing the exam, you will also demonstrate the expertise necessary to integrate and manage converged networks, quality of service (QoS), and virtual private networks (VPNs).

CCNP Certification Curriculum
Four recommended training courses and four required exams comprise the new CCNP certification curriculum. A valid CCNA® certification is a prerequisite for taking the CCNP exams.

New Required Exams as of August 15, 2005 Exam Topics

642-901 BSCI
Building Scalable Cisco Inter-networks ISR routers, updates to Cisco IOS®
Software 12.4 routing protocol, routing authentication security, multicast routing, IPv6

642-812 BCMSN
Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks High availability, new wireless LAN fundamentals for Airespace thin-client, voice, and Cisco IOS switch security

642-825 ISCW
Implementing Secure Converged Wide-Area Networks Cable and DSL broadband access, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)/MPLS VPN fundamentals Cisco IOS Security featuring S2S VPN (IPsec and generic routing encapsulation/IPsec [GRE/IPSEC]), Cisco Easy VPN, Cisco IOS Firewall, Cisco IOS Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), Cisco AutoSecure, Role-Based CLI Access, and Cisco Security Device Manager (SDM)

642-845 ONT
Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks Voice over IP (VoIP) fundamentals, techniques to address VoIP challenges, concepts and implementation methods for quality of service (QoS), wireless security standards, and Cisco wireless LAN (WLAN) networks

Previous Exams Count for Three Years Towards Completion of CCNP Certification
Visit the Certifications Online Support tool and locate the mix and match tables to find out how you can combine exams that you may have already taken with the new exams to achieve your CCNP professional-level certification. All recommended training associated with the retiring exams will expire on October 15, 2006. The last day to test for the retiring exams will be December 31, 2006.

Course Course Retirement Current Exams Current Exams: Last Day to Test
BSCI October 15, 2006 642-801 December 31, 2006
BCMSN October 15, 2006 642-811 December 31, 2006
BCRAN October 15, 2006 642-521 December 31, 2006
CIT October 15, 2006 642-511 December 31, 2006

New CCNP Prep Center
To assist networking professionals who are preparing for the CCNP exam, the CCNP Prep Center is now live. Open to Cisco Certification candidates and those who are already certified, the CCNP Prep Center provides CCNP certification candidates access to a wide variety of resources, including practice questions, labs, simulations, tips, expert advice, success stories, and peer discussion forums. The CCNP Prep Center also allows networking professionals to easily access information and formal training from Cisco Learning Solutions Partners.

Updates to CCIP and CCDP Certification Programs
Cisco’s CCIP™ and CCDP® professional-level certification programs have also been updated to include the newly revised Building Scalable Cisco Inter-networks (BSCI) exam and recommended training. Network professionals pursuing CCIP and CCDP certifications will benefit from these curriculum updates, which provide the up-to-date knowledge required to install, support, and optimize ISR routers using Cisco IOS 12.4 routing protocol, routing authentication security, multicast routing, and IPv6.