CCNA Security Certification Resource Page

Tutorials, Articles, And Practice Exams For The 640-553 IINS Exam

By Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Of the three new CCNA certifications - Security, Voice, and Wireless - the CCNA Security cert may well be the most valuable of all.

Security admins are in huge demand now, and according to a recent study performed by Forrester Consulting for Cisco, that demand is literally going to almost double over the next five years.

Presently, 46% of companies included in the survey have at least one dedicated security network admin, and over the next five years that percentage will reach 80%.

To take the 640-553 Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) exam and become CCNA Security certified, you must first be a CCNA - so if you're not working on the valuable certification already, you need to get started so you can take advantage of the opportunities presented by these new certifications.

In the days and weeks ahead, I'll be adding exclusive articles and tutorials for each of the three new CCNA certifications. That includes video presentations exclusive to The Bryant Advantage website.

The Security videos and tutorials will be posted on this page, with the CCNA Wireless and CCNA Voice tutorials posted on their respective dedicated pages. Bookmark all three and make sure to read the blog or subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know about these free tutorials!

The new CCNA certifications do NOT replace the current CCNA exams - they're additional certifications that you can only acquire after earning your NA.

The numbers don't lie - network admins who have practical Security knowledge and certification will have a huge advantage in the years ahead over those who do not. This is a huge opportunity and you need to be ready to take advantage.

I've sneaked a peek at the CCNA Security exam blueprint, and I can tell you that it's very heavy on the Security Device Manager (SDM), a Cisco router GUI that allows you to configure many router features via this GUI rather than at the CLI.

Having used SDM quite a bit, and having written about it for the CCNP ISCW Study Package, I can tell you that SDM can truly help keep your network more secure. I'm glad to see it on the CCNA Security exam.

And believe me, my CCNA Security Study Package will be packed with SDM screen shots!

CCNA Security exam topics also include....

Defending against Worms, Viruses, Trojan Horses, and other network attacks

Performing a security audit with SDM

Using SDM to lock the router down (I'll show you when you should do this - and when you shouldn't!)

Using encrypted password, privilege levels, the Supervisor role, and other CLI-based defenses

Configuring RADIUS, TACACS+, AAA, named ACLs

... and quite a few other topics that we'll examine here in the days and weeks ahead.

I'm really glad to see Cisco respond to the needs of today's networks by offering CCNA Security certification - and this is a huge opportunity for all network admins.

I'm a tough interview, and I'd certainly hire someone with those qualifications.... and if they already worked for me, they'd get the next available promotion.

I've been a part of the certification community for well over 12 years, and these new CCNA certifications are the best change I've seen in a long time... and I have no doubt they'll prove to be the most valuable as well. In my humble opinion, the CCNA Security certification will prove to be the most valuable of the three.

So if you're not CCNA certified at present, you need to get started! There's never been a better time to become a CCNA, and with these additional opportunities, there's never been a more important time to do so!

Five Minutes From Now, You Can Be Studying For CCNA Exam Success Just As Thousands Of Other CCNA Candidates Around The World Have - With Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933 With You Every Step Of The Way - With The Ultimate CCNA Exam Study Package!

Here's a new CCNA Security tutorial for you, as we begin our look at how to use Security Device Manager (SDM) to put a router into one-step lockdown. We'll also discuss whether that lockdown is always a good idea!

CCNA Security Exam Tutorial: Using SDM For One-Step Lockdown

CCNA Security Practice Exam: NTP, Passwords, And More

CCNA Security Practice Exam: Network Attacks And Defenses

CCNA Security Practice Exam: The IOS Firewall

Be sure to bookmark this page - in the days and weeks ahead, I'll have more CCNA Security tutorials for you on this page, including video and written looks at Security Device Manager.

These tutorials will help you get ready for the release of my CCNA Security Study Package in September as well!

Click that link to find out how you can start studying in less than five minutes from now for CCNA Security exam success!

You'll also find free tutorials on on the CCNA Voice exam and CCNA Wireless exam pages, too - so bookmark those pages and come back often!

To your success,

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

chris@thebryantadvantage.com