As a journalist at Computerworld Australia:
Cisco Systems last week announced an update to its recertification policy that allows individuals to recertify their CCNP, CCDP, CCIP, CCSP or CCVP certifications upon passing any exam that is part of Cisco's professional level curriculum.
The new policy came into effect on August 18, and offers more flexibility to Cisco-certified professionals seeking to satisfy Cisco's triannual recertification requirement.
Professional-level certifications were previously renewed either through the higher-level CCIE written exam, or through one or more exam for each certification. Exams range in price from $US65 to US$300, with the CCIE written exam costing US$300.
Besides potentially reducing the cost of recertification, Cisco's expects its new policy to encourage networking professionals to expand their knowledge base to keep abreast of new technologies.
"The proliferation of advanced technologies such as network security has significantly increased the knowledge base required of networking professionals," said Don Field, director of certifications at Cisco. "The expanded, professional-level recertification policy recognizes certification holders who have taken steps to diversify their networking knowledge and skills to keep pace with today's evolving networking environment."
Certification holders can look up the status of their qualifications via an online Certification Tracking System.
