This is my third and final (for now) blog about the upcoming CCDE and Architect certifications. Here is Part I and Part II.
As I mentioned in Part II, Cisco hosted a Q&A last week at Networkers with about 50 CCIEs. The Q&A session itself was a lively event with a lot of questions raised and opinions offered. While the Cisco team had planned a short introduction of the new certification concepts, and then Q&A, the debate started pretty much right away. Most ideas were well received and there were a lot of questions about format and topics. Points I noted:
The written beta exam begins in 3 weeks and is available to only select invitees. Cisco's goal is to get 200 people through the beta exam to have sufficient results to base decisions on. An exhaustive, 6-page blue-print was provided in the meeting. General topics range from "IP Routing" to "Tunneling" to "Security". It should prove to be very tough. Passing does meet recertification requirements for existing CCIEs. I'll be signing up soon.
Over the next couple months I'll provide updates on the beta program. This looks to be an exciting new addition to Cisco's certification program for senior engineers and network architects.
Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3-billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads a team of 10 engineers responsible for large-scale IT networking projects and architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP telephony, contact centers, and security. Michael is CCIE #11733 and recently became one of the first three Cisco Certified Design Experts (CCDE) ever (#20080002). He has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo and is working on his MBA from NC State University. In 2008, he was awarded the Network Professional Association (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.
Michael Morris's From the Field blog is also featured on the Cisco Learning Network. See it there, along with the blogs of other Cisco Experts.