Submit your photos to dccablingcontest@cisco.com before 3/25/2011 for consideration.

PrepLogic offers Cisco training for the CCNA, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice and CCNA Wireless, CCIP, CCNP SWITCH, CCNP ROUTE and  CCNP TSHOOT.

Professional certifications are already viewed by hiring managers as a high-value validation of IT skills. The CompTIA study suggests certifications will grow in importance as organizations seek to fill tech jobs. Eight in ten human resources (HR) professionals surveyed believe IT certifications will grow in usefulness and importance over the next two years. But employers also expressed concerns about some aspects of using IT certifications in the hiring process. There is a perception among some hiring IT managers that the HR department does not have a solid understanding of IT certifications. Some firms also said verifying a job candidate’s credentials can be a challenge due to the time involved and effort required.

Experience, track record and accomplishments rank as the most important factors when evaluating job candidates, according to the study. But education and credentials such as certifications also rank high. For example, 86 percent of hiring managers indicate IT certifications are a high or medium priority during the candidate evaluation process.

The study suggests that certifications will become even more important as employers struggle to find individuals to fill job openings. Despite a virtual buyer’s market for hiring, roughly eight in ten HR executives in the United States said it’s challenging to find the right candidate with the right skill set to fill their openings. Many IT managers in the study share a similar view. Tim Herbert, vice president, research, CompTIA notes, “In an environment of needing to do more with less, organizations cannot afford the time and cost of bringing on a new employee who cannot contribute immediately.”

The CompTIA study Employer Perception of IT Training and Certification is the result of two separate online surveys: to 1,385 business and IT executives that made a recent IT hiring decision in the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa; and to 300 HR professionals in the U.S.

PrepLogic offers training for over a hundred different certifications, including CompTIA certifications, Cisco certifications and MCITP certifications. Visit http://www.preplogic.com to learn more about advancing your career with affordable IT skills training.

Changes to CCNA Voice
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Voice certification validates associate-level knowledge and skills required to administer a voice network.  The CCNA Voice certification demonstrates skills in VoIP technologies, such as IP PBX, IP telephony, handset, call control, and voicemail solutions.

The new CCNA Voice certification exam is called the “Introducing Cisco Voice and Unified Communications Administration (ICOMM v8.0) 640-461 exam.   This exam tests a candidate’s knowledge of the architecture, components, functionality, and features of Cisco Unified Communications solutions.  The ICOMM (640-461) exam replaces the IIUC (640-460) and CVOICE (642-436) exam.

The last day to test for the CCNA Voice certification using the IIUC (640-460) or CVOICE (642-436) exam is February 28, 2011.

Changes to CCVP, Now Called CCNP Voice
The Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Voice certification, previously called the CCVP, validates advanced knowledge and skills required to integrate collaboration and voice applications into underlying network architectures.  The CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) Voice is the next level up after the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) Voice certification, which is a prerequisite to CCNP Voice.  The CCNP Voice certification demonstrates that an IT professional has a strong and sophisticated skills set in implementing, operating, configuring, and troubleshooting a converged IP network.  The CCNP Voice curriculum  focuses on Cisco Unified Communications Manager (formerly Unified Call Manager), quality of service (QoS), gateways, gatekeepers, IP phones, voice applications, and utilities on Cisco routers and Cisco Catalyst switches. Additionally, the integration and troubleshooting of Cisco Unified Communications applications are now covered in the CCNP Voice, specifically the Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco Unified Presence applications.

Beginning March 1st, 2011 the following new CCNP Voice exams must be passed in order to earn the CCNP Voice certification:

• 642-437: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Voice over IP and QoS v8.0 (CVOICE v8.0)
• 642-447: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 1 v8.0 (CIPT1 v8.0)
• 642-457: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 2 v8.0 (CIPT2 v8.0)
• 642-427: Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Communications v8.0  (TVOICE v8.0)
• 642-467: Integrating Cisco Unified Communications Applications v8.0 (CAPPS v8.0)

The last day to test using current CCVP exams is  February 28, 2011.  The CCVP exams consist of:

• 642-436: Cisco Voice over IP (CVOICE v6.0)
• 642-446: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 1 (CIPT1 v6.0)
• 642-456: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 2  (CIPT2 v6.0)
• 642-426: Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Communications Systems (TUC)
• 642-642: Quality of Service (QoS)

From now until February 28, 2011 candidates who take and pass the older exams (versions 6.0) will still receive the title of CCNP Voice.  CCVP candidates can mix and match CCVP exams with CCNP Voice exams.  For example, a candidate can take the old TUC and QoS exams and fulfill the other three exam requirements (CVOICE, CIPT1, CIPT2) with the new 8.0 versions.   However, beginning March 1, 2011 Voice candidates must pass the new exams (versions 8.0) to become a CCNP Voice.

PrepLogic offers a variety of Cisco certification training, including LearnSmart Video CCNA training and LearnSmart Video CCNA Voice training.

Learn more about Cisco Voice Certification changes.

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If you want to be competitive in 2011, you need to have certifications like A+, CCNA and MCITP on your resume. PrepLogic will help you do that with our affordable training products that help you learn faster and smarter.  Don’t miss out on this unbelievable sale. Check out our homepage or call 1-800-418-6789 to start your training today!

LearnSmart Video Training

LearnSmart Video Training provides start-to-finish instruction from experts with years of training experience. LearnSmart is a video based training product created, written and developed by IT and vocational skills expert trainers. Each course contains complete instruction sufficient for certification exams from universally respected certification bodies, such as Microsoft, CompTIA, VMWare and Cisco. LearnSmart Video Training features elegant, studio quality presentation with full color video, graphics, screenshots and demos.

The new PrepLogic LearnSmart Video Training features improved video controls, where you can adjust screen size and start, stop and rewind video at your leisure. This allows you to work at a speed that is the most conducive to your pace of learning, and thus the most effective. We’ve also added the ability to toggle video from the main window to the smaller, brand new Content Reader. The Reader delivers study guide material related to your video segments in an easy to navigate window.

Log In

Accessing your personal PrepLogic Learning System account is now easier than ever with our new and improved log in process. You can access your individualized Online LearnSmart Video Training by logging into your account through the PrepLogic homepage. Once you have logged in, you simply click on the “Online LearnSmart Video Training Icon” where you will then be prompted to your personal video course catalog, containing all of the certification training courses you have purchased. PrepLogic offers a wide variety of IT certification exam training, such as CompTIA A+, Microsoft MCITP Enterprise Administrator and Server Administrator, CCNA certification training and more.

Video Index

The Video Index feature functions as a table of contents for the course. The Video Index lists every segment of the course, allowing you to click on different segments and watch each segment’s corresponding video as you choose. You can watch specific segments repeatedly, in the case of more difficult material, or even skip over segments that you are already familiar with. Each video segment in the Video Index lists the length of time in that particular segment and becomes highlighted in the Index after the segment has been viewed. The Video Index organizes the course study in an easy to navigate, easy to read fashion, in which you, the student, are in control of the course and can keep track of your progress as you make your way through the material.

PrepLogic has greatly improved the functionality of the Video Index. You can now shrink and expand the streamlined Index to your preferred size. We’ve also improved the visibility and usability of the Index, which helps keep you organized through out your training by clearly showing, in a syllabus type format, the order of the videos in your training course, as well as keeping track of which videos you have watched in previous sessions.

Starred Training

Another new facet of the Video Index is the “Starred Training” feature. To the left of each segment listed in the Index, there is the option to click on a white star, which becomes yellow when clicked, marking that segment “starred” and categorizing it in your “My Starred Items” folder. This feature allows you to mark those segments you find the most important or critical to your course of study. Clicking on the “Starred Training” icon above the Video Index changes the Video Index to show only the items you starred, letting you focus on those starred videos. Choosing specific videos you want to watch, through the Starred Training feature, allows you to create your own custom course, where you can focus specifically, on what you need to be learning.

Content Reader

New Feature! The PrepLogic Learning System now includes a smart content reader that delivers “wiki-style” study guide content related to your video into an easy to use window labeled “Reader” below the Video Index. You can follow along in the Reader while watching video, enlarge the Reader content to the main screen, switching the video to the smaller screen, or email yourself the content in the Reader, creating your own PDF study guide that you can use on the go. The Reader works in conjunction with the video training for a truly comprehensive exam training experience.

IT Glossary

Recently added to the PrepLogic Learning System is the IT Glossary. This tool enables users to look up key IT terms and their definitions. Along with the definition of a term, the glossary provides related tags to that term. There are thousands of essential technical terms in the glossary, relating to fields such as networking, security, data base management and project management. The glossary is a quick and easy tool that makes sure you are familiar and knowledgeable with the language of popular certification exams like CISSP, Oracle, PMP, Microsoft MCITP, and Microsoft MCSE.

Download Extras

The Download Extras feature allows you to download custom study guides and audio training. PrepLogic is committed to making your IT certification training extremely accessible, so while you can download the PDF’s instantly to your computer you can also send the content to your mobile device, Kindle, iPad, Blackberry, Barnes and Noble Nook and many more devices. Now you can study for your IT certification exam virtually anywhere!

Audio Training

The audio segments are set up just like the Video Index, but in their own “Audio Index”, and can be played on your computer, just like the Video Lecture Series. When listening to the Audio Training Series on your computer, in your PrepLogic Learning System, glossary terms appear on the video screen to enhance your learning experience.

You can now enjoy your Lecture Series audio training online, or download it for use on your MP3 player, iPhone, iPod or any other device that plays audio. You can study in your car, at the gym or even walking the dog! Audio training helps improve memory retention so learning can occur more quickly and training can be completed faster. With the ability to listen to your certification training program on any portable audio device you will be confident and ready to take that CCNA certification exam or CompTIA Network+ certification exam in no time!

Most Recent Training Sessions

Below the video screen, you will find an index of your most recent training sessions. Re-live recent training sessions with a single click. You can also see what date you engaged in that session, as well as the time and duration. This tool serves as an excellent reminder of what you studied in previous sessions, and is a super-convenient way to recap your prior lessons.

Personal Trainer

PrepLogic developed the Personal Trainer tool to help you not only create a realistic study plan, but more importantly, help keep you on track with that study plan. When you begin your PrepLogic Learning System training, the Personal Trainer prompts you to set an exact date (referred to as the target completion date) of when you want to be finished with the training and fully ready to take the desired certification exam, along with the number of days per week you will be training. The Personal Trainer then calculates how many hours per week you should train in order meet that completion date.

The Personal Trainer keeps track of your progress in the course and lets you know, at the current rate you are training, if you are on pace to finish by your goal date. If you are not, the Personal Trainer tells you the expected date you will be finished if you keep at the current pace and how many hours behind your target pace you actually are. The “Stay on Pace!” reminder tells you which video to begin training with that day and which video to continue training through in order to keep your original pace. The Personal Trainer also keeps a calendar, tracking what days you trained and for how long. The calendar color codes your training into three categories: “On Pace”, “Behind Target Pace” and “Goal at Risk”. This serves as a motivational tool, and makes it clear to you how you are progressing.

The Personal Trainer Preview, conveniently located at the bottom of the screen, keeps a constant tab on your progression through the program, continuously showing you, percentage wise, how much training you have completed, how many days left remaining until your target completion date and how many hours per week you should be training in order to obtain that goal. The Personal Trainer, in combination with the Video Index, provides the much desired structure and direction of a classroom syllabus, but is actually designed by you, which allows for the flexibility you need, at a speed you can handle.

The innovative PrepLogic Learning System was designed with you in mind. The PrepLogic Learning System helps you learn faster and train smarter. The combination of Online LearnSmart Video Training, Audio Training, customizable study guides, flexible training schedules, and many more unique features make IT certification training with PrepLogic simple and enjoyable.

If you would like to inquire further about the PrepLogic Learning System or have any questions, please call 1-800-418-6789. Thank you for your interest and good luck with your IT certification training!

If you’re interested in a career as an IT professional, but don’t want to be stuck in a boring office, then maybe becoming an FBI agent is right for you. According to Yahoo! Education, investigating high-tech crime is becoming a huge priority, and the FBI needs talented people with excellent tech skills to work on those cases. One way to join the ranks of Mulder, Scully and all of those other cool FBI agents is to have your bachelor’s degree and one of Cisco’s advanced certifications like the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE). Read more to find out how you can become a high-tech FBI Agent.

Recently Cisco has streamlined the entire CCNP program, trimming it down from four exams to three. Here’s a quick breakdown of the three new exams:

ROUTE (642-902)
The ROUTE exam went live this March. According to the Cisco, passing the ROUTE (642-902) exam will “certify that the successful candidate has the knowledge and skills necessary to use advanced IP addressing and routing in implementing scalable and secure Cisco ISR routers connected to LANs and WANs.”

SWITCH (642-813)
SWITCH (642-813) became available on March 10, 2010. The Cisco Learning Network site says that passing this exam “will certify that the successful candidate has important knowledge and skills necessary to to plan, configure and verify the implementation of complex enterprise switching solutions using Cisco’s Campus Enterprise Architecture.”

TSHOOT (642-832)
TSHOOT is Cisco’s toubleshooting and problem solving component of the CCNP. It became available on April 30, 2010.  “TSHOOT 642-832 exam will certify that the successful candidate has important knowledge and skills necessary to (1) plan and perform regular maintenance on complex enterprise routed and switched networks and (2) use technology-based practices and a systematic ITIL-compliant approach to perform network troubleshooting.”

Training products for all three of the new CCNP courses are available now from PrepLogic. If you’re a Networking Unlimited Access user, you’ll see these titles automatically be added to your menu of available courses. If you have any questions about a career in technology (including becoming an awesome CCNP FBI Agent!), or you’d like to find out how you can have Unlimited Access to our entire training library, give our guys a call at 1-800-418-6789.

The new criteria have been well-received. According to one source  “this is the best thing Cisco could have done as far as refocusing their networking content. The condensed and restructured courses enable network professionals to study in a better flow. The new path makes more sense and simplifies the learning process by testing the easier, hardware and configuring skills first, via the routing and switching exams, and then moving onto more complex troubleshooting skills in the final exam.”

Just last week, the CCNP Route and CCNP Switch exams became available to the public. So now that they’re out, let’s take a brief refresher on what you’re going to see on these new CCNP certification exams.

The CCNP Route (642-902) exam will test the knowledge and skills necessary to use advanced IP addressing and routing in implementing scalable and secure Cisco ISR routers connected to LANs and WANs. The exam covers configuration of secure routing solutions to support branch offices and mobile workers.  CCNP Route (642-902) exam topics include:

• Implement an EIGRP based solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement a multi-area OSPF Network, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement an eBGP based solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement an IPv6 based solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement an IPv4 or IPv6 based redistribution solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement Layer 3 Path Control Solution

The CCNP Switch (642-813) exam will test the knowledge and skills necessary to to plan, configure and verify the implementation of complex enterprise switching solutions as well as implement secure integration of VLANs, WLANs, voice and voice.  CCNP Switch (642-813) exam topics include:

• Implement VLAN based solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement a Security Extension of a Layer 2 solution, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Implement Switch based Layer 3 services, given a network design and a set of requirements
• Prepare infrastructure to support advanced services
• Implement High Availability, given a network design and a set of requirements

CCNP TSHOOT (642-832) is currently in Beta testing with the real exam expected to be available April 30, 2010. PrepLogic is currently developing a full complement of training for the new 2010 CCNP including Practice Exams, Printables, Quiz Me and Lecture Series audio training, Mega Guides and video training. You can expect to see the first products hit the shelves this spring. If you have questions about the new CCNP, give PrepLogic a call at 1-800-418-6789.