SINGAPORE -- 5 April 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, has opened an advanced internetworking certification lab in Singapore to help its channel partners achieve Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) status, a credential widely recognised as the premier certification of the networking industry.
Located in the US$6 million Executive Briefing Center, the Singapore CCIE Routing and Switching Laboratory joins other similar facilities in the Asia Pacific, including Australia, China, Hong Kong and India; which together are raising the levels of internetworking expertise in the region.
"The availability of advanced skills will become even more crucial as customers in the region demand New World Internet solutions such as integrated data, voice and video and wireless networking technologies," said Bill Chang, Managing Director of Singapore, Cisco Systems. "The onus is on Cisco and our channel partners to have the capability to deliver these solutions. This new CCIE laboratory is an indication of the level of commitment that Cisco has to engaging our partners in developing the necessary technical skill-sets."
Said Dr Kaizad Heerjee, Assistant Chief Executive, Online Development, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore: "Cisco's investments in training are fully in line with the Singapore government's efforts in developing a pool of highly-skilled manpower to spearhead the infocommunications and technology sector in the country. For Singapore to become a knowledge-based economy and a global hub for technology, we would need this type of private sector initiative to supplement the government's own efforts in upgrading the skills of our workers."
The Singapore lab will be a permanent training and testing facility designed to help candidates practise for and take the demanding CCIE examination. The CCIE program sets the professional benchmark for internetworking expertise. CCIE professionals are recognized throughout the internetworking industry as highly qualified individuals whose expertise has been tested and validated both by passing a written examination and a rigorous, two-day hands-on lab examination.
A candidate for the CCIE certification must have a solid background in internetworking. The candidate must first pass a two-hour, written qualification exam administered by Sylvan Prometric. Then the candidate must pass a two-day, hands-on lab exam that pits the candidate against difficult build, break, and restore scenarios. Finally, to maintain an active CCIE status and to ensure that they are always equipped with the latest technical expertise, CCIE professionals must complete a re-certification requirement every two years. There are currently over 4,500 CCIE professionals worldwide with about 15 per cent in Asia Pacific.
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Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.
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