HONOLULU, CISCO PARTNER SUMMIT 2008, April 9, 2008 - Cisco® today announced a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to equip more people for successful careers in networking. To date, Cisco has issued more than 1 million certifications to networking professionals, including nearly 20,000 Cisco® CCIE® expert-level credentials.
Network-enabled business processes, collaboration tools and communications technologies are becoming increasingly central to any business's competitive advantage in the market. Cisco certifications enable employers to validate the quality of their organization's employees while providing individuals with the opportunity to differentiate their skills and advance their careers.
"The continued growth of our training and certification program is indicative of the value that Cisco certifications hold in the marketplace," said Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, general manager, Learning@Cisco. "By continually refreshing our certification training materials and exams as well as taking aggressive steps to safeguard exam integrity through our test-delivery partner Pearson VUE, employers are able to count on the fact that Cisco certified individuals are equipped with the most up-to-date understanding of networking technology while being able to demonstrate a valid measure of knowledge and competency to sustain their companies' competitive advantage."
Cisco has undertaken a number of security enhancements to protect the integrity of its certifications. Individuals attaining Cisco credentials through testing partner Pearson VUE face unique examination experiences that require candidates to respond to dynamically generated questions, simulations and emulations that test the actual skills and competencies they will need in pursuing a networking career.
"Well known for their quality and adherence to strict measurement standards, Cisco Career certifications have led the way in assessing technical skills and knowledge," said David Foster, chairman and CEO of Caveon, the worldwide leader in exam security services. "Making the most of the latest advances in performance-based and computerized adaptive testing, and by following strong security procedures, Cisco makes sure that its certification holders have mastered the skills needed in today's workplace."
"Cisco certifications bring valuable, measurable rewards to network professionals," said Dominic M. DelBalso, CCIE #7311. "Holding a Cisco certification, particularly obtaining a CCIE, gives you an elite status within the industry. Because of its stature in the networking profession, I value my CCIE more than I do my college degree."
To learn more about the Cisco certification programs, please visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/getcertified.
In a related announcement, Cisco today launched several new talent innovations, including the unveiling of its next generation partner talent platform, the Partner Talent Network. Additional information is available at: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_040908c.html
