CCNA Security or CCNA RS

vip1982

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate your help in assisting me to decide my next step, i have master degree in information system management, and i have been working as System administrator and IT Infrastructure manager for almost 10 years, now i would like to focus on the security side, my goal is to achieve CISSP, bu as i don't have much experience in networking and security i'm thinking of start taking either CCNA security or CCNA routing and switching, what do you think which one is better to start with in order to get the CISSP on later stage?

Moreover, do you think i'm taking the right decision with the security field?

Thank You,

PCTechLinc

Keep in mind that to attempt the CCNA Security, you have to at least have passed ICND1 for CCENT. That being said, IMO I think having CCNA R&S provides a really good foundation leading up to CCNA Security. Drawback is more tests to pass, which means more money (depending on who is paying). If I were in your position, I would go for CCNA R&S first, then take some time to get CCNA Security. Both those exams have gone through changes, and I've heard they are much more difficult than they were in previous versions.

The security field is constantly changing, and very competitive, but I think you've made a wise decision. Try to be well-rounded. It is great to be an expert in one skill, but be proficient in multiple areas. That will make you much more valuable. Just my two cents. Hope it helps.

vip1982

Thank you for your reply, since yesterday i'm looking for answers, actually i have found many people recommending at the first step to go with Security+ for the security career as it is providing good knowledge in overall security and not specific brand, what do you think?

OctalDump

If you've been sys admin, IT infrastructure manager and have 10 years experience, then the Sec+ will be straight forward. I think where most people find it hard is that they don't have the work experience context to understand a lot of the things covered (risk, policies, back up, redundancy etc), since a good chunk isn't 'technical'. You might think that you don't have much Info Sec experience, but chances are you have a lot more than you think. Things like firewalls, ACLs, back up policy, password policy, VPNs, certificates and other day to day work in System Administration is part and parcel of Info Sec.

There also the new CyberSecurity Analyst+, which does have a big chunk more technical component and is based around open source tools. I think in terms of practical skills, this is probably going to be a good certification.

CCENT is definitely useful in IT and Info Sec. The CCNA Security path is very much about Cisco's world, though. It has a bit of similar 'general' sec stuff in it like the Security+, but mostly it is about securing Cisco devices (hardening), using secure and security features (eg VPN, firewall) of their products, and their ASA firewall product. It's a good choice if you are going down the network security path, but won't do much by itself to make you an Info Sec person.

If you do decide on going down the Cisco Security path, then CCNA R+S is still a good thing to do, since you will get deeper insight into how networking (and Cisco) works. There is some overlap between CCNA R+S and CCNA Sec. Another option to look at is Cisco's new Cyber Ops track.

Info Sec is quite a diverse area, and there is increasingly clear differentiation between subfields: forensics, management, incident response/handling, network defence, penetration testing, audit, secure coding...

I think Sec+ as a starting point, then moving onto CCENT, and then re-evaluating what path you might want to take.

vip1982

Thank You OctalDump,

Your post was great help for me, i will go with Sec+ for now, then i will evaluate my potentials to go either to CCNA+ or directly to CISSP.

I believe once i study Sec+ things will be more clear for me to decide which security path i have to go with.