do i need valid ccna ??

hey peoples

ive started learning for ccsp. I should hopefully be doing the SND exam first in the next couple of weeks. Just wondering though do i need a valid ccna?? I was looking on the cisco site but im abit confused still ??

thanks heaps

justin

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sprkymrk

If you want to become CCNP certified you need a valid CCNA as a prerequisite, but to just go and take an exam you don't.

Ahriakin

Yup as Sprky mentioned afaik you can do the exams you just won't be recognized as a CCSP until you nail the CCNA. The CCSP will be much harder for you though if you don't at least have CCNA level networking knowledge.

justinm001

cool thanks for the info

i had a ccna (and np) but they have since expired

justinm001

oh yeah.. what order do you guys recommend taking the exams ?
I think i read somewhere the pix one is the hardest or something ?
is starting with the SND the right step ??

thanks ppls

Ahriakin

Cisco recommend the SND first but most folks prefer to do it last, it's the least specific exam and has no official study guide so it can be hard to gauge when you are ready. But it's extremely easy if taken last. If you haven't studied any other security courses I do recommend reading through some of the recommended material for the SND before attempting the other exams, they'll give you a grounding in security theory that will help with the device specifics, it isn't essential though.
As for which one is hardest that depends on experience. Since you had a CCNP the SNRS would be a good start since it's Switches/Routers, I found a lot of overlap between the PIX and VPN exams as both deal heavily with IPSec theory, the IPS pretty much stands on it's own.