WHy Cisco?

MachX85

Why should i get cisco certifications over hp or juniper or 3com etc. etc.?

I personaly dont have a problem with cisco, but i have heard peaple saying that hp is cheaper and way easier to configure ( because of the emphasis on a gui i guess) than cisco.

even the network guys working on our voip network say they are going to take out our cisco ASA's and buy some new hp routers. Why? They say they hate the ASA's, they are too hard to configure and the hps work much better with our Mitel phone and viop equipment. I am interested in other peoples thoughts on having an easy to config cheap router (hp) vs a more complicated, yet supposedly more robust or feature rich router.

or otherwise, any hp vs cisco thoughts would be welcome.

miller811

MachX85 wrote: »

Why should i get cisco certifications over hp or juniper or 3com etc. etc.?

I personaly dont have a problem with cisco, but i have heard peaple saying that hp is cheaper and way easier to configure ( because of the emphasis on a gui i guess) than cisco.

even the network guys working on our voip network say they are going to take out our cisco ASA's and buy some new hp routers. Why? They say they hate the ASA's, they are too hard to configure and the hps work much better with our Mitel phone and viop equipment. I am interested in other peoples thoughts on having an easy to config cheap router (hp) vs a more complicated, yet supposedly more robust or feature rich router.

or otherwise, any hp vs cisco thoughts would be welcome.

How many jobs do you see advertising for a an HP route/switch/security engineer?

MachX85

uuuuh, i havent seen any. Good point

jovan88

There's nothing wrong with getting certs from multiple vendors. If you know 'networking' then getting a juniper or hp cert shouldn't be too much work, just different commands and proprietary features.

That being said, most employers would probably expect a Cisco certified IT guy to know how to look up commands on different vendor equipment.

mikej412

MachX85 wrote: »

Why should i get cisco certifications over hp or juniper or 3com etc. etc.?

You should get certifications in things that interest you, you're good at, and will further your career.

MachX85 wrote: »

i have heard peaple saying that hp is cheaper and way easier to configure ( because of the emphasis on a gui i guess) than cisco.

And a pallet of cheap unmanaged switches is even cheaper -- and the salaries of the people who can install them is lower than both HP or Cisco professionals. But someone seems to have convinced most medium to large companies that there is some sort of return on investment to run quality equipment and use qualified people to install, configure, run, and maintain it.

MachX85 wrote: »

even the network guys working on our voip network say they are going to take out our cisco ASA's and buy some new hp routers. Why? They say they hate the ASA's, they are too hard to configure and the hps work much better with our Mitel phone and viop equipment.

I think they should configure what they know or are willing to learn.

If they are in a position to recommend and convince management to remove the ASAs, then they should do it. If they think management may decide to keep the ASAs over them, then they might want to keep quiet and maybe read one of the ASA quick configuration guides.

Anyway -- the larger the vendor marketshare, the larger the job market for the people who can support the equipment.

KPWright

MachX85 wrote: »

Why should i get cisco certifications over hp or juniper or 3com etc. etc.?

I'm actually a process control engineer, not an "IT" professional. I'm moving strictly to a systems integration position and while it deals with networks and some limited spanning tree / static routing, really doesn't even involve (deliberately) most of the content of the CCNA material. Normally, the process networks will connect at some point to an enterprise network router / firewall, but rarely is configuration of that device a process control network function.

My point is that even in that line of business, the qualification which comes up over and over as a customer requirement for networking credentials is CCNA / CCNP. It's just one of those highly recognizable certifications that makes customers feel comfortable whether they actually need it or not.

Since I've been pursuing this, I've noticed there are a lot of people also pursuing the CompTIA Network+ certificate. I understand it may also be easier to achieve, but as already stated in the thread, I still haven't seen anybody list that as their required or desirable qualification.

MachX85

good points from all, thank you.

shednik

We have one HP Procurve here for testing, I despise the way they do their CLI.

Forsaken_GA

Yup. I cannot stand HP gear. When I see hp gear show up, it tells me 'oh, someone's trying to do their network on the cheap. Well, they get what they pay for'

Juniper, otoh, makes very good gear, and their certifications are worth pursuing as well.

Mark Knutson

Competitive forces and technological advances are always changing the market leaders. When I started programming, IBM was dominant, at at the time very few expected that to change for decades.

We all watch cheaper hardware commoditize things that were once expensive and complex, and cisco's continued leadership may or may not continue decades from now.

Its prudent to continually evaluate vendor direction and market share. Today, cisco offers a respected, rigorous, and well-documented education/certification program. We have access to sophisticated used gear at dirt cheap prices.

Also, I understand that cisco provides discounts to customers who have certified employees on staff, so that helps one get a job.

So, I think cisco certification is a pretty good way to go if that is the direction you want your career to go. While the certs are IOS specific, most of the knowledge is easily transferrable. You have the basic concepts and the protocols which are general.

Turgon

Cisco offers scale, however a savvy contractor or permanent employee should also look at other offerings..Juniper, Alcatel, Ericcson, Nortel, HP to name but a few. Also with convergence and the growth of broadband and mobile networks look out for carrier class kit, 3G exposure, DSLAM kit etc and some of these areas are away from the CCIE space. Remember many sites are diverse and requirements include either making different things work together or moving from one thing to the other. If you only know one Vendor you will struggle there.