What do you guys think of CCNA Service Provider Operations?

CCNA Service Provider Operations Certification

Cisco Certified Network Associate in Service Provider Operations (CCNA SP Operations) validates basic knowledge and skills (of a Tier I support engineer) in a prescriptive troubleshooting environment within carrier class IP NGN core network infrastructure. CCNA SP Operations curriculum includes incident (event), fault, configuration, change, and performance management procedures, along with NMS tools and protocols.

CCNA Service Provider Operations Exams & Recommended Training
Required Exam(s)
Recommended Training
640-822 ICND1 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) v1.0
640-760 SSPO Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations (SSPO)
OR
640-760 SSPO Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations (SSPO) and currently possess any valid CCNA certification

CCNA Service Provider Operations Recertification
CCNA SP Operations certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, pass the SSPO exam, or pass a CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, security, voice), or pass the current CCDA exam, or pass any 642 - XXX professional level or Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams), or pass a current CCIE or CCDE written exam.

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filkenjitsu

SSPO Exam
Overview
Study/LearnPracticeTake Your Exam
640-760 SSPO
Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations

Exam Number: 640-760 SSPO
Associated Certifications: CCNA SP Operations
Duration: 75 minutes (55-65 questions)
Available Languages: English
Click Here to Register: Pearson VUE
Exam Policies: Read current policies and requirements
Exam Tutorial:
Review type of exam questions
Register for Course:
SSPO course and other offerings

Exam Description
The 640-760 Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations exam is designed to introduce entry level personnel to the SP network operations environment, processes-orientation, management tools and methods, and enables students to practice their primary job responsibilities and tasks. The exam is also intended to help prepare students for the Cisco Certified Network Associate SP Operations (CCNA SP Operations) certification exam.

Exam Topics
The following information provides general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam.

640-760 SSPO Exam Topics

Recommended Training
The following course is the recommended training for this exam:

Supporting Cisco Services Provider IP NGN Operations (SSPO)

The course listed is offered by Cisco Learning Partners the authorized source for Cisco IT training delivered exclusively by Certified Cisco Instructors. For a list of Cisco Learning Partners, use the Learning Partner Locator.

Additional Resources
A variety of Cisco Press titles may be available for this exam. These titles can be purchased through the Cisco Marketplace Bookstore, or directly from Cisco Press.

filkenjitsu

SSPO Exam
Overview
Study/Learn
PracticeTake Your Exam
About Study/Learn
Use the following resources to help you prepare for your exam. These tools are meant to supplement your learning experience and exam preparation. Login to access these items.

Recommended Classroom Training*
The following course is the recommended training for this exam:

Supporting Cisco Service Provider IP NGN Operations (SSPO)

The course listed is offered by Cisco Learning Partners the authorized source for Cisco IT training delivered exclusively by Certified Cisco Instructors. For a list of Cisco Learning Partners, use the Learning Partner Locator.

IPTV Videos
The following 1 hour videos are designed to help you learn a specific topic from the current SSPO curriculum.

Introducing Access Control List Operation
IP Addressing, Subnetting & Variable-Length Subnet Masks (VLSM)
Routing – Understanding IP Packet Delivery
Introducing IPv6

To see a complete list of available IPTV videos, please visit the IPTV Video Archive.

Study Documents
Cisco IOS IP Service Level Agreements
Cisco IOS MPLS Quality of Service
Positioning MPLS
Building the Carrier-Class IP Next-Generation Network
IPv6 At- A-Glance
Transitioning to IPv6 (companion document)

Learning Partner Content
The following are learning materials provided by our Cisco Authorized Learning Partners:

Fast Lane
- Creating Your Own Mental Subnet Calculator

Global Knowledge
- Routing 101: Essentials of Routing

Related Content
For additional material, check the Learning Center.

chrisone

It should be a very good exam for an introductory level position into the ISP NOC field. However you will need to study much more BGP/MPLS to grow in that field. So if your going to take the CCNA SP exam you are pretty much forced into the CCNP SP Professional level certs, unless you dont mind working the entry level positions. However most all companies expect you to improve your work and education.

I find it strange a CCNA is not required before taking the CCNA SP. Why would you need it in a CCNA Voice or Wireless enviornment and not in an ISP enviornment? i would think the ISP is more heavy on routing than a Voice or Wireless position, which would definitely need the foundation one learns in the CCNA.

Project2501

I had a look at this and it's all ticketing and process. That would explain why the CCNA isn't required.

chX

It looks interesting, but since I already work for an ISP, I've acquired the ticketing and troubleshooting skills.

I guess it depends on your position though. Personally, I'd rather continue on with CCNA Security, CCNP, etc.

Kaminsky

Project2501 wrote: »

I had a look at this and it's all ticketing and process. That would explain why the CCNA isn't required.

It's a cert primarily aimed at NOC. Dealing with monitoring and raising fault calls/tickets is their bread and butter. Trouble is, do NOC managers know of it enough to give you a job or would they still be wanting the CCNA ? ITIL would go very nicely with this for those wanting to get into big company ground floor network OPs. Managers lurve ITIL... /sigh

filkenjitsu

Kaminsky wrote: »

It's a cert primarily aimed at NOC. Dealing with monitoring and raising fault calls/tickets is their bread and butter. Trouble is, do NOC managers know of it enough to give you a job or would they still be wanting the CCNA ? ITIL would go very nicely with this for those wanting to get into big company ground floor network OPs. Managers lurve ITIL... /sigh

I work in a Telecommunications NOC where we monitor Cellular sites, trunks, circuits, Telecom switches, a Cisco MPLS network, and the various elements you would expect such as switches, routers, protocol errors, EVDO, MMS, SMS, etc.

I was wondering if this would be a good fit in the future, in fact, I would love if my employer would put all of us through a course for this test and the CCENT.

I do not see any official study guides out yet, so I do not have an easily presentable source of what the test covers.

shecool

I'm in the same boat as you filkenjitsu. I work in a NOC as well, and I thought this would really compliment my current job. I am also waiting for the study guide before I move forward.

GoYankees1981

Filkenjitsu,

I was curious where I can find the IPTV Videos you mentioned? I went to the cisco website and looked under learning partners and it does list anything for the CCNA SP Operations or 640-760... I assume because it's so new. I'm finishing up my studies for the CCNA Wireless cert 640-721 now and would like to start on the CCNA SPO cert next month. In the past I have used a combination of CBT Nuggets and doing stuff in my home cisco lab but I can't find any vids for the CCNA SPO...Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Darthn3ss

I'm planning on taking this once i get around to getting my CCNA.. lol. I'm very interested in working in a NOC environment so i want to learn whatever i can..

jamesleecoleman

I'm also interested in this certification. I just don't know why cisco puts out a certification without study materials. I thought they would have had a company create the study materials in a book and then release the new certification track.

Forsaken_GA

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

I'm also interested in this certification. I just don't know why cisco puts out a certification without study materials. I thought they would have had a company create the study materials in a book and then release the new certification track.

This just goes to show spoiled we've gotten as a society hehe

Go talk to some of the CCIE's who had to take the lab back when it was a 2 day event and ask them what they had available for study material.

The exam coming out before the study material is actually par for the course with Cisco

networker050184

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

This just goes to show spoiled we've gotten as a society hehe

Go talk to some of the CCIE's who had to take the lab back when it was a 2 day event and ask them what they had available for study material.

The exam coming out before the study material is actually par for the course with Cisco

I think the way certifications are viewed is why people are spoiled. A lot of people learn the stuff to get certified, not get certified on things they know, if that makes sense. The CCIE was meant for real networking experts, not people who were force fed practice labs in some boot camp. Oh well, things change.

shodown

networker050184 wrote: »

I think the way certifications are viewed is why people are spoiled. A lot of people learn the stuff to get certified, not get certified on things they know, if that makes sense. The CCIE was meant for real networking experts, not people who were force fed practice labs in some boot camp. Oh well, things change.

I agree with you on that note, but a lot of times we have to do what we have to do to move up. Once I passed my CCNP I was offered a senior engineer position at my current employer even though i wasn't qualified for it. It was just that I had a CCNP, so people will often see this as a way to move up without putting in the work.

jamesleecoleman

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

This just goes to show spoiled we've gotten as a society hehe

Go talk to some of the CCIE's who had to take the lab back when it was a 2 day event and ask them what they had available for study material.

The exam coming out before the study material is actually par for the course with Cisco

I was just curious to why they did certifications that way. I thought they would get more money and people certified by putting out material then the certifications.

Forsaken_GA

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

I was just curious to why they did certifications that way. I thought they would get more money and people certified by putting out material then the certifications.

Well, certification wasn't meant to be an industry. More than anything, it was sort of an advertising campaign. 'We have this incredibly difficult exam, and if you hire someone who's passed it, you can be sure your network is in good hands'.

Problem is that, over time, Cisco became the de facto way to learn networking, since their market share was so big, to the point where it gained general acceptance and folks don't always remember that Cisco certs are not vendor neutral.

The CCIE was so difficult, and the documentation was spread over so many sources, that eventually people figured out that if they collected that data and presented it in a way that folks could better understand, you could make some serious money. So what ultimately began as a marketing ploy developed into an industry all by itself.

The guys who make the Cisco exams don't write the study material. The authors don't have access to the exam, so they don't know what's going to be on it. The only thing they have access to is what we all have access to, the exam blueprint.

Now, for the latest CCNP updates, from what I understand, the authors had the ear of the some of the test deisgners, who basically gave them hints on whether they were focused too heavily in an area, or not enough in others. And the study material came out around the same time as the exams, which is pretty rare.

But the bottom line is that it takes time to develop a good text from the blueprint alone, then it has to go through technical review, editing, and then finally distribution. It may even take awhile just to get the greenlight for the book, or a new edition of it.

So since the study material is developed independently of the actual exam, it's not unrealistic to expect there to be some lag time.

filkenjitsu

Anyone take this yet?

gyrfalcon16

filkenjitsu wrote: »

Anyone take this yet?

Apparently you have.

Care to share any info?

pamccabe

This thread started over 3 years ago.