CCENT/CCNA ICND1 640-822 Official Cert Guide

Introduction

Congratulations! If you’re reading far enough to look at this book’s Introduction, then you’ve probably already decided to go for your Cisco certification. If you want to succeed as a technical person in the networking industry at all, you need to know Cisco. Cisco has a ridiculously high market share in the router and switch marketplace, with more than 80 percent market share in some markets. In many geographies and markets around the world, networking equals Cisco. If you want to be taken seriously as a network engineer, Cisco certification makes perfect sense.

Historically speaking, the first entry-level Cisco certification has been the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, first offered in 1998. The first three ...