Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco is a networking solutions company that comprises over 80% of the Internet backbone. Cisco technology includes the designing and building of networks used in today’s business world. Drake State is currently the only authorized regional training academy in North Alabama, offering four semesters of comprehensive training that will enable you to take the CCNA exam.

CCNA Certification

The Cisco certified Network Associate (CCNA) credential is the premium certification for professionals who design and develop custom business solutions with Cisco routers and switches. Cisco Certifications focus on both routing and switching, as well as WAN switching solutions in network design and network support, providing you with flexible options for career development. One may advance to CCIE status by first achieving Associate certification in these tracks.

To demonstrate to your customers and colleagues that you have attained an unparalleled level of expertise in the network design and support arenas in today’s technology industry, CCNAs receive the following benefits:

Industry recognition of your knowledge and proficiency with Cisco products and technologies
CCNA logo to enable you to identify your status to colleagues or clients
Affiliation with more than 10,000 CCNAs worldwide

Network administrators, technicians, and anyone who needs to configure and support multiprotocol networks and get started with basic Cisco IOS software. To attend this course you must have a basic knowledge of computer hardware and windows.

Drake State Cisco CCNA Training program

This course consists of four modules. It starts with an introduction to Internetworking Technology followed by presenting you with the concepts and commands required to configure Cisco routers and switches in small to medium multiprotocol networks.

Through content, exercises, and virtual laboratory projects, you gain experience configuring fully operational Cisco routers and switches. You will learn to apply Cisco IOS software commands to start up and configure a newly installed router and switch. This class will also enable you to perform all basic configuration procedures to build a multi-router, multigroup network that uses LAN and WAN interfaces for the most commonly used routing and routed protocols.

Course Outline

Semester One

OSI model and industry standards, Network topologies, IP addressing, including subnet masks, Networking component, and Basic network design.

Semester Two

Introduction to router configuration and routers and routing protocols.

Semester Three

Advanced router configurations, LAN switching theory and VLANs, advanced LAN and LAN switched design, Novell IPX, and Threaded case study.

Semester Four

WAN theory and design, WAN technology, PPP, Frame Relay, and ISDN, Network troubleshooting, National SCANS skills, and Threaded case study.

FAQs

Are there controls on the course materials?

The curriculum is copyrighted. Access to materials is provided only to enrolled students and instructors.

May I see a sample of the curriculum?

Samples from Semester One as well as an outline of the four Semesters of curriculum are available on the Cisco website.

Can students test out of a semester?

Yes. Students can test out of each semester by taking the exam for that semester and achieving 80% or higher. Students must also pass the skills-based test associated with each semester in order to complete a successful course.

How many hours of instruction does the online curriculum include?

The online portion of the curriculum contains four 70-hour blocks of study, called semesters, for a total of 280 hours.

Is there a minimum length of time to deliver the curriculum?

Yes. The curriculum cannot be delivered in less than six months. Generally, courses are eight weeks in length. It takes approximately nine to 12 months to complete all four semesters.

Can a student use Cisco semester credits in a degree or certificate program?