This is indeed an exciting news and the demand for these credentials is huge. There’s little wonder as more and more companies switch to the cloud. And with the long-overdue debate about the public, private and hybrid cloud and all that confusion that surrounds this area of technology, these companies are looking to hire cloud professionals with proven skill set and track record. This is why the new Cisco credentials are a great way to get the validation of your expertise in the cloud, as well as to deepen your skills and understanding of Cisco cloud technology. Now, let’s take a closer look at both credentials to see what we know so far.

CCNA Cloud

CCNA Cloud certification is a job role focused certification that helps Cloud engineers, Cloud Administrators, and Network Engineers to develop, advance, and validate their cloud skill set, and enables them to help their IT organization meet changing business demands from technology transitions. This associate-level certification will help candidates obtain the skills to perform entry-level provisioning and support of Cisco cloud solutions. Learn from the only company that has an end-to-end Cloud and Intercloud story.

To become a CCNA Cloud, candidates need to pass two exams, of which only one is available (as of June 2015):

• 210-451 CLDFND              Understanding Cisco Cloud Fundamentals (CLDFND)
• 210-455 CLDADM            Introducing Cisco Cloud Administration (CLDADM), more info to come in July 2015.

CCNP Cloud

CCNP Cloud certification is expected to be launched this month, and the prerequisite for it is having achieved the CCNA Cloud. This professional level credential is targeted at Cloud engineers, Cloud Administrators, Cloud Designers, and Architects working in Data Centers. This program delivers the knowledge and skills necessary to design, provision, automate and manage Cloud and Infrastructure-as-a-Service deployments. Learn from the only company that has an end-to-end Cloud and Intercloud story.

CCNP Cloud Exams (more information will be released in August)

• 300-504 CLDINF               Implementing and Troubleshooting the Cisco Cloud Infrastructure (CLDINF)
• 300-505 CLDDES               Designing the Cisco Cloud (CLDDES)
• 300-506 CLDAUT              Automating the Cisco Enterprise Cloud (CLDAUT)
• 300-507 CLDDACI            Building the Cisco Cloud with Application Centric Infrastructure (CLDDACI)

ExamCollection will keep updating you as soon as new information starts coming in. We are excited about these certifications (both of which are set to become Cisco’s next best-sellers), and we’re looking forward to your success stories once the certifications become widely available.

Network Programmability certifications are a great way to enhance your network skills and your value as an employee. There are total of 4 certifications for Network Programmability Specialists:

• Business Application Engineer Specialist
• Network Application Developer Specialist
• Network Programmability Designer Specialist
• Network Programmability Engineer Specialist

Each certification requires candidates to pass 2 exams (see details below). While only one of them (Business Application Engineer Specialist) does not have any formal prerequisites, the Network Application Developer Specialist credential requires candidates to have any valid CCNA, and the remaining certifications ( the Network Programmability Designer Specialist and Network Programmability Engineer Specialist) are only open to CCNP holders.

In this video from Cisco, the project manager of Cisco Network Programmability Specialist Certifications gives an overview of these credentials:

Cisco Business Application Engineer Specialist

The Cisco Business Application Engineer Specialist certification targets application engineers involved in designing, developing and building business applications and are willing to leverage the programmability capability of the new open network environment as well as the API in order to collect information from the network. This credential helps application engineers enhance their networking skills through foundational networking knowledge and foundational knowledge of the Programmability features.

To become Cisco Certified Business Application Engineer Specialist, candidates need to pass 2 exams: 600-501 NPIBA and 600-509 NPIBAACI (coming soon later this year).

Cisco Network Application Developer Specialist

The Cisco Network Programmability Developer Specialist certification has been developed for software programmers who focus on the development of the network applications layer, which can live in any of the Cisco provided programmable components, and will enable service provider, campus, and data center use cases. This credential equips candidates with the indispensable foundation skills required to develop network applications in popular programmable environments. Candidates who would like to pursue this certification should be able to program in Python, C, or other languages in an open networking environment, as well as hold any valid CCNA certification.

Those willing to become Cisco Network Programmability Developer Specialists need to pass the following exams: 600-502 NPDEV and 600-510 NPDEVACI (600-510 exam will be available later this year).

Cisco Network Programmability Designer Specialist

Cisco Network Programmability Design Specialist credential is suitable for engineers who possess both architectural and application development expertise. Within this certification, candidates learn to better collect customer requirements and use this information combined with knowledgeable about the applications to leverage the infrastructure and translate requirements into a recommended open infrastructure. The holders of this certification are able to have architecture-level conversations with senior-level application developers and network programmability developers. Cisco Network Programmability Design Specialist certification is only open to CCNP holders. Required exams: 600-503 NPDES and 600-511 NPDESACI (coming soon).

Cisco Network Programmability Engineer Specialist

The Cisco Network Programmability Engineer Specialist is for engineers who deploy network applications into a programmable environment and make them operational. Key skills covered with this certification include implementing and troubleshooting an open network infrastructure designed by the network designers and architects. This certification is only open to CCNP holders. Candidates must pass the 600-504 NPENG and 600-512 NPENGACI exams to become Cisco Network Programmability Engineer Specialists.

Which Cisco Network Programmability certification draws your attention? Any plans to boost your career with one of them?