CCIE’s ARE IN DEMAND – NOW!!!

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I just got this from Eman concerning the current  demand for CCIE’s everywhere.

The current surge in hiring is continuing and as we all have heard, there are not enough CCIEs to go around, so the demand remains high as ever.  Among the hottest selling CCIEs are UC skilled ones.  There are not enough Voice CCIEs so, of course that is what I get asked for most, but there are plenty of CCIEs that are skilled in the voice technologies required by hiring managers.  Now if there were more CCIEs in general life might be simpler, then all those recruiters that keep contacting me about needing them would be able to find them like I do.

So what do they need?

Data Center network engineers are in big demand

Unified Communications engineers are also in high demand

R&S CCIEs the plumbers of the internet are still in big demand

Security CCIEs round off the highest demand talents we are being asked for here at CCIE Agent, Limited. 

The interesting work is great that these Cisco Channel Partners are sending our way.  Some examples: A major TV station in the USA is in need of VoIP experts in the heart of NYC, a Theme park where the demands of VoIP, Linux and Apple device support is critical, a major telecom in New Jersey needs R&S CCIEs and Java developers, several Wall Street Projects that would highlight any CCIEs resume are pushing a couple of channels to seek our support, Casinos are rolling out and need support of their UC implementations, Hospital systems throughout the USA are short on Security and VoIP talent, A telecom in Kenya and most of Africa is looking for Wireless and VoIP experts from our network, Riyadh based channels are asking for help with UC skilled presales engineers, Oman and Qatar this week have opened up new roles requiring UC skilled and R&S CCIEs, Spain channels are asking for Spanish speaking UC skilled and R&S CCIEs along with Germany asking for the same skills.

So if you are interested in working in Zurich, Barcelona, Orlando, Toronto, San Diego, NYC, Qatar, Richmond, Munich, Atlanta, Boston, Kenya, Riyadh, Oman, Chicago, Montreal, Poland, LA, Berlin, Tampa, Jordan, New Jersey or any of the other cities we are covering for the Cisco Channel Partners we need to talk.  Send your resume to eman@ccieflyer.com or call +1-302-438-1681 Skype id ccieagent LinkedIn join group CCIE Jobs or CCIE Network or connect directly with me there or on FaceBook CCIE Network or on Twitter, but whatever you do reach out to me because the world is waiting for us to send them your resume!

IPv6 For Enterprise Networks – Book Review

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IPv6 for Enterprise Networks



Authors:
Shannon McFarland, CCIE® No. 5245
Muninder Sambi, CCIE No. 13915
Nikhil Sharma, CCIE No. 21273
Sanjay Hooda, CCIE No. 11737

This book is a breath of fresh air for those of us that need to take IPv6 from the text book and implement it into the network. The title lays it out well:

“The practical guide to deploying IPv6 in campus, 
WAN/branch, data center, and virtualized environments”

I can recommend this book for a wide audience including:

–      *Network Administrators looking for practical information about IPv6

–      *Network Engineers tasked with developing an IPv6 deployment plan

–      *Managers looking to evaluate IPv6 and the pro’s / con’s that go along with it

–      *Anyone that is interested in IPv6

The book starts out addressing the WHY IPv6 question. This section lays out the drivers for IPv6 with the benefits of IPv6 adoption. At the end of the chapter is an IPv6 Q&A section followed up with a list of vertical markets that are making the move to IPv6.

Next the book dives into hierarchical network design. This chapter is a great review of network design that covers all of the bases from access to core and from the Data center to the branch. It includes new technologies such as VSS as well. I noted that this chapter would be a great primer for someone considering tackling the CCDE written.

The next sections take a look at common terminology along with how IPv6 works with IPv4 and how IPv6 is implemented with common network services such as Multicast, QoS and routing protocol support.

Now that the foundation is laid, it is time to move on the planning an IPv6 deployment. This could be a daunting task, but the book gives a great starting point with a section duly called “Determining Where To Begin”. Also, ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) is a big factor these days and yes this book leads one to get the creative juices flowing to identify common risks with an IPv6 deployment.

The book follows with several chapters dedicated to the specifics of IPv6 deployment across several networks types including Campus, Virtualized, WAN/Branch and Data Center. So what about extended network access? Don’t worry, you are covered!! A chapter dedicated to Remote Access VPN is there for you.

So, now you have deployed Ipv6 – now what? Chapter 11 covers the care and feeding of an IPv6 network.

The book ends with a fantastic section covering setting up a test environment to setup an IPv6 lab and starting a pilot deployment. The step by step directions and screenshots are done very well – yes you can actually make out what is in the screenshots!!!

At a slim 372 pages, this book should be on every network engineers  required reading list.

Larry Hadrava
CCIE #12203

 

 

 

Interview With Anthony Sequeira

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I get emails quite often asking me “What is Anthony up to these days?”. With so much interest  in this, I decided to get the answers straight from the man himself.

Anthony, thanks for taking the time to do this interview!!!
The pleasure is all mine Larry. So sorry it has taken me so long. I have never been busier in my life thus far.

Good things are worth waiting for:-)

Pretty much everyone that has been studying for the CCIE lab the last couple of years knows you and your voice. How does it feel to be a “household name” in the CCIE world?
It feels truly amazing. It really does. To see my name mentioned with Scott Morris and Narbik all the time is just thrilling. I have also been able to become good friends with those guys and it is wonderful and inspiring. Both of those greats are going to be Guest Experts in our Cisco training at StormWind Live and it will be such an honor for us. While I struggle to keep up with them technically, we share something very special. We really do deeply care about the success of our students, and even those we will never see or collect a dime from in tuition. I cannot say this for many others in the Cisco training space.

So, tell us something about Anthony that we probably do not know.
I just played my guitar and sang for an audience for the first time and it went great. I am forming an acoustic act with a good friend in Florida. I will be singing a lot in my new Cisco classes. That will be much to the dismay of my audiences there!

That is amazing!! I will have to come down and hear you and the group sometime. I find it interesting that even in your other parts of life you still relate it to training. You seem to love doing training. What is it that makes you like it so much?
 I am so passionate about learning Cisco technologies, so it is an INCREDIBLE blessing to get paid to help people from all around the world learn Cisco. I am at nearly 1,000 Facebook friends and most of these are students. We chat all the time and it is just amazing.

Does it ever get old when someone emails you and tells you that they could not have passed their lab without your help?A
LOL – no way. I become very close friends with my students so it always feels amazing. I get to celebrate all the time. Last week, my friend from a bootcamp, Matthias Buchholz emailed me his number and it was just so thrilling. It makes all the time spent away from my beautiful family worth it.

Are you going to go for another IE anytime soon?
Yes indeed! I have finally committed to that and it is all thanks to Wayne Lawson at IPexpert. I am doing their Blended Learning Solution for Security. It is just awesome so far. Their success rate with students speaks volumes on its own, but now I really do see why they are so successful. StormWind Live will have lots of exciting partnerships with IPexpert I am sure. The no brainer one we are looking at is partnering with Proctor Labs for students to get access to awesome Cisco equipment. I think Wayne and IPexpert are completely poised and ready to completely dominate the CCIE space, and they deserve to.

I have to agree that Wayne and the gang at IPexpert do a great job with the products and provide some great tools to the CCIE training community. I used their products to pass the R&S lab and was honored to work with Scott Morris in writing parts of the very first Detailed Solutions Guides IPexpert published back in the 2003 timeframe. IPexpert has a solid product line with the Blended Learning Solution which I would recommend to anyone that is serious about passing the lab.

Do you have any new and exciting Cisco Press projects in the working? I am doing three chapters on the new FIREWALL cert guide for CCNP Security. Great timing on that project since I am now dreaming about Cisco SEC.

I see that you have left INE and started a new venture – tell us about it.
Resigning from INE was pretty tough for me because of how much I poured my soul into that company for 2.5 years. In the end though, the opportunity to work for Tom Graunke, co-founder of KnowledgeNet, was just too compelling. His vision and leadership eclipses anything I have ever experienced in a company. He has surrounded himself with incredible talent at StormWind Live. Corey Frank leads Sales and he is truly a remarkable person. I report directly to Tom Warrick. He will ensure these classes look and sound mesmerizing. In fact, mesmerizing was the word I just used in review of our first class. We ran Implementing Active Directory last week and I was hanging on the lead instructor’s (Doug Bassett) every word. Myself, Chris Ward, and Mike Vazquez appeared as Guest Experts in the event. It was really, really compelling. The students have been raving. Here is a demo of what our classes are like. One thing though, they already look and sound a lot better than this demo! No kidding! Check it out here!!!

Excellent!! I’m looking forward (as I am sure many others are as well) to see all of the wonderful training products that you will be providing the community. I always ask – because it’s free to ask 🙂
Do you have any specials for the readers of this blog?
You bet. I am so excited for what Corey Frank has allowed me to do for your readers. They can purchase an All Access Cisco Training Pass for $2990. Normally the tuition is $4490. I know this sounds insane, but this $2990 includes over $35,000 worth of classes, labs, and support materials. At StormWind Live, we have the ability to really accommodate all of the needs of a student. From Elite Mentoring to the inspiring Live Online Classes. This is not death by PowerPoint and a complete lack of instructor contact and interaction like many students have had to suffer with. Anyone interested in this can just contact me at anthony@stormwind.com. I am also on Twitter @compsolv and Facebook.

Larry, thank you so much for this opportunity to speak about the remarkable events happening in my life right now. You do such a wonderful job supporting students all over the world…in fact, at the very least, we want you to be a Guest Expert in our CCNP/CCIE series!!!!!

Wow – now that is a humbling honor!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share with the community what you have been up to. Everyone is looking forward to seeing all of the fun and exciting products that you will be putting out!!!

New Book Review – PKI Uncovered

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I recently had the pleasure of reading PKI Uncovered: Certificate-Based Security Solutions for Next-Generation Networks from Cisco Press.

This book sure packs a lot of info into a slim 252 page book. I was pleased to see that there was no lack of technical content.
The book seems to be targeted at experienced  cryptographers as well as those reading about the subject for the first time. This is evidenced by the first chapter: Crypto Refresh. This chapter reviews key concepts that lay the foundation for the chapters to come.

I really was impressed with the detailed diagrams included in the explanations and examples. Many times, high level concepts are not illustrated well, leading to confusion. Not so in this book.

This book also includes a nice chapter on troubleshooting. PKI can be a challenge at times to figure out just what is not working. The troubleshooting chapter breaks down the process into three logical areas: Keying Material Generation, Enrollment Process and Certificate Use and Validation. By breaking down the troubleshooting process in this manner, the reader is shown a methodology for identifying and isolating problems in a logical and sequential manner. Yes, there are plenty of examples in this section showing output from devices to support the narratives. The chapter ends with several pages of troubleshooting flow charts that will be a valuable tool for all that are faced with trying to fix PKI problems.

The book also includes chapters on PKI design in general along with specific  solutions including Site to Site VPN’s, Remote Access VPN’s, 802.1x, Unified Communications and Cisco Virtual Office.

I have carved out a slot on my security bookshelf for this great little gem. I think that anyone that is currently designing and supporting any PKI infrastructure or someone that is just breaking into PKI can benefit from this book.

You can see excerpts from PKI Uncovered here.

Thanks
Larry Hadrava
CCIE #12203

Interview With Scott Morris

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This is a first for the blog. Normally I do the interviews. This time, Eman Conde interviews Scott Morris. Scott is a household name in the CCIE training arena. Read to find out about his new ventures here!!!

Scott & Eman Hit The Powder

 

Scott Morris, Hiding in a Crowd

It was a few years ago when I first met Scott Morris.  He was instrumental in helping me have the courage to pursue CCIE recruitment as a mainstay.  I had selected for my vehicle the CCIE Flyer which he found to be a great idea.  So we communicated a couple of times by phone in the beginning.  I was soon on my way to Cisco Live in Orlando where I was really not too sure what I would do.  I was going to Networkers to network, go figure.  The year leading up to this event had me excited about the Talent Program from Cisco called SRS.  Then the work I did with Cisco in freeing a pair of CCIEs’ numbers was followed by a couple of more noteworthy efforts I was a part of in helping a few other CCIEs were published in the CCIE Flyer.  Well Scott told me I should go to Cisco Live and meet more of the CCIEs who were reading the CCIE Flyer in person.  On my long journey there he texted me several times about a party being held off the Cisco Live premise.  It turns out this would be his last event for his employer at the time but I was able to meet a large group of CCIEs there.  The event was very cool and Scott was right, a bunch of the CCIEs did already know me or about me.  I was extremely flattered.  Then Scott left for another training company and in his wake things seemed to go quiet.  It was like he dropped out of site.  After being the poster child for CCIE training for a while it was odd that he basically dropped off the radar.  So I am very pleased to be interviewing him about life!

Q: Scott you have been busy lately.  I was at the open house to witness firsthand the next phase of your journey.  The training facilities looked spiffy and the team of Marvin Greenlee and Keith Barker looks like winning combination.  Tell how long have you known these two?

A:  Wow, it seems like eons!  I’ve known Marvin longer as I had worked with him at more than one vendor previously.  But even Keith, I knew “of” him before meeting him personally and working with him at our last employer.  Good thing is that we have several years collectively of working together as a team, and knowing how each other functions so that we can easily bring out the best!

Q: These guys are triple and dual CCIEs respectively.  Are they underachievers?

A:  Hmmmm…  I was thinking more like they have a better grasp on sanity than I do!  Never underestimate anyone’s desire for learning though!  Remember that my CCIE number is a bit lower than theirs, so they still have a few years to dazzle the world with their accomplishments, which may yet be significantly different than mine or even overshadow mine!  Besides, even if they had a single CCIE, as I’m sure you have come to appreciate in your working with talent all over the world…  it’s not JUST a certification (or even a plethora of them) that truly makes a person great.  I have a great team, or a team of great people no matter the specifics of certifications.

Q: While I was there Keith showed me the online training developed for the iPad.  It was cool in a few ways.  The dialogue was engaging and the graphics were pretty sharp.  Is online learning going to change the way network engineers prepare for certifications?

A:  Just a few ways?  J  Clearly you weren’t watching for long enough!  The thing about what we are doing is that it’s not a limit of ‘online’ learning.  It is an evolution in learning methods.  There are similarities to what others have done, in that it’s a recorded medium.  And yet there are several distinct differences that make it excel well beyond where others are at.  And, not just in the specifics of any given course, but in the idea of the entire curriculum.   But I think you are baiting me a little bit here.  That’s enough of a teaser for the moment.  I’m not quite ready to conquer the world via that mechanism yet, but stay tuned for some exciting developments in the world of self-paced learning!

Q: In the past you worked for two grey market training companies.  They function differently than Cisco authorized learning partners.  Since they are acting as unauthorized training companies do they have different kinds of business meetings?  Do they wear robes and hoods to remain incognito while reciting chants and interpreting runes?

A:  Well, you know that there are blood oaths of secrecy, so I’m really not at liberty to discuss those kinds of details even though I’m no longer part of either Guild!  J  They have different business models, and different things they need to do in order to keep in business.

Q: Ok I understand these things are like secret rituals, which are partially expected to impart knowledge to those with wallets out.  I am cool you don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way.  But tell me which company had the coolest looking costumes?

A:  Ahhhh…  You should know by now, it’s not the costume but the person wearing it!   I promise you that no matter how hard we may try, Marvin, Keith or myself will not look NEARLY as good as your typical runway model no matter which outfit you choose!  Likewise, no matter which “outfit” the three of us are wearing, in the end, it is our specific knowledge, our specific style, and our specific methods of imparting knowledge and clicking with the students that sets us apart from the packs.

But we do indeed have some neat new outfits now that we are within the Cisco authorized channel, and some promising fashion statements and trends yet to come to public view!

Q: You have been at this training thing and CCIE thing for a while now.  You have been in a few scrapes but like the Energizer Bunny you keep on pounding your drum.  What happened to you?  It seemed like there was a period of time when you were completely off the radar.  Did you seek enlightenment from the Dali Lama or wander the desert in search of answers?  What happened?  You were basically hiding in a crowd out here weren’t you?

A:  I never truly disappeared.  I kept an eye on things, and kept watching.  Even those who take time to meditate will come back, and be amazingly cognizant of the things that happened while they were gone!  Or perhaps it was just sitting back and plotting my methods to take over the world!  Every OverLord needs to have a plan!  Either way, there was a lot that transpired in the last year, and a lot of good things that are coming (and going to keep coming) out of it.

And besides, I emerged with another JNCIE out of it, didn’t I?  I know it’s not a Cisco thing, but it’s still an evil lab exam!  Gotta give me some credit for lurking and working in the underworld!  Four CCIEs, two JNCIEs and a CCDE makes me a whole new kind of crazy!  J

Q: We met at GITEX this past October and had a good time meeting the CCIEs that came by the booth and hitting the tourist spots like the Burj Khalifa and indoor skiing at the Mall of the Emirates.  This was the first time back on skis for you in a while.  What happened to make you stop skiing?

A:  Oh, I love snow skiing!  Work definitely gets in the way of being able to jaunt off every time there is fresh powder though, as much as I’d love to!  Also, having kids tends to change things a bit, but on the bright side, they are old enough now that we’ll start introducing them to the wonderful world of downhill skiing!  (Or at least tubing!)

On the other hand, snow skiing in the middle of the desert was an awesome time (while being wrong on so many levels), and it was great to have shared that experience with you!  And better yet to have had both of us emerge without any broken bones!

Q: CCIEs still come up to you all gushy sometimes.  I know I have seen it firsthand.  Like at the CCIE party young guns would come to me and ask me to introduce them to you and Terry and Narbik.  It seems like it was ok for them to interrupt me which makes me feel both good and bad.  Does that kind of reaction from other CCIEs or future CCIEs make you feel good?  It has to add some pressure to you to behave properly or look sharp or something!

A:  Have I ever struck you as someone concerned about looking sharp?  I’m just me, and I’m just a normal guy!  J  It is great to meet people all over the world, and better yet to know that somehow I have managed to make an impact on their lives.  As a trainer, that is really the best payback, to know that you were able to help other succeed.

On the flip side, I have come to realize that I need to stay away from any major criminal activities, because clearly the Witness Protection Program is not something I will qualify for!  Too many people know my face or even my voice.  But it’s all in good fun!

Q: You were at Cisco Live in the UK this past month.  How was that compared to the Las Vegas version?

A:  It was a little colder.  But it was London in January, so it’s as expected!  Obviously that event is not as large as the flagship version that will be held in Las Vegas again this year, but it was still a good-sized event with lots of people and lots of vendors and lot of fun!

And it was great to have been over there!  Keith Barker and I were both there as part of the newly created Cisco Designated VIP program.  And we both were able to meet lots of great people over there.

I’ve been told that the CCIE’s from Europe are a bit smarter and more coordinated than their North American counterparts though.  At the CCIE party, there was a “human chess” game that ensued with CCIEs.  We missed that part, hopping between gatherings, but I hear it was quite a feat!

Q: The folks at the Nova Datacom open house seemed keenly interested in the content you folks were previewing.  I was happy to learn that most of the folks actually knew about the CCIE Flyer and me.  That was cool, I keep getting a rush every time it happens.  What do you suggest I do to improve the CCIE Flyer?

A:  As I had told you years ago (which apparently you not only remember, but actually listened to me!), it’s a matter of being there for people.  When you help people out, they will always appreciate it and always remember it, no matter how small the interaction.

With the CCIE Flyer, there is so much you are doing in various parts of the world trying to focus on helping CCIEs and CCIE Candidates out.  Just keep at it, do what you enjoy doing and people will see that!

Oh yeah, and throw a really big party at Cisco Live!  J  In addition, I remember early on (seems like years ago now) you had some CCIE Meet & Greets around the world that many people enjoyed.  Perhaps it is time to kick that up a notch again!

Q: There are many CCIE training companies suffering these days from the economic down turn and some for simply having bad product.  What will set your effort apart from the rest of the pack?

A:  The instructors and the passion.  With the people, and the experience, that makes a huge difference.  We can enhance our consulting capabilities because of our educational background and likewise supplement our teaching capabilities because of our extensive consulting backgrounds!

Q: Welcome to the approved Cisco learning partner ranks.  The best instructors seem to end up in the CLP team.  What have you had to do differently for this inclusion to the club?

A:  The inclusion isn’t anything new.  One of the interesting things as you look around the ranks of instructors (not just CCIE, but the CCSIs of the world) is that you’ll find many who have been around a while and merely changed what and where they were working.  Keith and I have both been CCSIs for over 11 years now.  Marvin has been for over 5 years.  So despite a “hiatus” to have worked at some non-authorized places, being a part of the CLP team has never really been something that we ever actually left.

We are merely rearranging our lives and our focus and working within the current Learning@Cisco, and Cisco360 structures.  But we have long been part of that club!

Q: Good luck with the new endeavor and thank you for the honor of working with you and your team as we plan venues globally together!

Thanks Scott & Eman for the interesting information.
Larry Hadrava
CCIE #12203

Interview With Jeremy Filliben CCIE, CCDE

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With a low CCIE number, #3851, you have seen the lab change quite a bit over the years. Tell us about the lab when you passed it.

When I took the lab, it was still a two-day affair.  Well, 3.5 days for me.  On my first attempt I made it through 1.5 days before I lost too many points to continue.  I was successful on my second attempt.  Back then (1998) I was able to retake the exam within three months of having failed.  I could have done it as quickly as 30 days, but my schedule didn’t allow it.  Many technologies have dropped off the exam (DLSW+, RSRB, Decnet, Appletalk, IPX) and several have come and gone since.  I remember being in a bit of a rush to complete the certification process before ATM and a significant amount of switching were introduced.

What was around for CCIE lab practice when you first passed the lab?

I was able to take a one day CCDE practice lab that was offered by Chesapeake Computer Consultants.  I don’t think anyone else offered a prep class.  I studied the IOS 11.2 Configuration Guides.  I don’t think I owned the Doyle book or any other resources.
What do you think of the evolution of the CCIE lab and where it is now.
I think the CCIE team is doing a good job of balancing the market demand for the CCIE certification with the need to keep it difficult enough to weed out those who should not hold the cert.  I have a high degree of confidence that most CCIEs deserve the certification.  I was initially concerned that the one-day lab would be too easy, but that does not seem to be the case.

How did you prepare for the CCDE?

A lot of reading!  I read numerous Cisco Press books, including Optimal Routing Design, BGP Design & Implementation and Definitive MPLS Designs.  There were many others too, which I’ve tried to list on my blog.  The most important thing to do to prepare for the CCDE is to work in the industry for a significant amount of time.  When I passed I had 13 years of experience, including ten years as a CCIE.

What would you recommend for CCDE study methods?

There are several week-long classroom offerings available now.  I was fortunate enough to be able to teach a couple of those classes for a Cisco Learning Partner.  I can’t say with certainty that classroom-based offerings are effective in preparing for the exam, but I believe they are helpful.  Aside from that, I would certainly recommend reading as many of the recommended books as possible.  Some should be read multiple times, as the reader will pick up different information over time.
I see that you teach a CCDE lab class and offer some CCDE training materials – tell us about the class and your other offerings. How they can help CCDE candidates.
I no longer teach the class due to a lack of time in my schedule.  At this point my only contribution to CCDE preparation is my periodic CCDE Practice Exam offerings.  I one Enterprise-based exam and one Service Provider-based exam.  Each exam consists of twenty questions and accompanying reading material.  My goal is to simulate as closely as possible the experience of taking the CCDE practical exam.  Participants are given the exam materials and given a day or two to complete the exam (total time should be one to two hours).  After completing the exam the participants and I get together on a Webex conference to discuss the correct answers and where in the text to find the necessary information to answer correctly.  The exams cover the types of questions found on the exam and simulates the level of difficulty of the real exam.
I also provide participants with up-to-date information on the actual exam, including an overview of the scenario types and the technologies covered on the exam.

Thanks Jeremy for taking to time to do this interview. Congratulations on the new job!!!

Larry Hadrava
CCIE #12203

Scott Morris Launches New Training Initiative

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Scott Morris, CCIEx4, CCDE, JNCIEx2, CISSP to Launch Nova Datacom Education Services Offering

Complementary Open House to Include Training Sessions by Morris and other Noted Instructors

 

Chantilly, VA – February 1, 2011:  Nova Datacom, LLC, a provider of information technology services to the public and private sectors and a CompTIA Authorized Partner, a Cisco Learning Partner and a Cisco360 (CCIE) Learning Partner, today announced the upcoming launch of their Education Services offering, spearheaded by Scott Morris, Nova Datacom’s Chief Technologist, and partner Learning Tree International.  Scheduled for February 16th, in Chantilly, VA, this one day event will allow attendees to meet with Morris and his team, attend sample training sessions, and familiarize themselves with the offered curriculum.

 A well-known figure in the IT industry for over 25 years, Scott Morris, CCIEx4, CCDE, JNCIEx2, CISSP and Cisco Designated VIP, has fulfilled a number of roles within both the public and private sectors. As a Certified Cisco Systems Instructor (CCSI) and Juniper Networks Certified Instructor (JNCI), Scott has provided world-renowned CCIE training since 2002. He has delivered courses to a wide variety of audiences including internal training at Cisco Systems.

 Offering formal classroom instruction with full lab and NOC, or on-site worldwide, Nova Datacom, under the direction of Morris, will offer a variety of training curriculums to satisfy a broad range of requirements.  Additionally, Morris concentrated on recruiting top level instructors to provide unparalleled course delivery.

 “I’ve selected instructors who maintain a wide area of consulting and training experience to best present information as it relates to specific customer environments,” noted Morris. “Combining this deep knowledge with the ability to operate in both classified and unclassified environments allows our team to be even more effective at conducting training sessions that address specific security concerns, current vulnerability gaps, and pressing mission critical requirements- conveniently located where our customers need it most.”

 Additional instructors include Marvin Greenlee  (CCIEx3, CCDP, JNCISx3, CISSP) and Keith Barker (CCIEx2, CISSP, and Cisco Designated VIP).

 With 15+ years experience in the IT industry, Greenlee has been instrumental in the development and delivery of high-level technical training courses for live and online classes. Likewise, Barker, with 25+ years in the IT industry, has been involved with the creation and delivery of training in classroom and large audiences since 1995.  

 Sample training courses to be presented at the Open House were designed by Morris and his team specifically to showcase their ability to target courseware to specific topics of interest.  Sessions include:

 Subnetting and Binary Math for IPv4 and IPv6: A review of subnetting techniques and how to best identify appropriate configurations in both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Practical and designed examples given.

 Multifactor Authentication: Maintaining confidentiality is critical for a secure network. In this lesson we will learn about multi-factor authentication, as well the strengths, weaknesses and best practice for each.

 BGP Attributes and Path Selection: When using BGP for Inter-Autonomous System routing, it is important to know the features and attributes that allow for manipulation of path selection. If studying for certifications, this will also help in choosing the right solution for abstract problems given to you in practical labs.

 Understanding MPLS for the Routing & Switching Engineer (CCIE Focus):  A new method of thinking and moving information around the network, as largely adopted by service providers around the world.  Session breaks down the concepts and demonstrates network effects. Includes demonstrating how a CCIE candidate identify, implement and work through any scenario in a short period of time.

 If you would like to attend the Open House, please register at http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=44cafd86-3e34-4bab-963a-3fc35c7a77f3

 Or click the link to register for the Open House from www.novadatacom.com ‘s homepage.

 

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About Nova Datacom:

Nova Datacom (NDC) M/WBE 8(a) provides solutions that expand, improve, and strengthen client capabilities to satisfy mission assurance objectives. Focused on four practice areas, Business Continuity (BCEP); Information Assurance; Governance, Risk, and Compliance; and Enterprise Networking, NDC provides expert-level expertise and proven past performance across multiple technology segments to the public and private sectors.

 NDC’s approach combines operational planning, budget optimization and cutting-edge security measures to provide a solid framework for daily operations that withstand disruption. We accomplish this through continual training and vendor agnostic technology expertise resulting in a team of the best minds in the IT community.

 SBA-Certified 8(a), SBD, Minority Woman-Owned | Nova Datacom: Security is in our DNA

 About Learning Tree International

Learning Tree International sets the world standard for hands-on management and IT training. Since 1974, over 2 million Learning Tree Course participants from over 65,000 organizations around the world have enhanced their skills through intensive hands-on exercises under the guidance of expert instructors with real-world experience.

Jeremy Filliben’s CCDE Practice Lab

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I wanted to share my experience with one of Jeremy Filliben’s (CCDE #20090003) CCDE practice lab offerings. Jeremy offers both an enterprise and service provider practice lab. To start out, I opted for the enterprise version.

As advertised, I received the materials via email. When I opened the files I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was information on the practical test that I was not able to glean from any one other source. Jeremy did a great write up on the lab itself and the framework of the subjects that will be tested. He was able to help me understand a bit of the “method to the madness”.

The actual lab example was very well written and crafted in such a way to really make you think like the actual lab requires.  To fully comprehend the lab example requires an in depth understanding of the suite of items listed in the blueprint. I was surprised how much of the blueprint that could be covered in this single example.

Jeremy follows up the written materials with a review of the practical lab itself, some important things to know about the test and of course we went over the lab example line by line. During this review, I was able to really get a feel for what this beast of an exam would be doing to my brain.

I will say that after getting this understanding of what this exam is requiring, I have to agree with some others who have said that they didn’t think that a single class or bootcamp could give you everything that is needed to pass this exam. I believe that classes can definitely HELP with ones preparation, specifically with understanding the structure of the exam, but the onus is definitely on the candidate to take the time to learn and understand the technologies in the blueprint to the level that is required. Practical experience in the design, implementation and troubleshooting of networks is something that I feel is absolutely required to be successful in the CCDE track.

I can highly recommend to those that are on the CCDE journey to give Jeremy’s labs a try. The understanding of the test that I now have has made me reevaluate my preparation strategy and make adjustments to be better prepared.

More information of Jeremy’s CCDE practice materials can be found on his blog.

For Jeremy’s preparation study plans for both the CCDE written and practical check here.

Thanks

Larry Hadrava
CCIE #12203