In a few days I am going to start studying for the CCNA Security exam (IINS 640-553). I took the test in January 2009 and missed the passing score by a few points. I will admit that my preparation wasn’t the best and vow to be more thorough this time. In my work environment I get plenty of exposure to Cisco firewalls, VPN and IPS. I have also worked with the Cisco Security Agent. This should have been enough to get through the exam but I was wrong. This time around I will prepare differently. Here is what I recommend for the CCNA Security exam:
- Read at least two books on the subject. I used the CCNA Security Official Exam Certification Guide the first time around. This time I’m also reading Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) by Catherine Paquet. Both titles are published by Cisco Press.
- Setup a lab. I used GNS3 and Sun VirtualBox to create a virtual environment for studying. You’ll need to get images of Cisco IOS (use the ones that support encryption) an evaluation copy of Cisco ACS and Windows 2003 or 2008 server. Most importantly for this test, install Cisco SDM.
- Practice with setting up router security with Cisco SDM. This is the area that caused me to fail the exam in January. I have never used SDM in my job but it’s a big part of the CCNA Security certification exam. Get familiar with the interface, setup security with it, configure VPN connections, etc. You need to know how to use SDM!
- Use the Cisco Learning Network (https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/index.jspa?ciscoHome=true). It is a great resource for the IINS exam and every other Cisco certification.
- Use a practice test from Boson or Transcender. This is last on the list because it can be considered optional but I have found that the practice tests from either of these companies are excellent. You will be very confident of passing the test and will have a higher score if you use them.
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