CCNP Collaboration Bundle

Cisco offers many certification options, so if you are an individual who wants to validate the skills and knowledge of collaboration solutions, then the CCNP Collaboration certificate is the best path for you. This is a professional-level certification that proves your knowledge of basic collaboration technologies and expertise in a certain technical area. There are two exams that you need to pass in total, and one of them covers the area of your choice to let you customize your certificate the way you planned.

There are no strict requirements for the potential candidates, but it is recommended that they have from 3 to 5 years of experience in implementing collaboration solutions. Besides that, it is vital to understand the concepts of the exams you will be passing in order to be able to deal with the questions they contain.

Exam Details

Considering the fact that there are several exams and you need to complete two of them, it is important to understand that you have to learn the topics for both of them. Thus, the first test that you will face with is Cisco 350-801. This is a core exam that covers the details of the implementation of Cisco Collaboration core technologies and their operation. You will be given 2 hours to deal with about 100 questions that will be presented in English in the multiple-choice format. This qualifying test covers the following topics that you need to prepare for:

• Design and Infrastructure – This domain evaluates the individuals’ knowledge of SNMP and DNS that can support Cisco Collaboration solutions, key design elements pertaining to Cisco Collaboration architecture, and the ability to configure certain network components. You should know the purpose of Edge devices as well as have the skills in troubleshooting DNS, LDAP integration on Cisco UCM, and NTP in Cisco Collaboration solutions;
• Endpoints, Codecs, and Protocols – The next section is all about troubleshooting the elements of a SIP conversation and identification of the appropriate collaboration codecs. It is also vital to have the skills in deploying SIP endpoints, troubleshooting collaboration endpoints, as well as configuring codec negotiations;
• Media Resources and Cisco IOS XE Gateway – To complete the questions from this topic, the potential candidates need to know how to identify the appropriate media resources and configure the voice gateway elements. Having the skills in configuring and verifying MGCP as well as configuring and troubleshooting ISDN PRI/BRI is important as well;
• Call Control – The next area covers the details of the route, translation, and SIP route patterns as well as MRA. You should know about the configuration of globalized call routing in Cisco UCM and implementation of the toll fraud prevention required on it. If you also know about the Cisco UCM digit analysis process, you will succeed for sure;
• QoS – If talking about this objective, it is important to mention the details of packet loss, jitter, bandwidth, latency, and other problems that can lead to poor video quality or voice quality. The examinees need to know about the purpose of different DiffServ values and their function as well as understand the CAC bandwidth requirements that are based on location. If you know about the QoS requirements required for various application types, it will be a huge plus for you;
• Collaboration Applications – The last section of the test evaluates the applicants’ skills in deploying configuring the Cisco Unity Connection SIP integration options. Besides that, they have to know about the Cisco Unified IM&P deployment and protocols.

After nailing the core exam, it is required that the students choose one of the concentration tests in order to validate their specialist-level skills. They include Cisco 300-810, Cisco 300-835, Cisco 300-820, Cisco 300-825, and Cisco 300-815.

Further Career Path

The CCNP Collaboration certification is valid for 3 years, which means that the successful candidates have to recertify at the end of the period. This is an important part of holding any IT certificate because it helps you stay relevant for the industry and be able to find a better position or get a higher salary. Therefore, you need to visit the Cisco website and learn about the Continuing Education program that offers several options of how you can renew the status of your certification. Don’t forget about this procedure, and you will be able to continue to be a valuable asset for any company.