Cisco extends TelePresence and Collaboration educational offerings 10 November, 2009 By Mark Cox

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"Telepresence has moved from being a boardroom to boardroom solution requiring a lot of hands on from Cisco to being more mainstream with single screen sets that can be deployed in offices and even branch offices," said Fred Weiller, Director of Marketing for Learning at Cisco. "That's the driver for these certifications."

Cisco TelePresence delivers immersive, face-to-face experiences for organizations around the world. Deployed in conjunction with eight global service providers, intercompany Cisco TelePresence services allow company personnel to meet with remote teams, suppliers and customers. And analysis from IDC and Cisco indicates that the compound annual growth rates for intercompany telepresence network services and multipoint telepresence network services are 209 percent and 154 percent, respectively.

"We are tracking a lot of video traffic and we see an explosion, both on public and corporate networks," Weiller added. "It means more people need to be trained and be knowledgeable."

Cisco is releasing two specialist certifications that focus on Cisco TelePresence systems and solutions: the Cisco TelePresence Solutions Specialist and the Cisco TelePresence Installations Specialist.

"The Cisco TelePresence Solutions Specialist certification requires some prior working knowledge, which is why there is a prerequisite," Weiller said. The CCNA certification is the prerequisite. The Cisco TelePresence Solutions Specialist certification focuses on the job-performance needs of a midcareer voice specialist or networking engineer who seeks to specialize in the planning, design, implementation (PDI) and maintenance of Cisco TelePresence deployments. Tasks include assessing network paths for rich media, evaluating call-control design options and configuring interoperability functions.

The second TelePresence certification, the Cisco TelePresence Installations Specialist certification focuses on the job-performance needs of an installation technician seeking to master the physical deployment and construction of single-screen Cisco TelePresence Systems (the 500, 1000, 1100 and 1300 series). Tasks include assessing room readiness, tuning cameras/microphones and installing high-definition screens.

"This one is more of a technician," Weiller said. "They won't touch the network, will just deploy a single screen system, so its more about configuration of the environment." There is no pre-requisite certification, but a working understanding of basic Internet-based device connections is highly recommended.

The Solutions Specialist certification requires two classes, one for implementation and one for installation, which will be available through Cisco Authorized Learning Partners. There is also a certification exam. For the Installations Specialist, the training part is online, so this part doesn't require going to a classroom.

The Cisco 360 Learning Program for CCIE Voice provides experienced network engineers with an effective and job-relevant program to build expert-level skills and to prepare for the rigorous and continuously evolving Cisco CCIE Voice exams. Candidates should have already passed the CCIE Voice Written Exam before beginning this program. It provides flexible 24/7 access to labs and content to strengthen the students' command of technical topics and develops the skills necessary to tackle the types of expert-level configuration and troubleshooting challenges that appear in real-life unified communications networks.

"A year ago we introduced the CCIE, and it has been very well regarded," Weiller said. "Initially we didn't have a training program for it, left it to the market, but partners said it was very uneven. So we built a program, and it was very successful, and had three times the pass rate of people who didn't take it. Now we are expanding that program to also cover CCIE Voice."

The new CCIE program is scheduled to be available through Authorized Learning Partners on Dec. 7, 2009. The Cisco Telepresence programs will be available in January.