Class in Session: Cisco

On July 16, 2009 Cisco will be upgrading their current CCIE Voice certification from CCIE Voice 2.0 to CCIE Voice 3.0. Significant changes will occur in both the written and lab examination. The best place to get information regarding the content of the written exam or lab exam is to download the blueprints from Cisco’s CCIE and LearnNet sites.

The first step in getting your CCIE in any discipline (there are six different disciplines) is taking a written qualification exam. The first time I passed my CCIE written (routing & switching), I was very excited!!! I was in nerd heaven for a while… unfortunately the written exam represented approximately 1% of my CCIE journey, but I learned that much later…

The CCIE written exam is going to set you back $300 if you pass on the first attempt. The written exam blueprint will describe the different technologies covered on the test, and you will be able to find the exam number so you can schedule the exam at the nearest Pearson VUE testing center. There are currently two blueprints available for the CCIE Voice. Version 2.0 is the old test that will expire on July 16, and 3.0 is the new test that replaces it. The CCIE Voice 3.0 written and lab blueprints include the following Cisco UC servers:

• CUCM 7.0 (Cisco Unified Communications Manager) aka “Call Manager”
• CUCME 7.0 (Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express) aka “Call Manager Express”
• CUE 7.0 (Unity Express voicemail)
• UCCX 7.0 (Unified Contact Center Express)
• CUPS 7.0 (Cisco Unified Presence Server)

Once you pass your written exam, it’s time to do some goal setting. How long will it take you to get your CCIE voice? Everyone is different, but my recommendation is to decide on a date and book that lab exam as soon as possible after passing the written exam. Once the lab is booked, you have a goal. You do not have to pay the $1,400 lab cost until 30 days before the exam, and bookings can be re-scheduled up to 30 days out without incurring any penalties. Diving head first into the technology and lab exam blueprint at some point will need to be done, but a little pre-planning goes a long way.

There may be an internal money-focused conversation going through your mind at this point regarding the $1,400 testing fee. While $1,400 is a lot of money, getting a CCIE will present many opportunities that were previously unavailable to you. You will learn a tremendous amount in your pursuit of your CCIE and many consider the CCIE “A PhD in networking”. Tackle the money conversation head on and create a budget for your CCIE.

Each trip to the lab testing center (San Jose, California or Raleigh (RTP), North Carolina in the US) will incur travel costs that are going to differ for each individual. I estimated $500 per trip and I normally came within my budget: a flight from New York to North Carolina, one night stay at a local hotel, car rental, meals, and parking at Laguardia airport in NYC. It’s important to arrive the day before your test and sleep at a local hotel because the test starts at 7:15am. If you’ve factored in $500 of travel expenses, the cost is more like $1,900 to take the lab exam.

As you’re planning, remember that it takes many individuals three or more attempts to pass the test. If you do not factor in multiple attempts, it may be easier to quit during the process. Three attempts at $1,900 plus $300 for the written exam puts the testing budget at $6,000 – and that’s before training material and lab time or equipment is factored in.

If you are already a CCVP, you may want to consider taking the following classes if you’re not already familiar with the technologies involved. They are covered on the CCIE Voice 3.0 exam, but are not part of either CCVP certification track:

• Cisco Unity Connections
• Cisco Unified Presence Server
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express and Unity Express

All other topics on the exam are covered by the classes and material that comprise the CCVP 6.0 certification track. While it’s not required, I recommend obtaining your CCVP certification (and CCNA Voice if you need it for the pre-requisite) first as a stepping stone towards the CCIE Voice (the only prerequisite is passing the CCIE Voice written exam).

Each individual will need to ascertain their training needs based on the topics covered, and budget accordingly. Once you have some background in each technology area (CCVP+), it’s time to do hundreds of hours of lab preparation for the exam. You will need to buy at least one CCIE Voice 3.0 lab practice workbook, but I recommend using at least two different companies to contrast their approaches and background.

Hopefully, you have a budget to buy your own CCIE Voice equipment, but that can set you back tens of thousands of dollars. The most economical approach is to rent online rack time from a company that offers the CCIE Voice 3.0 equipment list. Find a rack rental company whose physical topology matches that of your lab workbook.

Once started, it is imperative that you commit to the entire process and finish your CCIE pursuit successfully.

Good luck.