SMPTE to Offer CCNA Security Along With Full Slate of CCNA Routing and Switching Courses in 2014

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)  announced the addition of CCNA Security to the Society’s current roster of Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) virtual course offerings. The SMPTE Professional Development Academy offers this intensive 12-week virtual course along with the four CCNA Routing and Switching courses — Introduction to Networks (CCNA1), Routing and Switching Essentials (CCNA2), Scaling Networks (CCNA3), and Connecting Networks (CCNA4) — through the SMPTE Virtual Classroom.

“In addition to the CCNA Security course, SMPTE offers all four CCNA Routing and Switching courses to help meet the educational needs of industry professionals as their work becomes ever more network-focused,” said Robert Seidel, executive vice president at SMPTE and vice president of engineering and advanced technology at CBS Television Network. “Whatever their experience and background, engineers today must understand current concepts and practices such as cloud-based computing, the use of Internet Protocol (IP) and internetworking technologies, and infrastructure considerations in the modern media facility. To this end, SMPTE CCNA courses cover the fundamentals of network administration and internetworking concepts, as well as the security concepts that are now essential engineering knowledge.”

The CCNA Security course now being offered by SMPTE provides a next step for individuals who want to enhance their CCNA-level skill set and to help meet the growing demand for network professionals. The curriculum provides an introduction to the core security concepts and skills needed for the installation, troubleshooting, and monitoring of network devices to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, availability, and overall security of data and devices. CCNA1 and CCNA2 are prerequisites for this course.

Each CCNA Routing and Switching course introduced for 2014 has been extended from nine to 12 weeks to help participants better balance professional, personal, and now educational commitments. Covering more advanced, comprehensive, and practical information earlier in the CCNA program assures that course participants are able to effectively apply advanced concepts in the workplace sooner. This real-world practical perspective is supported through the extensive use of Cisco’s Packet Tracer network simulation program during all CCNA courses.

Individuals who completed the previous CCNA Exploration courses and register for subsequent CCNA courses through SMPTE will gain free access to the supplemental self-paced materials developed by Cisco to address any differences between the old and new programs. This allows course participants to better prepare for Cisco’s CCENT and CCNA Routing and Switching Certification Exams, if certification is a goal.

“SMPTE’s CCNA course offerings give broadcast engineers and other professionals in motion imaging engineering a highly valuable and unique educational opportunity: to join other media industry professionals in a course of study that provides comprehensive coverage of crucial networking concepts and principles,” added Seidel. “The positive feedback we’ve received about these courses has been tremendous, and I encourage all industry executives and engineers who are responsible for media production, postproduction, or media engineering functions to consider this program for their technical and engineering staff members and even for themselves.”

These SMPTE Virtual Classroom programs are blended-learning courses utilizing a “flipped classroom” education model. In other words, participants spend time on independent study and ask questions via the virtual classroom’s online discussion forum, and then participate in live weekly instructor coaching sessions where the instructor answers questions and assists with clarifying more complex topics and activities in real-time. This approach allows for maximum flexibility and more effective use of the participant’s time with the instructor. In contrast to a self-paced program, each course has a specific start date, specific stop date, and recommended learning goals to help participants plan their studies and stay on track. Successful completion of these intensive courses is determined by completing graded Packet Tracer internetworking activities, chapter assessments, and a final online examination.

Class sizes for the SMPTE CCNA courses are kept small to allow instructors to provide individual attention to participants. Early registration is strongly encouraged, as space is limited. SMPTE members enjoy discounted pricing. When combined with other benefits of SMPTE membership, such as free monthly webcasts and discounts on key industry events, the savings on SMPTE CCNA courses can easily justify joining the Society.