Certifications

Cisco 350-401 ENCOR v1.2 is a focused maintenance update rather than a completely new certification. The version went live on March 19, 2026, and Cisco’s release notes show a clear direction: remove wireless content from the enterprise-core exam, retire or trim several less central topics, and update product names to current Cisco terminology. Candidates moving from older Cisco 350-401 ENCOR v1.1 material should therefore revise the scope, not throw away the entire study plan. The most visible change is the wireless split. Cisco removed wireless design, wireless infrastructure troubleshooting, and…

Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls are both active technologies in 2026, but they are not equivalent products with different logos. Cisco continues to maintain ASA software—including current 9.24 releases—and ASA can run on modern Secure Firewall platforms. Palo Alto Networks, by contrast, is built around an application-aware next-generation firewall architecture in which application identity, content inspection, user context, and security services are central to policy design. The comparison therefore needs to start with operating model and security requirements. If an organization needs classic stateful firewalling,…

The 350-401 ENCOR exam remains Cisco’s enterprise core exam, but the current blueprint is v1.2. It is a 120-minute exam covering architecture, virtualization, infrastructure, network assurance, security, and automation. Cisco’s current training explicitly notes that older wireless material is no longer tested in ENCOR v1.2 because it moved into dedicated wireless certifications. That change matters because many older study resources still reflect v1.1. A candidate who studies a stale blueprint can lose time on material that no longer carries exam weight while under-preparing for the current architecture, assurance, and automation…

CISA and CISSP are both established credentials for experienced technology and security professionals, but they validate different kinds of work. CISA is built around information-systems audit, governance, controls, resilience, and the assurance process. CISSP covers a broader security body of knowledge spanning risk, architecture, networks, identity, operations, testing, and software security. The useful comparison is therefore not which credential is “better,” but which body of responsibility matches the work you perform or want to perform next. The current CISA exam contains 150 questions across five job-practice domains. The largest weights…

CISA and CISM are both ISACA credentials, but they reward different professional judgment. CISA is built around auditing, assurance, governance, controls, systems lifecycle review, operations, resilience, and protection of information assets. CISM is aimed at people who govern and manage an information security program: setting strategy, managing risk, building the program, and leading incident management. The overlap is real, yet the perspective is different. CISA asks whether controls and systems are designed and operating as intended; CISM asks how an organization should direct and manage security as a business capability….

Cisco’s certification program has changed enough since the 2020–2022 redesign era that an article frozen in 2022 can now be actively misleading. The broad ideas from that period—one CCNA, technology-core exams, specialist concentrations, and recertification through continuing education—still matter. But the portfolio around them has evolved substantially. By 2026, Cisco has simplified branding around familiar CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE names, converted DevNet into Automation, moved CyberOps into CCNA/CCNP Cybersecurity, relaunched dedicated Wireless tracks, expanded AI-related specialist credentials, and refreshed security and design pathways. The best way to understand the redesign…

CRISC is an experience-based ISACA certification for professionals who connect enterprise objectives, information systems, and risk decisions. The current exam content outline, effective in 2025, keeps four domains but uses updated weights: Governance 26%, Risk Assessment 22%, Risk Response and Reporting 32%, and Technology and Security 20%. Those weights make the credential broader than a risk-register exam; candidates need to understand how risk is governed, assessed, treated, communicated, and supported by technology controls. The CRISC exam is only one stage of the credential. A complete roadmap also includes experience eligibility,…

CISM is a management credential built around security decisions ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager credential is designed for professionals who manage information security rather than simply operate individual controls. Its center of gravity is governance, risk, program management, and incident management. That makes CISM especially relevant to people who translate business priorities into security strategy, policy, investment, accountability, and response capability. The management focus is important because CISM questions are not just tests of technical recall. A candidate may know how a security technology works and still choose the wrong…

Cisco CCNP Security changed enough in 2026 that a “this week” update quickly becomes stale. The useful snapshot is the current certification structure and the skills Cisco is emphasizing now. The professional certification still requires the 350-701 SCOR core exam plus one concentration. Cisco’s current lineup includes 300-710 SNCF, 300-715 SISE, 300-740 SSCA, and 300-745 SDSI. The Cisco certification roadmap also shows security exam updates released on August 27, 2026, so candidates should verify the live blueprint instead of relying on an older course outline. SCOR remains the common security…

There is no single “CCNP exam” to prepare for in 2026. Cisco’s professional certification family includes multiple tracks such as Enterprise, Automation, Collaboration, Cybersecurity, Data Center, Security, Service Provider, and Wireless. Each professional certification follows the same broad architecture: a core exam plus one concentration exam. The preparation method can be shared, but the technical content must follow the specific track you choose. That is the first correction to make when older study guides say “prepare for the CCNP.” Start by deciding which professional role you are validating. A network…

Cisco 350-401 ENCOR is the core exam for CCNP Enterprise and an important written exam in the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure path. In 2026, candidates need to study the v1.2 blueprint rather than older ENCOR outlines. Cisco’s current training page explicitly prepares learners for ENCOR v1.2, and Cisco’s v1.2 exam topics keep the major enterprise domains while removing a set of wireless-specific objectives that moved out of the Enterprise core. The exam remains a 120-minute test priced at US$400. Passing it earns the Cisco Certified Specialist – Enterprise Core credential and…

Cisco CCNP Data Center is valuable when your day-to-day work involves Nexus switching, data center networking, compute platforms, storage connectivity or infrastructure automation. It does not guarantee a salary increase or make an engineer proficient in every data-center platform after passing an exam. In October 2026 Cisco continues to offer CCNP Data Center with a core-and-concentration structure. Evaluate its return against actual projects, employer technology and the time required for troubleshooting practice, not against unverifiable averages for credential-holder salaries. How CCNP Data Center is earned Candidates pass 350-601 DCCOR and…

CCNA Wireless is a retired Cisco certification. It was once a dedicated associate-level credential for wireless professionals, but Cisco later consolidated associate networking into the unified CCNA. In March 2026, Cisco created a dedicated wireless track again—this time at the professional and expert levels with CCNP Wireless and CCIE Wireless. That makes old CCNA Wireless material historically useful but no longer a current certification target. Candidates interested in wireless today should build the networking foundation first, then choose the current wireless path based on the level of responsibility they want…

Policy-Based Routing (PBR) lets a Cisco router make selected forwarding decisions with a route map before normal destination-based routing is applied. Cisco’s current IOS XE documentation still supports both IPv4 and IPv6 PBR, which makes the feature useful when traffic needs to follow policy that cannot be expressed by destination prefix alone. PBR is powerful because it can override the normal routing-table decision for matched traffic. That same power makes it easy to create asymmetric paths, hidden dependencies, or difficult troubleshooting if the policy is not documented and monitored carefully….

Azure certification can be worth the time and exam cost in 2026, but the answer depends much more on your starting point than on the Microsoft badge itself. A certification can help an employer understand what kind of cloud work you have prepared for. It can give a career changer a structured syllabus, give an experienced administrator a reason to close gaps, or help an employee qualify for an internal role that names a Microsoft credential. It cannot substitute for the ability to operate, troubleshoot, and explain a real Azure…