Cisco curriculum meets government security training standards.

Cisco Information Systems Security Professional Only Vendor-Specific Curriculum that Meets Standards of the National Security Agency and Committee on National Security Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. has announced the addition of a government-specific security curriculum for network professionals. The new Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professional validates the knowledge and skills specified by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) for federal systems engineers. The INFOSEC Professional is the only vendor-specific curriculum that meets the rigorous standards of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the CNSS.

The INFOSEC curriculum recognizes the knowledge and skills required for managing national critical information infrastructures and networks as specified by the CNSS in the NSTISSI 4011 standard. The CNSS represents a broad cross-section of federal departments and agencies and sets the training standards for information assurance professionals in government and industry. The CNSS is responsible for establishing the NSTISSI No. 4011 standard and for authorizing curriculum that maps to those standards.

"Cisco continues to set the bar for businesses and governments worldwide and we are pleased to provide the networking validation recognized by NSA and CNSS," said Greg Akers, senior vice president, Cisco Systems. "Cisco is at the forefront of security training, being the only industry vendor to provide security training that meets the federal 4011 standard. INFOSEC enhances our ability to provide end-to-end solutions to government partners with comprehensive security products, services and training scaled to meet their needs."

A recent report issued by the White House titled, "National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace" stated that one of the major barriers to improving cyber security was "an inability to find sufficient numbers of adequately trained and/or appropriately certified personnel to create and manage secure systems." To meet that need, Cisco will continue to develop certification and training programs designed to improve the skills and knowledge level of federal information assurance professionals.

Candidates for the INFOSEC Professional certification must hold a valid CCNA and pass the corresponding exams. The recommended training for the CCNA certification is available from a global network of Cisco Learning Partners and the Partner E-Learning Connection. Training may be purchased via Cisco Learning Credits and are redeemable at Cisco Learning Partner locations worldwide. VUE and Prometric offer Cisco certification exams at locations worldwide.