IT Academy Announces Cisco 'CCNP Boot Camp' Certification Training; High-Efficiency Cisco Certification Curriculum is A New Paradigm in Technical Training.

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 1999--

IT Academy announced today the next step for its Cisco Training Division: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Boot Camp, the industry's first Boot Camp Style curriculum to cover the entire CCNP certification process in just two weeks.

"Internetworking is the future of Information Technology, and Cisco Systems is the future of the Internet," said Heather Osterloh, Director of Training at IT Academy. "Cisco's CCNP Certification allows networking professionals to demonstrate significant expertise in this specialized field. CCNP Boot Camp at IT Academy provides a cost and time effective approach to earning that certification."

Valued for her technical expertise and dynamic teaching style, Heather Osterloh has provided courseware development covering certification training for Windows NT, Novell NetWare and IntraNetware, TCP/IP, Certified Network Expert and Protocol Analysis.

She developed IT Academy's Microsoft MCSE Boot Camp and Cisco Certified Network Associate courses. Her numerous videos and multi-media products throughout the certification training industry are best sellers. In addition, Osterloh is the technical editor for a number of Sybex certification training textbooks.

Cisco's CCNP Certification is achieved by passing four written exams: Advanced Cisco Router Configuration (ACRC), Cisco LAN Switch Configuration (CLSC), Cisco Monitoring, Troubleshooting and Dialup (CMTD), and Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (CIT). IT Academy's CCNP Boot Camp is a 14-Day hands-on course during which students prepare for -- and take -- all four CCNP Exams. Prerequisite to the course and exams is Cisco Certified Network Associate certification.

"IT Academy's CCNP Boot Camp is the only Cisco training of its kind," stated Will Pemble, managing director of IT Academy. "We built this course -- and our Cisco Training Lab -- from the ground up with the needs of successful IT Professionals in mind. CCNP Boot Camp students need more time at work than at school. They need training that is delivered succinctly, efficiently and on live, new Cisco Hardware. IT Academy aggressively responds to these needs, saving students money -- and more important -- time."

CCNP Boot Camp is being offered at the company's San Francisco Bay Area technical facility, and will be available in Denver later in the year. "As with IT Academy's other courses, CCNP Boot Camp maps to the areas of networking expertise required by Cisco Systems to pass the four CCNP Certification Exams," Pemble said.

IT Academy's short-range plans include the development of a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Boot Camp, and several other specialized Cisco courses. The company will shortly introduce the IT Academy Student Lounge, a web-based discussion forum where students can share information relating to certification, training, and networking issues.

Longer-range plans, Pemble said, include upgrading the company's Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) Boot Camp training courses for MS Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) and other mainstream applications, operating systems and certifications. "We are considering proposals from several vendors whose products and technologies will play a major role in the future of Information Technology," Pemble said.

Tuition for the two-week CCNP Boot Camp is $6,995. Exam Fees are $400. IT Academy also offers deep discounts on local hotel and ground transportation for traveling students. Students may enroll by calling 800/595-2530 or by visiting www.itacademy.com.

For more information about IT Academy's CCNP Boot Camp, contact the company at 800/595-2530.

IT Academy, formerly known as Contract Training Corporation, has been providing customized information technology training on a contract basis to Fortune 500 companies for more than a decade. IT Academy is responsible for developing popular courseware videos and textbooks for LearnKey, Sybex and other publishing companies. Co-founder Heather Osterloh, MCSE, MCT, ECNE, CNX, CCNA, is a highly-regarded technical editor and instructor within the IT training industry. With its recent name change, the company has begun to market its own products under IT Academy and brand name training programs such as MCSE Academy, CCNA Training, and CCNP Boot Camp.

Note to Editors: Cisco is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. IT Academy, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco Systems, Inc.

For more information on IT Academy, its courses and courseware, call 800/595-2530, or visit the company's Web site at www.itacademy.com