CCNA Security 210-260

With the CCNA Security certification updated to 210-260 we are left asking ourselves, why CCNA Security? What changes have been made and what can you expect with earning this certification?

I am fortunate to do a Q&A with Omar Santos and John Stuppi, authors of the CCNA Security Official Cert Guide.

The questions focus on how they got their start in security to what kind of equipment you should have in your lab. We’ll also talk about what kind of experience is expected when taking the CCNA Security exam.

So let’s just dive into the Q&A:

How did you get your start in security?

John Stuppi (John): I joined Time Inc. (publishing division of Time Warner) in 1998 as a Network Engineer and we had a staff of three (including my manager) so we had to wear a lot of hats: network design, network engineering, network operations, and network security.

We started out managing Check Point firewalls and then became involved with various VPN and Security products from Cisco. Since I’ve been with Cisco (starting in September 2000) I have been 100% focused on network security.

Omar Santos (Omar): I started in security when I joined the U.S. Marines in 1994 and then provided support for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) until 1999. I joined Cisco shortly after, and just like John, I have been fully focused on network security.

I started in Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center (TAC) supporting all security products. After a 4-year tour in the TAC, I joined the World Wide Security Practice leading several security engagements (i.e., security architecture reviews, security implementations, design guidelines, etc.) for Forture 100/500 customers and government organizations.

In 2007, I joined Cisco’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) in the Security Research and Organization group. In PSIRT, I investigate and drive-to-resolution security vulnerabilities in all Cisco products and services, evangelizing security automation, and also assisting customers that are under attack or have been breached.

What is a recommended lab environment for CCNA Sec that will be useful moving into CCNP? [Read more…] about CCNA Security – Q&A With Authors Omar Santos and John Stuppi (BONUS: Book Giveaway!)