The year 2018 represented a particularly significant period in the Cisco certification landscape, as the networking industry was experiencing rapid technological evolution driven by cloud adoption, software-defined networking, and the expanding demands of enterprise infrastructure. Cisco certifications had long been regarded as the gold standard for networking professionals, and in 2018 that reputation was firmly intact, with employers across industries specifically seeking candidates who could demonstrate validated competency through recognized credentials. The certification track offered by Cisco provided a structured progression from entry-level awareness to expert-level mastery, giving professionals a clear roadmap for career development regardless of where they were starting from.
Understanding which certifications offered the greatest return on investment in 2018 required looking beyond simple name recognition to consider the alignment between certification content and the technologies driving hiring decisions at that time. Cloud integration, network automation, collaboration infrastructure, and data center virtualization were among the areas commanding premium compensation, and the Cisco certifications that addressed those domains were generating the strongest interest from both candidates and employers. This overview examines seven certifications that stood out in 2018 as particularly valuable investments for networking professionals at various stages of their careers.
CCNA Routing and Switching as the Essential Starting Point
The CCNA Routing and Switching certification occupied a foundational position in the Cisco certification hierarchy in 2018 and remained one of the most widely pursued networking credentials in the industry. Designed for professionals entering or consolidating their position in network engineering roles, the CCNA validated knowledge of network fundamentals, LAN switching technologies, IPv4 and IPv6 routing, WAN technologies, infrastructure services, and basic network security. The breadth of its coverage made it both an excellent foundation for further specialization and a standalone credential that many employers treated as a baseline requirement for network technician and junior engineer positions.
The two-examination pathway to CCNA Routing and Switching in 2018 offered candidates flexibility in how they approached the credential, with the option to sit the ICND1 and ICND2 examinations sequentially or attempt the combined CCNAX examination in a single sitting. Each approach had its advocates, with sequential candidates appreciating the intermediate validation and reduced single-session risk, while combined candidates favored the efficiency of completing the credential in one examination appointment. Regardless of the pathway chosen, the preparation process for CCNA Routing and Switching in 2018 demanded serious hands-on laboratory practice, as the examination tested applied understanding of routing and switching scenarios that could not be mastered through reading alone.
CCNP Routing and Switching for Mid-Career Advancement
The CCNP Routing and Switching certification represented the natural progression for professionals who had established their foundational credentials and were ready to demonstrate the deeper technical expertise that senior network engineering roles demanded. In 2018, this certification required candidates to pass three examinations covering routing, switching, and troubleshooting respectively, creating a comprehensive validation of professional-level competency across the core disciplines of enterprise network operation. The ROUTE examination tested advanced routing protocol implementation including OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP in complex topologies, while the SWITCH examination addressed multilayer switching, redundancy mechanisms, and campus network design.
The TSHOOT examination was particularly distinctive within the CCNP framework because it evaluated a skill that other certifications rarely tested directly: the ability to systematically diagnose and resolve network problems in a complex, multi-technology environment. Candidates were presented with a simulated network containing intentionally introduced faults and were required to identify the root cause of each problem and implement an appropriate resolution. This examination format rewarded the kind of deep, integrated understanding that distinguished genuinely expert practitioners from those who had learned to configure technologies in isolation, making the CCNP Routing and Switching credential a meaningful differentiator in the 2018 job market.
CCIE Routing and Switching as the Ultimate Technical Credential
The CCIE Routing and Switching certification stood in 2018 as the most prestigious and demanding credential in the Cisco portfolio, representing a level of achievement that fewer than three percent of active Cisco certified professionals had attained globally. The certification required passing a written qualification examination followed by an eight-hour practical laboratory examination conducted at authorized Cisco assessment centers, and the combination of these two stages tested both theoretical mastery and hands-on operational proficiency at a depth that no other networking credential approached. Professionals who held the CCIE Routing and Switching designation were recognized throughout the industry as elite practitioners whose expertise had been validated under genuinely rigorous conditions.
Preparation for the CCIE laboratory examination in 2018 typically required eighteen months to several years of dedicated study and practice, with candidates investing in physical or virtual laboratory equipment to develop the configuration speed and accuracy needed to complete complex tasks within the time constraints of the examination. The financial and time investment was substantial, but the career returns were equally significant, with CCIE-certified professionals commanding compensation packages that placed them among the highest-paid technical specialists in the networking field. The credential also carried a three-year validity period with recertification requirements, ensuring that holders maintained current knowledge as the technologies underlying enterprise networking continued to advance.
CCNA Security Addressing Growing Cybersecurity Demand
The cybersecurity landscape in 2018 was characterized by escalating threat sophistication and a pronounced shortage of qualified security professionals, creating strong market demand for certifications that validated security competency within networking environments. The CCNA Security certification addressed this demand by validating a professional’s ability to develop a security infrastructure, recognize threats and vulnerabilities, and mitigate security threats within Cisco networks. The examination covered core security concepts including network security fundamentals, secure access, VPN technologies, secure routing and switching, Cisco firewall technologies, and intrusion prevention systems, providing a comprehensive foundation for network security work.
What made the CCNA Security particularly valuable in 2018 was its positioning at the intersection of networking and security, a convergence that employers were increasingly recognizing as essential for effective infrastructure protection. Professionals who held both the CCNA Routing and Switching and CCNA Security credentials demonstrated a rare combination of network engineering competency and security awareness that was difficult to find in a single candidate. The certification also served as a gateway to the CCNP Security and CCIE Security tracks for professionals who wished to specialize more deeply in cybersecurity, making it a strategically sound investment for those considering a security-focused career trajectory within the broader networking profession.
CCNA Cloud Responding to Infrastructure Transformation
Cloud computing had fundamentally altered enterprise infrastructure strategies by 2018, and the CCNA Cloud certification responded to this transformation by validating knowledge of cloud service models, cloud deployment models, and the Cisco technologies used to implement and manage cloud infrastructure. The certification covered cloud concepts and models, cloud networking, cloud storage fundamentals, cloud virtualization, and cloud infrastructure management, giving candidates a structured framework for understanding how traditional networking principles applied within cloud environments. As organizations accelerated their migration of workloads to private, public, and hybrid cloud architectures, professionals who could bridge the gap between traditional networking and cloud infrastructure became increasingly valuable.
The CCNA Cloud certification in 2018 was supported by the Cisco Intercloud Fabric and Cisco UCS Director platforms, which provided the technical context within which much of the examination content was grounded. Candidates who worked in environments that were actively deploying or managing Cisco-based cloud infrastructure had a natural advantage in preparing for this certification, as their daily work provided practical exposure to the scenarios and technologies the examination tested. For those without that workplace exposure, building familiarity through Cisco’s learning resources and partner lab environments was the recommended approach, as the cloud concepts tested required not just conceptual understanding but the ability to reason about implementation scenarios with practical accuracy.
CCNP Data Center for Specialized Infrastructure Expertise
Data center technologies represented one of the most specialized and highly compensated domains within enterprise networking in 2018, and the CCNP Data Center certification provided a rigorous validation of expertise across the technologies that defined modern data center infrastructure. The certification track covered data center networking using Cisco Nexus platform technologies, data center unified computing using Cisco UCS, data center network services including load balancing and application delivery, data center automation and scripting, and data center design principles. Each examination in the track addressed a distinct dimension of data center operation, and together they validated a breadth of expertise that few other certifications could match within the specialized data center domain.
Professionals pursuing the CCNP Data Center in 2018 typically worked in environments that operated large-scale data center infrastructure, including enterprise organizations with significant on-premises computing investments, colocation providers, and managed services companies. The certification was valued not only for the technical knowledge it validated but for the signal it sent about a candidate’s familiarity with the operational complexity of data center environments, where the consequences of misconfigurations or outages were measured in financial and reputational terms that demanded a high standard of competency. The pathway from CCNP Data Center to the CCIE Data Center certification provided a clear progression for professionals committed to achieving the highest level of recognition within this specialized domain.
CCNA Collaboration Capturing the Unified Communications Market
Unified communications and collaboration technologies had become critical infrastructure components for enterprise organizations by 2018, and the CCNA Collaboration certification validated the foundational skills needed to work with the voice, video, and messaging platforms that made up Cisco’s collaboration portfolio. The examination covered collaboration infrastructure, endpoints and clients, call control, and collaboration applications, providing candidates with a working knowledge of how Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unity Connection, and related platforms functioned together to deliver integrated communication services. As organizations increasingly relied on these platforms for business-critical communication, the demand for professionals who could implement and support them remained consistently strong.
What distinguished the CCNA Collaboration from a general networking credential in 2018 was its focus on the specific operational characteristics of real-time communication technologies, which imposed requirements on network infrastructure that differed significantly from those of traditional data applications. Quality of service configuration, dial plan design, and endpoint provisioning were among the practical skills the certification validated, and professionals who held this credential were prepared to engage with collaboration infrastructure deployments in ways that generalist network engineers typically were not. The certification served as the foundation for the CCNP Collaboration and CCIE Collaboration tracks, which addressed more advanced collaboration architecture and implementation scenarios for professionals committed to specializing in this high-demand domain.
Conclusion
The seven Cisco certifications examined in this overview collectively represent the most compelling investment opportunities available to networking professionals in 2018, each addressing a domain where validated competency translated directly into career advancement, compensation improvement, and expanded professional opportunity. What united these certifications beyond their shared association with the Cisco brand was their grounding in technologies that were actively shaping how organizations built, managed, and secured their network infrastructure during a period of significant technological transition.
The CCNA Routing and Switching provided the essential foundation that made all subsequent specialization possible, ensuring that professionals entering the field had a common baseline of knowledge about the protocols and technologies that underpinned enterprise networking. The CCNP Routing and Switching extended that foundation into the deeper technical territory demanded by senior engineering roles, while the CCIE Routing and Switching stood as the ultimate validation of expert-level capability for those committed to reaching the pinnacle of the profession. These three credentials formed a progression that remained as relevant in 2018 as it had been in previous years, even as new specialization tracks emerged to address the evolving demands of the industry.
The CCNA Security, CCNA Cloud, CCNP Data Center, and CCNA Collaboration certifications addressed the specialization domains that were generating the strongest hiring activity and compensation premiums in 2018, each reflecting a dimension of enterprise networking that had grown in strategic importance as technology continued to transform how organizations operated. Security was no longer an optional consideration but a fundamental design requirement. Cloud integration was no longer a future consideration but an active operational reality. Data center infrastructure was increasingly sophisticated and demanding of specialized expertise. Collaboration platforms had become as critical to business operations as the data networks that carried their traffic.
Professionals who approached their certification journey in 2018 with a clear understanding of where the industry was heading and which credentials would position them most effectively to contribute in that direction were making investment decisions that would generate returns across the arc of their careers. The Cisco certification ecosystem in 2018 offered a structured pathway from foundational knowledge to elite specialization, and the professionals who navigated that pathway thoughtfully, combining certification preparation with genuine hands-on experience and continuous learning, were among the best positioned in the entire technology industry to meet the demands of an environment that was changing faster than at any previous point in the history of enterprise networking.
