Juniper is an American-based company founded in 1996 to develop and distribute networking products. The company also provides training and certifications to those who would like to offer networking solutions based on the Juniper platform. One of these certifications is the Juniper Network Certified Associate certification. Let's go into the details of this associate level certification.

Juniper Network Certified Associate (JNCIA-Junos) certification is attained by a candidate who has passed JN0-102 exam. This certification is divided in to the following specific tracks, namely:

1. Data Centre Certification. This is meant for anyone who wants to be involved in providing data center infrastructure, technologies and complex connections. The data centers are for both cloud providers and enterprises.
2. Service Provider Routing and Switching Certification. This is designed for those who would want to demonstrate their skills in working with Juniper switching and routing technologies in a larger environment.
3. Enterprise Routing and Switching Certification. This path allows an individual to demonstrate their skills based on an enterprise Juniper routing and switching technologies.
4. Junos Security Certification. The successful candidates are able to demonstrate their skills in utilising the Juniper security networks and software based on the SRX series gadgets.
5. Automation and DevOps Certification. This path proves a candidate's expertise in using particular scripting tools and languages through the automation of Junos networks and gadgets.

To sit for JN0-102 exam, an examinee is first required to register with Pearson VUE. There are recommended instructor-led or on-demand courses that you can use to prepare for your exam. The other useful resources are Junos Documentation, Junos Genius App and practice tests. The exam details are as below:

1. Written exam
2. Number of questions; 65; Multiple-choice
3. Duration: 90 minutes
4. Pass score: 60-70%
5. Cost: $200 for all countries except Japan

There are no prerequisites for this exam. Anyone who is willing to learn how to use the Juniper networking platform to provide network and security for business systems qualifies for this exam.

Once you pass your JN0-102 exam, you are issued with a Juniper Network Certified Associate (JNCIA-Junos) certification based on any of the above tracks. This certification has a validity of three years. After this, you are required to recertify using this process. This certification offers you a chance for job opportunities such as network engineer, resident engineer, IT service operator, network administrator and enterprise network administrator. The popularity of this certification has continued to rise over the years. This is because Juniper networking professionals go through a very intensive training and certification program that enables them to apply their skills in helping businesses. Employers prefer Juniper certified experts when it comes to the networking needs of their enterprises.

The growth of Juniper has been brought about by their quality products and services. The availability of Juniper trained professionals who can use their knowledge in improving business systems has been an added advantage for businesses and institutions. The desire for cost-effective and efficient networking solutions by small to large enterprises has made the provision of these products and services even better.