With the CCNA Security certificate an IT professional is validated at associate level knowledge and has the skills necessary to manage security within Cisco networks. When those same IT professionals upgrade their certificate to the CCSP level their knowledge is no longer considered to be at an associate level, instead the professional moves to an advanced level of knowledge. The CCNA certificate expires after 3 years at which time the IT professional is then eligible to test and upgrade to the CCSP level.

Not only obtaining the IT certificate, but keeping it renewed and updated are both key components in today's job markets. When companies are faced with personnel decisions, it will usually be the IT professional that carries an updated, renewed certificate that the company will look to, when retaining employees.

The IT professional that takes the time and effort to update their certification, will also find that the doors to promotion will be open and more readily available.

With a CCSP certification, a network professional demonstrates the skills required to secure and manage network infrastructures to protect productivity, mitigate threats, and reduce costs.

The Cisco CCSP requires four exams in addition to the CCNA Securty prerequisite.