RE: Devaluing the CCNP
Hi Howard,
I don't really see how the new CCNAs would be seen as devaluing the CCNP. Sure they're targetted at a strange point in the Certification "pyramid" but the reality will always be that the certifications are more affected by 1) Perceived value and 2) Demand.
For 1), most vendors offer a certification programme but Cisco are a long way ahead in brand recognition
2) ironically is the "problem point", the greater the population carrying certification XYZ, the more it becomes an "expected" rather than an "exception". This is clearly seen with the use of degrees for example, a Bachelors degree used to be something exceptional ... now it's an entry requirement. CCNA is pretty much the same for an IT position. The greatest threat to the value of the CCNP is the availability of engineers holding CCIE!!
When comparing the tracks though, it really does all come back to the good old rules of supply and demand. CCNP is "worth less" than CCSP or CCVP because there are fewer CCSP/VPs in the market. CCVP skills however aren't really relevant if your need is simply for an experienced IP engineer to support various routing protocols in your switched IP network.
