Cisco Retired the CCNA Cyber Ops

We initially thought CCNA Cyber Ops was spared in the certpocalypse, but it appears big changes to this certification were merely delayed.

Cisco will retire the two CCNA Cyber Ops certification exams on May 28, 2020, and they've already changed the cert name to Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate. The previous and new exams will overlap, especially regarding foundational topics. However, there's a big change here.

Cisco is consolidating the two exams—SECOPS and SECFND—into one exam, the 200-201 CBROPS, which will be available on May 29, 2020. Cisco is streamlining the process to ensure its relevance to the coming decade's security landscape. Understanding these changes will help you prepare for and pass the Cisco Certified CyberOps certification exam.

What is Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Certification?

According to Cisco, this certification is the first step in preparing for a cybersecurity and cybersecurity operations career. It covers the fundamental skills and knowledge professionals need to succeed in the challenging cybersecurity field.

Because Cisco is one of the top global networking equipment producers, an in-depth understanding of how to configure, secure, and maintain its hardware is a valuable asset.

The 200-201 exam includes the following domains:

• Security concepts

• Security monitoring

• Host-based analysis

• Network intrusion analysis

• Security policies and procedures

As you can see, the 200-201 CBROPS exam covers cybersecurity's foundational skills. You'll need to understand topics at a conceptual level, including encryption, PKI infrastructure, firewalls, and antivirus, alongside some specific technologies like Wireshark, TCP, and SIEM.

The certification is approved for the DoD 85701.01-M for the CSSP analyst and CCSP incident responder categories, which makes it ideal for IT pros who work or want to work in the government sector.

Have a Current Cyber Ops Cert?

If you already hold an active CCNA Cyber Ops, you'll automatically receive the new CyberOps Associate certificate on February 24. If you're studying for a current certification or have already passed the SECOPS or SECFND exam, you have until May 28 to sit for these tests and become certified.

What You Need to Know: 200-201 CBROPS

The new Cyber Ops exam, 200-201 CBROPS, has a 120-minute time limit and contains between 95 and 105 questions. There are no prerequisites for an associate-level exam. However, we recommend a minimum of 12 months of hands-on cybersecurity experience. Although Cisco has not yet released an official exam price at the time of writing, we expect it to cost $300, the price of most of its associate-level exams.

You may want to consider earning the entry-level certifications Cisco Certified Technicians (CCT) and Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technicians (CCENT) before sitting for the 200-201 CBROPS exam.

What's Changing?

While we don't know too many specifics about the content changes for the new certification, we know that this move is part of a more significant effort to maintain the applicability and relevance of Cisco's exams. One main takeaway is that this exam is a condensed version of two separate exams, SECOPS and SECFND. At a high level, the new exam covers the same breadth of material as the previous two exams — from endpoint threat analysis to incident handling to security monitoring.

However, it appears to have less depth. For instance, the SECFND's cryptography domain required knowledge of hash algorithms (MD5, SHA-1, etc.) and encryption algorithms (DES, AES, etc.), while the new exam asks us, for example, to describe encryption's impact on data visibility.

While it's essential for you to know about different types of encryption — especially for your job — the CBROPS test requires a more theoretical framework. This is both good news and bad news.

The good news is that you don't have to memorize as many acronyms or differentiate between so many similar technologies. The bad news is that you must cover a broader area to become proficient in everything this test asks.

Why Get the New CyberOps Associate?

Cybersecurity is one of the world's fastest-growing fields. From 2018 to 2021, there was an 8.2% worldwide growth in jobs, and we expect to see around 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings.

Six out of 10 security jobs require certification, according to Cisco. Becoming certified shows you have what it takes to prevent, detect, and defend as part of a Security Operations Center team. It's a surefire way to boost your career, move up the ranks, and become a more valued security expert.

This exam is also a stepping stone to other certifications and, by extension, more advanced positions. The CyberOps Associate ranks higher than entry-level but lower than specialist-level certifications. After becoming certified, CyberOps Associate cert holders can open new doors via advanced certifications, such as CCNP Enterprise, DevNet Professional, CCNP Collaboration, CCNP Data Center, and CCNP Security.

If nothing else, becoming certified can boost your confidence by proving to yourself and potential employers that you have what it takes to thrive in a challenging cybersecurity field.

Final Thoughts

Threats are becoming more sophisticated. New attack vectors arise as organizations increase their network's surface with technologies like public cloud and IoT. They must do more than stay afloat; they must stay ahead of threats.

That's why the demand for IT pros with cybersecurity skills continues to grow—and that's why IT pros need to keep their knowledge up to date with the latest certifications. Cisco is releasing the Certified CyberOps Associate as part of its certification transformation because it recognizes this need.

Seek out training that works for you. Understand how changes to the test alter your preparation, but don't let them dissuade you from sitting the exam. You can become certified with the latest Cisco cybersecurity credentials with enough hard work, effort, and patience.