Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) added a trio of new security specialist certifications last week, which underscores the company's belief that the demand for network security engineers will exceed supply. The three new certifications--the Cisco Firewall security specialist, Cisco IOS security specialist and Cisco VPN security specialist--form a subset of the CCNP Security certification. Existing specialist certifications include the Cisco IPS, Cisco NAC and Cisco ASA, to make up a total of six key technologies in the Cisco security certification portfolio.

Speaking to SecurityInfoWatch, Tejas Vashi, senior manager responsible for product management for learning at Cisco elaborated on the demand for trained security staffers. He noted: "It is no longer as it was years ago when you had one individual that could pretty much be the person that does the network and might even know a little bit about security." Vashi concluded that the network has become much more complex, and hence requires people with the specific job skills.

Ultimately, Cisco envisions that individuals will be able to earn specialist recognition in the midst of attaining a professional certification, which in turn will result in the greater availability of security engineers.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Network World
- check out this article at SecurityInfoWatch
- check out this press release at MarketWire

Related Articles:
Oracle hikes certification testing fees
IT certifications losing value 
IT certification practice exams pose risks