We now offer live, on-site Google Cloud Architect training!

We’re excited to announce the release of our newest bootcamp: The Google Cloud Architect Exam Bootcamp. Currently the only course of it’s kind on the market, this bootcamp focuses specifically on what candidates need to know to pass the GCP Cloud Architect Exam. Like our other bootcamps, this class is taught live, on-site by an expert INE Instructor and will feature 5 days of intensive, hands-on, real world exercises, practice exams, and in-depth case study discussions. Attendees will also be provided access to a complete series of GCP based cloud labs.

The goal of our GCP Cloud Architect Exam Bootcamp is to equip students with a foundation-level knowledge of Google Cloud Platform to pass the exam. The primary focus of the class is core concepts and topics found on the GCP Cloud Architect written exam.

This bootcamp is currently only offered in May and August of 2018, at our NC location, but more dates and locations will likely be added in the future.

Who Should Take it?

Our Written Exam Bootcamp is for anyone who is beginning their GCP Cloud Architect certification journey, but already has at least basic knowledge of cloud computing. We strongly recommend at least 1 Continue reading

New to the INE Video Course Library: Introduction to Azure Design and Implementation

Last week we added a new Azure course to our video library. This is the first course of it’s kind and can be found on the INE streaming site and also for sale on ine.com

Why Study Azure:
Azure is Microsoft’s version of web services management. Azure is a great option for DevOps professionals due to it’s diversity. Azure allows you to create intelligent apps using the language of your choice, including Node.js, Java and .NET, and works for both PC and Mac users. With 100+ services and tools to manage apps, Azure Design has become a favorite among many large companies and should be considered an essential study topic for DevOps professionals.

About the course:
Length- 1 hour 23 minutes
Instructor- Gary Bushey

In this Series we will take a look at what Azure is, including what IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS mean. We will thoroughly discuss Azure PaaS and some of the specific technologies used with PaaS, namely containers and artificial intelligence.

In the second section, we will discuss how to move your applications to Azure. The first video will provide an introduction to the Architectural decisions to make when moving your application, including which style Continue reading

Don’t miss our online live Spanning-Tree Webinar!

Tune in Tomorrow, February 16, 2018 for a FREE online live Spanning-Tree webinar with Keith Bogart.

Deciphering Spanning-Tree Technologies
Starts February 16, 2018 at 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00 PM (EST)

Understanding the logic of 802.1d and how it builds a loop-free “tree” is critical to passing any Cisco certification exam. Presented by INE instructor Keith Bogart (CCIE #4923), this session will take you through that logic so that, given any bridged/switched layer-2 network, you can predict what tree will be formed. Ask questions live with an experienced industry expert!

CCIE Collaboration Blueprint Changes and Collab. 2.0 Video Release Dates: As Explained by Rohit Pardasani

Cisco has announced that the CCIE Collaboration Lab blue print is changing from version 1.0 to version 2.0. The new blueprint goes live on July 23, 2018.
As expected, the lab will not have any physical devices, everything will be virtualized. The phones (8845), being the only physical devices, will be remotely controlled, students will not have them on their desk anymore.
Besides the phones, students will also have remote control of Spark, Jabber and the Cisco Meeting App.

Cisco also announced several new products and solutions, such as the Cisco Expressway Series, Cisco Meeting Server, Cisco Spark Hybrid Services, Cisco Unified Communications Mobile and Remote Access, and Cisco Cloud Services Router (CSR) 1000V. New topics such as APIs have also been added to ensure that CCIE Collaboration certified engineers have the knowledge and skills needed to satisfy dynamic requirements in customers’ collaboration environments today.

The traditional UC products are using version 12 (UCM/IMP/Unity Connection) and 11.6 in the case of CCX. All CCIE Collaboration v2.0 lab exam candidates will be provided a headset for questions that require audio verifications.

The new lab exam curriculum comprises seven domains. The new segmentation into these seven domains improves Continue reading

We’ve added a new GIT Fundamentals course to our library!

Log into your members account, or check out ine.com to view our latest addition to the INE video course library, GIT Fundamentals.

Why Study GIT Fundamentals:
GIT Version Control Systems are popular among many organizations, you should learn the basics now so that when faced with a GIT based project you’re able to contribute to your team quickly and efficiently.

About the Course:
This course is 3 hours and 27 minutes long and taught by Eric Parker. This is an introductory course, meant to familiarize students with the core GIT system concepts.

What You’ll Learn:
At the end of the course, students will be able to modify and commit data to both local and remote GIT repositories. Upon the completion of the course, you will be ready to start contributing to GIT based projects of your choice.

About the Instructor:
Eric Parker is a native Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University and is more than happy to tell you all about it! He has spent the last 12+ years building software solutions in the Raleigh, NC area and has architected JAVA, .NET and JavaScript based software projects in both mid-size and enterprise level companies. He Continue reading

Don’t Forget! Tune Into Our CCNA/CCNP Q&A: February 2018

Presented by INE instructor Keith Bogart (CCIE #4923), this free 60 minute session is an open forum for anyone seeking information regarding the Cisco CCNA or CCNP Routing & Switching exam and related technologies. Ask questions live with an experienced industry expert!

When: February 9th AT 10 am (PST)/1 pm (EST)

Who Should Watch: Anyone with questions about earning their associate or professional level Cisco certification

Instructor: Keith Bogart CCIE #4923

Check Out Our Newest Course: CCNA Cyber Ops Technology: SECFND 210-250

Last week we added a new CCNA Cyber Ops Course. This course is available to AAP members through your members and to everyone else through ine.com

Why You Should Watch:
Cisco’s CCNA Cyber Ops certification provides individuals with the knowledge to identify and respond to security incidents. This certification provides a path to working in a Security Operations Center (SOC) and security positions. As a CCNA level certification, Cyber Ops provides introductory knowledge so one may be aware of the security landscape, understand security concepts and general networking.

About the Course:
This course will cover the exam topics of the Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Fundamentals (SECFND 210-250) Exam.This course is taught by Andrew Crouthamel and is 7 hours and 32 minutes long.

What You’ll Learn:
We will dive into topics such as networking concepts and IP addressing, as well as security concepts including access control models, risk assessment and the CIA triad. We will also review cryptography methods and host-based analysis details, as well as security monitoring tools and attack methods used by threat actors.

About the Author:
Andrew is a seasoned IT engineer with over 12 years of experience. He started out in IT as an assistant Continue reading

Tune Into Our CCIE SPv4.1 Advanced Technologies Course This Wednesday and Thursday!

Join 5 time CCIE Rohit Pardasani for our new online live sessions, CCIE Service Provider v4.1 Advanced Technologies. These live sessions are available to All Access Pass members via our live classroom interface, which you can access through your members account. For those who are not All Access Pass members, you can view and purchase AAP packages here. Read on to learn more about this online live class.

When: Wednesday, February 7th & Thursday, February 8th at 8 am PDT

Why You Should Watch: This SPv4.1 class will complete the SPv4.1 courses and bring us current for the Cisco Service Provider Blueprints.

Instructor info: Rohit Pardasani, CCIE #21282, CCSI #34999

About the Instructor:

Rohit has been in the networking industry for more than 17 years, with a focus on Cisco networking for the past 15 years. Rohit not only brings his years of teaching experience to the classroom, but also years of real-world enterprise and service provider experience. Rohit has assisted hundreds of engineers in obtaining their CCIE certification, and has been conducting CCIE RS, CCIE SEC, CCIE SP and CCIE Collaboration for Cisco Systems worldwide. Rohit currently holds 5xCCIE’s (Routing Switching, Service Provider, Security, Voice and Continue reading

Don’t Miss Our LIVE CCNA Kickoff Tomorrow!

Tune into our live CCNA Kickoff session to get advice from a seasoned professional on what to expect during the CCNA Certification exam, and how to pass the first time.

When: February 1st at 10 am PST/ 1 pm EST

Estimated Length: 3 hours

Instructor: Keith Bogart CCIE #4923

Cost: FREE

Who Should Watch:
This webinar is for anyone and everyone! Since this webinar is geared towards those who are just starting out on their journey towards CCNA certification, no prior knowledge is needed in order to participate, just an interest in earning your CCNA.

What We’ll Discuss:
We will cover common trouble areas that most people experience when getting started with their CCNA certification, such as how to approach making a study schedule and strategies for not becoming overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of topics to be learned. We will also discuss the testing experience and the CCNA Certification test format. Topics include: Deciding whether to take one test or two to get your CCNA, What to expect when you walk into the testing center, which topics to study and how in depth, and what study tools can be useful. Last, Keith will talk about his own experience taking Continue reading

We Just Added a New Google Cloud Platform Course to Our Video Library

Last week we added another Google Cloud Platform Course to our video Library. You can find this course, Google Cloud Platform: Networking Fundamentals, on our All Access Pass streaming site and also at ine.com.

Why You Should Take This Course:

Google Cloud Platform enables developers to build, test and deploy applications on Googles highly-scalable, secure, and reliable infrastructure.

About the Course:

This course covers specifically Google Cloud Platform Networking services. We will review the features and functions of Google Cloud Platform Networking Services so that you will understand the GCP options available.

We will also dive into GCP Networking fundamentals such as Software Defined Networking, Load Balancing, Autoscaling and Virtual Private Clouds. As an added bonus, we will also dive into identity and access management from a networking security perspective.

This course is taught by Joseph Holbrook and is 3 hours and 51 minutes long.

What You’ll Learn:

After taking this class students will understand what GCP Cloud services will enable their organization around networking services. Whether you’re a developer or architect, this course will help you understand the basic capabilities and some of the useful advanced features of GCP networking services and features.

About Continue reading

CCIE Collaboration Blueprint Change Announced

Effective January 23, 2018 Cisco will be incorporating a new version of its CCIE Collaboration exam blueprint into both the written and lab exams. Those who are scheduled to take the CCIE Collaboration exam prior to this date will not be affected by the blueprint change.

For those who are scheduled to take the CCIE Collaboration exam on or after July 23, 2018 here are the major changes you can expect to see:

• New segmentation of topics among exam domains
• Removal and addition of some key topics in both the written and lab exams
• The lab exam format will be 100% virtual with no physical technologies use

The v2.0 CCIE Collaboration exam will be split into 8 domains unifying the written and lab exam topics. What this means is that instead of having 9 domains in the written exam and 7 in the lab exam, candidates will be tested on topics in only 8 domains total across both exams. In version 2.0 of the CCIE Collaboration exam, instructions will explicitly state which domains pertain to which exam, and the relative weight of each domain.

 
Topics Added in v2.0:

New Google Cloud Course: Data Storage

As promised, last week we added another Google Cloud Platform course to our collection. The fourth in this series of Google courses, Google Cloud Platform: Data Storage, can be found on our All Access Pass streaming site and ine.com.

Why You Should Take This Course:

Google Cloud Platform enables developers to build, test and deploy applications on Google’s highly-scalable, secure and reliable infrastructure.

Whether you’re a developer or architect, this course will help you understand the basic capabilities and advanced features of GCP Data Services.

About the Course:

This course covers Google Cloud Platform Data Storage and Database Services. More specifically, it covers the features and functions of Google Cloud Platform Data Storage Services so that you can understand the GCP options available.

This course is taught by Joseph Holbrook and is 3 hours and 27 minutes long.

What you’ll Learn:

Students will dive into Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Datastore, Cloud Spanner, Bigtable and why Persistent Disks are important. As an addedd bonus, we will also look at Data Transfer services such as Cloud Storage Migrator Service.

After taking this class students will understand what GCP Cloud Services can enable your organization around Data Storage and database Continue reading

CCIE SP Written and Lab Content Updates v4.1

For those who may not have heard, Cisco recently updated their blueprint for the CCIE Service Provider Written and Lab Exams. According to Cisco, only about 10% of the overall blueprint has changed and topics on 4.1 will be similar to those on 4.0. Read on to learn more.

Domain Changes:

4.1 domain topics are almost exactly the same as 4.0 topics. The main difference in domains is that domains 1 and 3 (service provider architecture and evolution and service provider base services) have been merged into one domain. While other domain topics did not change, slight shifts were made to domain weights.

Weighting of Domains:

Topic changes within the Domains:

• Domain 1 (Core Routing): No topics were added or removed within this domain, but some items were moved, rephrased, or merged into one single item.
• Domain 2 (Service Provider Architecture and Services) now holds tasks of the original domain 1 and 3. Other items that were part of domain 1, such as software architecture, mobility node functions, and virtualization concepts, were rephrased to better define their scope.
• Domain 3 (Access and Aggregation) had a few topics items removed.
• Domain 4 (High Availability and Continue reading

Check Out Our Newest Google Cloud Course

For those of you that are looking to familiarize yourself with the Google Cloud Platform, you’re in luck! we have just released Google Cloud Platform: PaaS with App Engine. This course is now available to All Access Pass members through your members account, and to everyone else through purchase at ine.com.

This course is just one of a growing collection of Google classes offered by INE, we also plan on releasing a Google Data Storage course later this week. Until then, read on to learn about Joseph Holbrook’s latest addition to our Google video course library.

Why Study Google App Engine?
Google App Engine is an extremely useful tool; it is a fully managed platform that completely abstracts away infrastructure so you can focus only on code.

About the Course:
This course covers Google App Engine PaaS and more specifically the history, features and functions of Google App Engine. The instructor will explain the benefits of using Google App Engine with live examples and demos.

The course is 4 hours and 5 minutes long and is taught by Joseph Holbrook.

What You’ll Learn:
Students will dive into both deployment models of the App Engine and learn how Continue reading

We’ve Added a New AWS Certified Solutions Architect Course to Our Video Library!

Last week, we added an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Level course to our video library. The course is available for streaming via your All Access Pass members account and also available for purchase at ine.com.

Why Study AWS?
An AWS certification will put you in an elite group of cloud engineers, and could lead to better employment opportunities. Amazon Web Services are used by thousands of companies around the world, therefore, AWS certified engineers are highly valued by many employers. AWS certifications show the potential employer that you have the skills to design, deploy and manage scalable and secure systems on AWS platform.

About the Course:
This course is designed to help you prepare for the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate exam. Even if you do not have a lot of IT experience, and have never used any Amazon Web Services, this course is the best starting point for AWS certifications.

This class is taught by Miles Karabas, and includes 5 hours and 43 minutes of in-depth lectures, plus numerous practice questions similar to those on the exam.

Areas Focused On:

• Compute
• Storage
• Databases
• Security, Identity & Compliance
• Management Tools
• Networking & Content Continue reading

INE’s CCIE Security v5 Content Updates

With the CCIE SCv5 blueprint now being live, we’re in the process of updating our Security product line in order to meet the new exam requirements. First of all, the following products will be released:

1. Advanced Technologies Class
2. Workbook

Advanced Technologies Class

The Advanced Technologies Class will run live online, starting 1^st of May.  This course series is now available for preorder here, and the full schedule is shown on the product page.  The live course is also open to any All Access Pass subscriber.  Given the current blueprint, which includes pretty much all Cisco Security products, most probably this will be the biggest video series we have ever released so far across all CCIE tracks; expect more than 150 hours of CCIE level training.  First and most important, we’re going to deep dive into all core technologies:

• EndFragment
• ASA Firewall
• IOS Firewall
• FirePOWER
• FirePOWER Threat Defense
• FMC
• WSA
• ESA
• AMP
• IPsec VPN’s (IKEv1 and IKEv2)
• SSL VPN’s
• TrustSec
• ISE
• ACS

At the same time we’ll cover all the remaining topics (small but many), including technologies which will be tested mainly in the written exam (like CWS, SMA or Lancope). Oh….of course we’ll also Continue reading

CCIE DCv2 Update – Cisco ACI, VXLAN EVPN Videos, & More Now Available

One of the most anticipated videos series in INE history is now available in our streaming library – Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Part 1 – Network Centric Mode!

This course is part of our new CCIE Data Center v2 Advanced Technologies Series, which also currently includes the following new courses:

• Layer 2 Switching on Nexus NX-OS
• Nexus Virtual Port Channels (vPC)
• Nexus Fabric Extenders (FEX)
• Nexus FabricPath
• Layer 3 Routing on Nexus NX-OS
• Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) on Nexus NX-OS
• Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Part 1 – Network Centric Mode

Access to these courses and more is now available through INE’s All Access Pass subscription.

The DCv2 Advanced Technologies Series also has additional upcoming courses scheduled that include:

• Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Part 2 – Application Centric Mode
• Nexus Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)
• Locator/ID Separation Protocol (LISP) on Nexus NX-OS
• Storage Area Network (SAN) Switching on Nexus NX-OS
• Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)
• Nexus NX-OS Security
• Nexus NX-OS Security
• Quality of Service (QoS) on Nexus NX-OS
• Network Services & Management on Nexus NX-OS
• Automation and Orchestration with Nexus NX-OS

In addition to the video courses, INE’s CCIE DCv2 Lab Workbook is currently available in beta testing, along with Continue reading

CCIE DCv2 Beta Rack Rentals Now Available

Our CCIE Data Center version 2.0 Rack Rental system is now in beta testing phase.  Click here to submit a request for beta access and I will contact you directly with more details on timing and availability.

Our CCIE DCv2 Rack Rentals consist of the following:

• Nexus 9300 ACI Spines
• Nexus 9300 ACI Leafs
• Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC)
• Nexus 7000s with F3 line cards
• Nexus 5600s
• Nexus 2300 & 2200 10GigE Fabric Extenders
• UCS C series rack servers
• UCS B series blade servers
• UCS 6248 Fabric Interconnects
• Nexus 1000v virtual switch
• Dual 10GigE attached hosts for application testing
• Fibre Channel SAN
• iSCSI SAN

The visual topology topology diagrams are as follows:

INE’s CCIE DCv2 Topology & Content Updates

Now that Cisco Live US 2016 is winding down, we’re going full steam ahead with our CCIE Data Center version 2.0 Blueprint updates.  For those of you that haven’t seen it, my live blog of the CCIE DCv2 Techtorial @ Cisco Live US 2016 can help to answer some additional questions about the exam content and format changes.

Some important upcoming dates in the short term are:

• July 18th – 24th – DCv2 Bootcamp in Washington DC
• July 25th – CCIE DCv2 Written & Lab Exams Go Live
• August 1st – 5th – Online DCv2 Transition Technologies
• August 8th – 14th – DCv2 Bootcamp in Chicago
• August 15th – 21st – DCv2 Bootcamp in RTP

For those of you that have already spent time working on the DCv1 blueprint and are transitioning to DCv2, I would highly recommend to check out the online class the week of August 1st.  I’ll mainly be focusing on the technologies that changed in the blueprint, such as Nexus 9k, ACI, BGP EVPN signaled VxLAN, etc.

Additionally, our new class and rack rental topology has been finalized.  Some of the key topology changes are as follows:

• Nexus 9K 9336PQ ACI Spines
• Nexus 9K Continue reading

CCIE DCv2 Techtorial @ Cisco Live US 2016

This morning I’m in Las Vegas for Cisco Live 2016, and am attending TECCCIE-3644 – CCIE DC Techtorial which focuses on the new CCIE Data Center v2 updates.

I’m live blogging the session so please feel free to submit your questions for the CCIE team as a comment here and I’ll try to get an answer for you.

Slides from the session are available here.

Update 6 – 13:55PDT - UCS will be running 3.x, not 2.x as currently listed on the blueprint.

Update 5 – 11:30PDT - Starting Storage Networking now. Interested to see what the scope is going to be now with the MDSes removed and the N9K’s added.

Update 4 – 09:15PDT - One major format change for the CCIE DCv2 Lab Exam is the introduction of the Diagnostics section, similar to other tracks such as RSv5. Here are some highlights and demo questions illustrating the format of the Diag section.

• Diag section consists of one or more independent Tasks.
• Each Task can have one or more Questions.
• Questions are typically 1 point apiece, but could be 2 or 3 points.
• Each Question within a task is graded individually. It is possible to get Task Continue reading