CCIE Security – Starting again, from the beginning

It has been a while since I thought about my CCIE Security. You may recall that I attempted the lab last year, and bombed out completely. Well, after six months, it’s time to get back on that particular horse. I am going to do it right this time.

There were a number of things that went wrong (as outlined in the link above), so I am following a new path. Also, because of the new technologies that I need to learn.

Zero, wanting to be a hero.

I have signed up for the Micronics Zero to Hero security course, starting in June, which will give me the completeness that I lacked. I think that starting with the CCNA R&S, moving onto the CCNP and then the CCIE was part of the overall success of my attempt at the Routing and Switching, but I was perhaps a little too cocky when starting the Security track. Mistakenly, I thought that as I spend most of my time working with ASAs would mean that it would be easy. It wasn’t, and ASAs only account for part of the lab. I did not have the same grounding in the technologies that were new to me. So clearly, I needed to step down a peg and put more ground work in.

So anyway, I was having a drink with Narbik the other day (I just like saying that…) and, amongst his hilarious tales, we spoke about my attempt at the v4 CCIE Security. I had already heard about the Z2H course that he offers, and although he was by no means trying to give the hard sell (that’s not in his nature at all), he did say that Piotr, who teaches the security course, is a fantastic teacher. I had already heard good things about the course from Katie Mac, so checked my bank balance (nearly enough, but my credit card has been flexed), and checked with my wife, who was OK with the idea. So it’s now all booked.

It looks like a great course, and you can find more information here: https://micronicstraining.com/event/security-zero-to-hero/

Moar Power!

I have started to collate the software that I need and rolled out the FirePOWER management console, and even managed to connect my ASA 5506-X to it.

Firepower 5506-X

I must admit that I have no idea what to do with it now, but it is certainly a start.

The next step is to start planning some little labs as that’s how I learn best, think about the network, set something up, chuck traffic across it and see what works and what doesn’t.

The ACI book is nearly finished, it’s in the final editing stage, and I have a holiday coming up next month, so will be taking the “Cisco Next-Generation Security Solutions” book with me.

CCIE Security, here I come. Just not sure when!

I will not, at this stage, be setting in timeline goals for the exams, my CCIE R&S doesn’t need renewing for a while, so there is no pressure there.

I just want to do it right this time!

5 Comments

  1. Sean June 23, 2017
    • Stuart Fordham June 23, 2017
  2. Sean June 23, 2017
  3. Sean September 19, 2017

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