Cisco has beefed up its reseller certification programme to give customers the opportunity to get involved with the firm's network architecture strategy.

The network giant said yesterday that individuals with the right credentials can now sit an exam which focuses on multi-vendor design principles, theory, and analysis.

The certification, which has been dubbed CCDE, builds on Cisco's existing expert level (CCIE) programme.

Cisco reckons about 30 per cent of CCIE bods are responsible for overseeing network design each day, but many of those experts don't get their hands on any nitty-gritty configuration work.

CCDE wannabes can expect to undergo a two-part grilling, the first half of which includes networking theories, principles, protocols, and technology elements. An eight hour practical test will follow later this year, said the firm.

Yankee Group analyst Zeus Kerravala said in a Cisco statement: "People who take on design roles impact the strategic direction of their organisations. This new expert-level certification recognises the importance of individuals to not only operate and diagnose networks, but design them."

Pearson Vue is providing the exam at its test centres worldwide. ®