A subset of the Cisco Sales Essentials course is considered baseline training for account managers focused on the Small and Medium Business environment. Learners who focus on the topics outlined below will be newly hired account managers, account managers who have little or no experience selling Cisco products and solutions, or account managers seeking refresher information to prepare for CSA certification. While for many account managers the Sales Essentials course will introduce Cisco product and services, the course will not be a new employee orientation course that contains detailed information about Cisco history, benefits, and the like. The Cisco Sales Associate exam covers topics on Why Cisco, Campus LAN, Wireless LAN, Security and Virtual Private Networks, Network Management, and Service and Support.
Exam Topics
The following information provides general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam.
Why Cisco
Identify the definition, components, function, and the business benefits of Cisco IOS
Identify the key characteristics (financial strength, focus on customer, technological innovations, and broad product lines and services) of Cisco that help meet customer needs
Identify key facts related to the origins and general strength of Cisco
Campus LAN
Identify the definition and components of a Campus LAN
Identify the definition and functionality of a switch, and differentiate between a hub and a switch
Identify the definition and functionality of a router
Identify the definition and the functionality of a multi-layer switch
Identify the definition of the access area, distribution area, and core area of the Campus LAN
Given an access area, distribution area, or core area and the size of a LAN, identify which Catalyst series fits in the LAN (2950 Series, 3550 Series, 4500 Series, 6500 Series)
Identify five series of Cisco routers that connect a LAN to a WAN (Cisco 1700 Series Access Routers, Cisco 2600 Series Multiservice Platforms, Cisco 3700 Series Multiservice Access Routers)
Identify opportunities for switched Campus LANs
Wireless LAN
Identify the definition and the components of a wireless LAN (Access points, Client adapters, Antennas, Bridges)
Identify descriptions of the methods for providing security for wireless LANs (SSI, Encryption, Authentication)
Identify opportunity indicators for Wireless LANs
Identify Cisco wireless products and their market placement
Security and Virtual Private Networks
Identify the definition and purpose of network security and Virtual Private Networks
Identify the description of a common threat to network security (Network service attack, denial of service, data theft/interception, viruses and worms)
Identify elements of a successful network security strategy (developing a security policy, securing the network, monitoring the network, testing security systems, improving and analyzing)
Identify descriptions of network security components (Firewall, Authentication, Access control, VPN tunneling and encryption, Intrusion detection)
Associate the appropriate Cisco product family or product series with elements of an overall plan for network security (Cisco Secure Policy Manager (CSPM), Cisco Network Security, Cisco Security Monitoring, Cisco Security Testing, Cisco VPN)
Identify opportunity indicators for network security
Network Management
Identify the purposes and benefits of network management including maintenance, operational support, and security
Identify the benefits of the CiscoWorks family of products
Identify opportunity indicators for Cisco network management products
Service and Support
Identify the purposes and key differences of Cisco's support portfolios (Technical Service and Support, Advanced Services, Advisory Services)
Describe Cisco's legal responsibility under warranty support
Describe the main benefits/entitlements of Cisco Technical Services and Support
Identify key benefits of Cisco Software Support
Indentify the key elements of hardware replacement
