• Building Converged Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN) (642-812)
• Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks (ISCW) (642-825)
• Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (ONT) (642-845)
• Composite (642-892)
• Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) (642-901)

In addition to these for CCNP (two of which can also count for CCDP), three specialist exams are also expiring on the same day:

• Express Foundation for System Engineers v1.2 (CXFS) (642-373)
• Express Foundation for Field Engineers v1.2 (CXFF) (642-383)
• Express Foundation for Account Managers v1.2 (CXFA) (646-363)

All exams are available through the Pearson VUE testing centers and more information on available exams can be found here. 

MCAS Certification Now MOS

Follow this tale, if you can: Certifications in Microsoft Office products used to be known as MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist), but there were complaints that the acronym sounded too much like the piece of hardware that you used to point and click at things on the desktop. Responding to that, Microsoft and its Office certification partner du jour -- Certiport, changed the certification to MCAS (Microsoft Certified Application Specialist) beginning with the 2007 products.  Sadly, the MCAS acronym sounds like nothing and it failed to catch on with those who had come to know what MOS was. Because of that, on June 2, all MCAS titles have been changed to MOS. Those who certify in the new Office 2010 products will receive MOS certifications. Sometimes, you don't know a good thing until you leave it.

More information on the change (reversion), can be found here.

Book of the Week: IT Project Management

The third edition of Joseph Phillips' IT Project Management is an A to Z reference of all you need to study in order to ace the CompTIA Project+ exam and earn that certification. The CompTIA certification differs from those that may be better known that are offered by the Project Management Institute in a number of ways, with two worth focusing on:

• The Project+ certification does not have the same requirement for documented experience that PMI has. That makes Project+ a great credential to obtain if you are new to the field or looking for a stepping stone to reach before you attempt the more difficult certification.
• This certification at one time was known under the name IT Project+ and geared more toward those in the IT industry rather than those involved in project management. While the name of the certification (and some objectives) have changed, this will still be viewed by the industry as more of an IT certification than a generic one.

Given these factors, the certification is a good one to have, and Phillips' book does a great job of overly preparing you for it (giving you much of what you would also need to know for PMI's PMP Project Management Professional). 

Accompanying the book is a CD with the usual practice exam and electronic copy of the manuscript. Also included are some templates and worksheets you can use on the job and a few video segments from the author.

Certification Software Of The Week: Palaestra's PMP Training

When you've obtained CompTIA's Project+ certification and started to think about PMP, you'll also want to start thinking about Palaestra Training's  DVD for PMP certification. Authored by J. Ashley Hunt, this software is written for the fourth edition of the PMBOK Guide and includes tutorials in AVI, iPod and MP3 formats.

There are over 16 hours of videos in the 26 lessons for the core product. An accompanying DVD focuses on Microsoft Project 2010, adding an additional six lessons. If you are looking for a complete study package that will prepare you for this rigorous certification, click here for more information.