The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is the first in Cisco's line of certifications that an aspiring networking professional must acquire in order to add value to their IT career. The CCNA certification validates a firm foundation of networking skills that include fundamentals like the OSI Reference Model, Networking Protocols, Layer 2 Switching Concepts and Protocols, Routing Concepts and Protocols, and Wide-Area Networking (WAN) Connectivity.