CCNA Security was once the go-to path for Nigerian network engineers who wanted to add safety skill to their Cisco know-how. But the world of tech certifications has changed a great deal. So is it still worth your time and cash in 2026?
This guide gives you an honest, fresh answer. We look at what CCNA Security covered, how Cisco has changed its path since then, and what Nigerian network engineers should do today as a true replacement.
The short answer? It is gone. But this does not mean you are out of good options. Let’s look at the full picture.
Lagos Data School made this guide as part of our current career help work. We speak with Nigerian hiring partners each year, so we can give you a true, grounded view rather than old, stale advice.
What Was CCNA Security?
CCNA Security was a Cisco test that focused on safety skills tied to Cisco gear. It covered how to lock down routers, switches, and other Cisco tools. It also touched on firewalls, VPNs, and access rules on Cisco setups.
For many years, it sat as a clear next step after the base CCNA for Nigerian network engineers who wanted to move into more safety-focused roles while staying in the Cisco world.
What Happened to CCNA Security?
In early 2020, Cisco made a big change to its test path. The old set of split, role-based CCNAs, including CCNA Security, CCNA Wireless, CCNA Voice, and others, was fully retired.
In short, they were all taken off the shelf. All of them. At once.
In their place, Cisco launched one updated CCNA that covers a wider range of network topics, including a part on safety basics, rather than split these into separate tests.
For staff who wanted to go deeper into Cisco safety, Cisco also grew its higher-level CCNP path. It added a set CCNP Security track with a few deep-dive tests beneath it.
So CCNA Security as a stand-alone product no longer exists. If you see it listed on a site or in a course ad, that listing is out of date and no longer matches real Cisco test options.
Can You Still Earn a CCNA Security Credential?
No. Cisco retired this test in 2020. It is no longer possible to earn, sit, or renew CCNA Security. Any old credential has passed its three-year live window. So even those who once held it can not list it as a live, active certification today.
If you studied old CCNA Security material and wonder if that know-how still counts, the honest answer is that much of it does carry over into the new CCNA and CCNP Security paths. But the named credential is gone, and you would need to sit a live, current test to earn a real, active certification.
What Nigerian Network Engineers Should Pursue Instead
Now that we have cleared this up, Lagos Data School wants to give you a real, current set of options that truly match the Nigerian job market in 2025.
Option 1: The Current CCNA (200-301)
The current CCNA is the most direct heir to the old CCNA Security for Nigerian network engineers. It covers safety basics alongside routing, switching, smart tools, and wireless topics.
This test suits Nigerian network engineers who want a strong, known Cisco base that includes real safety content without going too narrow into safety alone. It remains widely known by Nigerian employers who value Cisco skill.
Option 2: CCNP Security
For Nigerian engineers who already hold a CCNA or equal work time, CCNP Security gives a deeper, set safety path within the Cisco world. It covers advanced topics like firewalls, VPNs, identity tools, and safe access.
This path suits skilled Nigerian network engineers who want to make safety their main career focus while staying in the Cisco world they already know well.
Option 3: CompTIA Security+
For network engineers who want to build a no-brand safety base that works across many platforms, Security+ stays a strong, well-known choice. It adds to Cisco skill rather than replace it, and it opens doors at firms that do not run purely Cisco setups.
Option 4: Cisco CyberOps Associate
Cisco also gives a CyberOps Associate test built for engineers who want to move into safety ops work. It covers threat watch, safety data tools, and SOC-style skills within a Cisco-based frame.
Comparing Current Options for Nigerian Network Engineers
| Certification | Platform | Best For |
| CCNA (200-301) | Cisco-linked | Wide Cisco network engineers |
| CCNP Security | Cisco, advanced | Senior Cisco safety engineers |
| CompTIA Security+ | No brand tied | Engineers who want a wide safety base |
| Cisco CyberOps Associate | Cisco, SOC-focused | Engineers moving into SOC work |
Is Cisco Knowledge Still Relevant in Nigeria?
Yes, very much so. While CCNA Security itself is gone, Cisco’s gear stays widely used across Nigerian banks, phone firms, and large firms. So Cisco skill still holds real, true worth here.
The exam is gone. The real-world need is not. That is the key point.
The key shift is that the old, named credential is gone. Engineers must now take a live, current Cisco path rather than study old content tied to a dead test.
What About CCNA Security Study Materials Found Online?
If you have found CCNA Security study tools online, whether books, video courses, or mock tests, be careful. Much of this content dates from before 2020 and covers a dead exam with content that Cisco has since changed.
Some of the base tech know-how, such as locking down Cisco routers and grasping VPN setups, stays useful. However, using these tools as an exam prep path will not lead to a live, active test, since the exam simply does not exist anymore.
Lagos Data School always advises using fresh, live-maintained study tools that map to real, book-able exams, so your study time truly leads to a known credential rather than a set of facts with no test to show for it.
Pay for Network Safety Engineers in Nigeria
The good news for Nigerian network engineers is that mixing strong Cisco network skills with safety credentials most often leads to solid pay across the local market. Network safety engineers in Nigeria earn above the general IT average, showing the set-apart nature of this mixed skill.
Engineers who hold both a live CCNA or CCNP and a safety credential such as Security+ tend to draw stronger offers than those with either alone, since this mix shows both deep tech network skill and real safety grasp.
The Wider Trend: Network and Safety Work Are Joining
A wider trend worth knowing for Nigerian network engineers is the growing join of network and safety as fields of work. The old, clean line between a network engineer and a safety engineer has blurred a great deal in recent years.
More Nigerian firms now expect their network engineers to hold real safety know-how, and expect their safety staff to truly grasp networking. Engineers who bridge both areas well tend to find stronger career chances and draw stronger pay.
Lagos Data School builds our network and safety training to show this join of fields directly, rather than teach these areas as fully split tracks that never meet.
Practical Skills Nigerian Network Engineers Should Build
Past certifications, Lagos Data School asks that Nigerian network engineers build the skills below to stay truly strong in the job field in 2025.
- Firewall setup and care, covering both Cisco ASA and next-gen tools
- VPN setup and fix-work across common firm cases
- Network watch and log reading using SIEM and network tools
- Cloud network basics, including safety groups and virtual network setup
- Zero Trust network ideas, which more firms now ask for in their setups
- Simple script writing for network tasks, since manual-only engineers face more tool-based competition each year
Start with just one or two of these. Then add more as you grow. Small, steady skill growth beats a wide, unfocused spread every time.
How Lagos Data School Approaches Network Safety Training
Rather than teach CCNA Security, which no longer has a live exam, Lagos Data School has changed our content to match live test paths and real market needs.
Our network safety training covers live Cisco test content next to no-brand safety ideas. This gives Nigerian engineers a two-track skill set. It works across many setups, not just those with pure Cisco gear.
Students who finish our program leave with both the tech skill to lock down real networks and the test prep to prove those skills through live, active exams.
Questions Nigerian Network Engineers Should Ask First
Lagos Data School asks Nigerian engineers to think clearly through a few key points before they pick any test path.
- Does your current firm run mainly Cisco gear, or a mixed setup?
- Do your target firms truly want Cisco credentials, or would no-brand tests serve just as well?
- Are you aiming to stay in network work with a safety focus, or move more fully into a safety analyst or SOC role?
- What tests do live Nigerian job posts in your target role actually list as needs or picks?
Answering these with honest care helps you dodge the trap of chasing a test that sounds right but does not truly match your real career aim in the local Nigerian job field.
A Word to Network Engineers Who Feel Confused
If you found this guide because you were confused, you are not alone. Many Nigerian network engineers have asked us the same exact question.
They see old course ads, old books and they see old YouTube videos still up from 2018 or 2019. And they wonder if this old test is still a live option.
It is not. But that is okay. Good options still exist. New ones, in fact, that are even better fit for the job field in 2025.
The key is to stop chasing a dead test and start learning what firms truly need right now. Lagos Data School can help you see this clearly and pick the right next step for your own real career path.
Recommended External Resource
For current, true facts on all live Cisco test paths, visit Cisco’s own certification page: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html
What Nigerian Network Engineers Are Doing in 2025
Based on talks with Lagos Data School students and grads, here is what the most active Nigerian network engineers are truly doing in 2025 to stay ahead.
Many are pairing the live CCNA with Security+ to show both Cisco and wide safety skill at once. This two-test combo is proving very strong in local job searches, since it signals a candidate who can both build and guard a network.
Others are moving toward cloud network work, picking up cloud platform skills alongside their Cisco base. This path aligns well with how more Nigerian firms now run mixed setups, with some work on old, in-house Cisco gear and some work on cloud tools at the same time.
Lagos Data School helps Nigerian network engineers map out their own best path based on their current skill set and their real target roles, not a one-size answer that may not fit their own unique situation.
Advice for Those Who Already Studied Old CCNA Security Content
If you have already spent time studying old CCNA Security material, do not see that time as fully wasted. Much of the base tech know-how, such as how to set up a safe router or how VPNs work, still applies across the live Cisco path.
The main gap is that this old content was tied to a dead exam with a format that no longer exists. So you need to map your existing knowledge onto the current CCNA or CCNP Security exam structure, not use old practice tests built for a retired test.
If you had been thinking about CCNA Security and now need to pick a live option, run through this short check.
- Do you already hold the live CCNA test?
- Does your work setup run mainly Cisco gear?
- Do you want to stay in the Cisco world, or are you open to no-brand paths?
- Are you aiming for a network safety engineer role, or a broader safety analyst role?
Your answers should point you clearly toward one of the four live options covered in this guide. Lagos Data School is glad to help you map this out in more depth through our career help sessions.
Final Thoughts: Stay Live, Stay Relevant
The world of IT certifications moves fast. What was the top pick five years ago may be gone today. What matters most is staying on live, active paths that match what real Nigerian firms and global ones truly need right now.
CCNA Security is gone. But the need for skilled, safety-aware network engineers in Nigeria has never been stronger. So the right move is not to mourn the old test but to get on with the live options that are open to you today.
About Lagos Data School
Lagos Data School is Nigeria’s top school for cyber security, data science, cloud, and analytics. Every idea in this guide is part of our hands-on course.
Our teachers are real security pros, not just classroom staff. So you learn from people who guard live networks every day.
We run classes on weekdays, weekends, and online. So no matter your time, we have a slot for you. Beyond skills, we also give you a real certificate and links to job partners.
Visit Lagos Data School today to view our courses and join the next class.
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