The way we work -and where we work -has changed immensely in the past decade alone. That transformation will continue with the ongoing proliferation of communications devices.

According to Gartner, an estimated 40% of the workforce will be mobile by 2016. In addition, more organizations have employees in different buildings, cities, states, and even countries.

Collaboration is critical to business success and innovation, but the changes in the workplace require new ways to collaborate. No longer can you rely on being able to huddle at the cubicle down the hall.

Fortunately, advancing technologies have empowered people to engage and innovate anywhere, anytime.

To support this transition, today's IT staff must wear multiple hats. Gone are the days when you'd have a dedicated voice guru, a specialized video expert, and someone else to support collaboration tools. Multiple trends are converging and with them, IT job roles are blending. In many organizations, video and voice specialist roles have converged to become a single specialty.

As a network engineer, how do you convey and prove that you have the skill set to deliver business value using Cisco collaboration solutions? Throughcertification.

Today, Cisco announced an expansion of its Collaboration Certification Portfolio that provides training on how to deploy collaboration technology most effectively.

The Collaboration Certification portfolio now includes associate (CCNA) and professional (CCNP) levels, offering a complete career path for collaboration, voice, and video network engineers who want to enhance their skills to embrace the new way of working.

The benefits? Those pursuing Cisco Collaboration certification and training can look forward to the following:

• Development of video and voice skills that will allow network engineers and others to meet an ongoing talent gap in these areas
• Curricula and labs focused on real-world best practices incorporating the latest Cisco collaboration products and solutions
• A complete career certification track that validates Cisco Collaboration mastery from the Associate through the Expert level

These new certifications will have major impact on individuals and organizations alike, ensuring that network engineers bring the latest collaboration knowledge to proverbial table -regardless of whether that table is at company headquarters or a coffee shop in Timbuktu.

To learn more, please visit: Cisco Collaboration Certification.