Wayne A. Lawson II, IPexpert President, founded the company in 2001 after becoming a CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert). He credits the success of IPexpert to hiring and retaining the right team members and focusing on customer satisfaction. “It’s an honor to receive this recognition for the 3rd consecutive year. We’ve worked very hard to get where we are and we’re very optimistic about our continued growth over the next several years,” says Lawson. Elizabeth Stewart, IPexpert’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, adds, “We have implemented an aggressive growth strategy both domestically and internationally, recruited an outstanding team, and built a detailed execution plan. I’m very excited about our future in 2010 and beyond.”

IPexpert is doubling the amount of training offerings it will supply to its customers, thus positioning the company as a global leader in providing self-study multimedia learning tools and classroom training that prepare computer networking engineers for all levels of career certification offered by Cisco Systems. Since its founding in 2001, the company has honed its focus and expertise on training solutions for those seeking the CCIE certification and currently leads the market with the most comprehensive portfolio of CCIE lab preparation products and courses in the world. Although Cisco is the leading provider of computer networking solutions worldwide, less than 26,000 engineers have been able to attain the prestigious CCIE certification over its 11-year lifetime. Those that have joined this elite group are highly sought after by the world’s top companies and government agencies, commanding six-figure salaries, job security and a respected status amongst peers. In 2009, IPexpert expanded their course portfolio to also include training for the Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), CCSP (Cisco Certified Security Professional), and CCVP (Cisco Certified Voice Professional) certification products and courses. By launching training options for these tiers of certification, IPexpert is able to assist the IT Networking Professional with the full range of certification options, from the entry to the expert level. Boasting a wide range of self-study tools, clients can choose professionally formatted and produced workbooks, audio products, video on demand, and eLearning products. For clients that prefer live instruction from qualified, industry-recognized experts, the company offers instructor-led, classroom-based courses that are now delivered all over the world.

With the addition of new training locations in Amsterdam, London, and Sydney, as well as the hiring of dedicated international instructors, IPexpert will execute on its goal to grow its classroom delivery business to outside of the United States. “Our self-study products have consistently been a very popular study tool for our international customers for years, and we are answering their demand for instructor-led training as well,” states Lawson. The company will also grow its US classroom delivery business with the recent hiring of three more instructors, which allows for more training classes in more locations. “We are hiring the instructors that live and breathe these technologies in order to create, maintain, and constantly update our products,” Lawson continues. “It is common in our industry to contract outside engineers to teach training courses … after that, they leave. We have built a solid foundation of staff instructors to provide consistent quality training to our customers and who are invested in the long-term success of our students.”

The company has also launched a completely redesigned website in order to better serve its clients. The website,http://www.ipexpert.com, includes more detailed course descriptions, samples of self-study products, free downloads, and user outlets such as an online blog and email discussion list. “Our new website funnels more information directly to our clients than ever before,” says Stewart. “We are looking to create strong relationships with our students, many of which will be with us for several years as they pursue their certification goals from entry level to expert level. The website is a reflection of that collaborative effort and the sense of community we provide to our clients.”

About IPexpert: Founded in 2001, IPexpert is an industry-recognized, privately held training company for computer networking engineers pursuing the highest level career certification offered by Cisco. IPexpert is a global leader in providing self-study multimedia learning tools and classroom training preparing computer networking engineers for all levels of career certification offered by Cisco Systems. Boasting a wide range of self-study products, clients can choose professionally formatted and produced workbooks, audio lecture products, video on demand, and streaming eLearning products. For students that prefer live instruction from qualified, industry-recognized CCIEs, IPexpert Boot Camp courses are second to none.

About Inc.com: The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to each company’s percentage of revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy. To qualify, companies must be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies that can be sorted by industry and region, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/. Inc.com, the Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs, delivers advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multimedia to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully. Information and advice covering virtually every business and management task, including marketing, sales, finding capital and managing people, can be found at http://www.inc.com.

Contact:

Wayne Lawson
Phone: (810) 326-1444

Elizabeth is a phenomenal asset to the team. She understands, probably better than anybody, what a company needs to do to be successful (all around) in the lower-level Cisco training space. She’s been named our VP of Sales & Marketing and will be overseeing our sales processes & procedures and our marketing (traditional and social) efforts. She brings a wealth of sales, management and leadership experience and I’m truly relieved to have a “right hand woman” of her caliber! Expect to see some exciting things that haven’t been thought of, or attempted by traditional Cisco-focused training organizations.

Dan, a former instructor at Global Net Training, has been teaching for over ten years and has developed proprietary training curriculum for the CCNA R&S, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CCNP, CCSP and CCVP certification tracks. His track record is second-to-none and his pass rate is unmatched! (He’s a former Marine – as I am, so if you attend one of Dan’s classes – be ready for a challenging “Marine-like” BOOTCAMP! ;-). At IPexpert, Dan is responsible for all aspects of classroom delivery for these Associate and Professional level certification programs. He will also be instrumental in the development process and customer support for IPexpert’s various Cisco Associate and Professional level self-study products. In addition to a classroom background that’s extremely uncommon and hard to match, Dan has also been heavily involved in the field, obtaining real-world experience by actively planning, developing, implementing, monitoring and managing networks for Government and State Agencies as well as Private Corporations. For over 10 years, Dan has extensive experience managing, operating and consulting in technical support centers with customers such as ATT&T, Verizon, Secure Logix, Source Inc., Austin American Statesman, MaryKay, and The State of Texas.

Building on an already-established, overachieving team of industry-renowned Instructors, and the most-recent announcements including Amy Ryan (CCIE Voice, CCVP and CCNA Voice Instructor & Developer), Marko Milivojevic (CCNA, CCNP and CCIE Instructor – International), the team of 8 additional Support Engineers (all of them CCIE certified, most of them holding multiple CCIEs) we’ve announced over the past few months and a few additional “all stars” that we’ll be announcing in the upcoming weeks, we’re poised to deliver an extremely technical, professional, personalized experience to each and every student. Our goal is to provide a complete “end-to-end” solution for all levels – Associate to Expert beginning with quizzes, written prep, self-study materials, online hardware access and then ILT while also providing “second-to-none” online mentoring and support.

We plan on creating content that’s based on our “learn by doing” approach that we’ve mastered in the CCIE space.  We’ve trained more CCIEs than any company in the world – put simply, our “Structured Learning Approach” is proven and it works. I’m excited to be rolling this down to the Associate and Professional level. We’re going to train and create great engineers that really understand the technologies and protocols, engineers that “get it” – and aren’t “paper certified”.

Stay tuned for our new website which will showcase new product offerings – it should be up and live within the next few days!

Regards,

Wayne A. Lawson II – CCIE #5244
Founder & President – IPexpert
Mailto: wlawson@ipexpert.com
Telephone: +1.810.326.1444, ext. 701
Live Assistance, Please visit: www.ipexpert.com/chat
eFax: +1.810.454.0130

IPexpert is a premier provider of Classroom and Self-Study Cisco CCNA (R&S, Voice & Security), CCNP, CCVP, CCSP and CCIE (R&S, Voice, Security & Service Provider) Certification Training with locations throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. Be sure to check out our online communities at www.ipexpert.com/communities and our public website at www.ipexpert.com.

Marko has been working with IPexpert over the past few years developing several self-study products, and will now be more-heavily involved in product development and training (classroom training throughout Europe, Australia and Asia) full time.

With the new CCIE R&S Lab 4.0 update, which involves a large amount of troubleshooting and service provider-like content, Marko is an incredible fit.  His background and technical skills are a great match! Marko will be a double IE (adding the 4.0 R&S) very soon, and is a great addition to the team!

- Wayne

Just a quick update….for R&S, the following labs (and Detailed Solution Guides) are either published (existing members accounts) – or will be published within the next day to your accounts:

Routing & Switching – Volumes 1, 2 and 3:

• Volume 1 (Done w/ 34 mock lab scenarios)
• Volume 2: Labs 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 (12 out of 15 completed)
• Volume 3: Labs 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9 (5 out of 10 completed)

Security – Volumes 1 and 2:

• Volume 1: Labs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B and 8A (13 out of 16 completed)
• Volume 2: Labs 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 (5 out of 10 completed)

We will be updating timelines on the full suite of products soon too!  Thanks for hanging with us – this year has been filled with lots and lots of development with the 4.0 R&S, 3.0 Voice and 3.0 Security changes!

Regards – Wayne

Just a quick note to remind everyone that on occasion we push special promotions, updates, announcement, etc. – through our Facebook Fan Page, LinkedIn Group and through our Twitter Account.  Be sure to follow us – we’ve got some very major announcements and initiatives that will be announced over the next 2 to 4 weeks – that you WON’T want to miss!!

Thanks – Wayne

Kaufman will oversee IPexpert’s Sales and Marketing organizations, responsible for overall sales execution and customer satisfaction as well as all internet marketing initiatives. He will also be involved in the planning and execution of IPexpert’s future product and course offerings. In this role, he will lead IPexpert’s efforts to grow its revenues, customer base, and sales organization and internet visibility. Kaufman will report to IPexpert’s President, Wayne A. Lawson II.

Prior to joining IPexpert, Kaufman was a co-founder of Intense School, an Information Technology and Information Security training organization. There, he filled multiple roles to include Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President in charge of business development, strategic partnerships and marketing and was responsible for taking Intense School from startup to over 11MM in sales annually. During his tenure at Intense School, Kaufman received numerous accolades including Windows Magazine’s Prestigious Best Boot Camp award on three occasions.

“David Kaufman has all of the characteristics that you look for in a senior leader in terms of experience, leadership, dynamic personality, and a proven track record,” said Lawson. “David’s expertise allows us to expand our product and course offerings into additional vendor and technology verticals which will continue to bring the incredible growth that we’ve experienced since our launch in 2001. We’re pleased to have someone with his experience and abilities on our team.”

About IPexpert:

Founded in 2001, IPexpert is an industry-recognized, privately held, training company for computer networking engineers pursuing the highest level career certification offered by Cisco. The company has become a global leader serving its niche market, boasting the most distinguished offering of self-study products, courses and online hardware available for online equipment rental. IPexpert has appeared in Inc. Magazine’s annual list of the fastest growing private companies in America for the past two years. Visit www.ipexpert.com for more information.

There is a silver lining to this though: demand for knowledgeable workers is increasing for similar reasons. If a company can only afford to employ fewer people, then they need each of those people to be as highly skilled and adaptable as possible. Knowledge is power, and one of the many attributes of a CCIE is knowledge – after all, we’re the best of the best. In the past few months, myself and many CCIEs that I know have received more job opportunities than at any time in the past 18 months. Initially I assumed this to be an anomaly due to the contracting economy and then something clicked for me – CCIE demand by employers is booming.

The most common reasons I hear amongst students aiming for CCIE certification when I ask them why they are pursuing it include: sense of accomplishment; increased salary; better job performance; increased job security and a desire to achieve a higher level of knowledge in their chosen field. Generally I hear them in roughly that order. The average CCIE wage is over $100k in good times – in many cases significantly higher. The average CCNP wage is around $70-80k in good times.

What happens in bad economic times? As companies cut back, those at the top of their field, the CCIEs, either stay where they are whilst their team dwindles in size, or move to another company that needs the most talented workers. This effectively keeps the average CCIE wage at about the same level, with perhaps a slight decline. However, for the lower skilled CCNP level workers (and more so for the CCNA level and so on down the line) jobs become more scarce, both due to the reduction in overall networking positions and the increased competition for senior as CCIEs gradually move to take up the top roles in each organization’s network teams.

Now, this might seem bad – but there is good news. With such a large demand for CCIEs, there has probably never been a better time since the dot-com bubble burst to push yourself to upgrade your knowledge and ability to CCIE level. At IPexpert we provide the CCIE training industry’s foremost programs in the R&S, Voice, Security and Service Provider track to enable you to achieve this certification in the most compressed timeframe possible, whilst ensuring that you have that powerful level of knowledge that your job may require. Our labs and courses are designed to ensure that your time is spent most optimally with the goal of making the CCIE lab exam achievable in 3 to 6 months (after completion of the written exam).

As someone who self funded both my purchase of IPexpert’s self study products and instructor led boot camps for both my R&S and Security CCIE tracks (as well as the international flights to attend them), I fully understand the financial and time challenges that come with making a commitment to achieve CCIE certification. I can also say that from a personal development, a financial and a work lifestyle choice that was the best decision I ever made.

If you are interested in attaining your CCIE, so that you can also benefit from the additional level of security and satisfaction that comes with it, please send an email to sales@ipexpert.com and one of our Training Advisers will gladly talk to you about tailoring a program to your needs. After all, knowledge is power.

Cheers,

Jared

Due to the economic downturn, many candidates are under spending restrictions and budget cuts on training and travel, so we wanted to do something more to help!

Essentially, we have taken the same course materials used in our 1-Week Lab Experience Boot Camps, which costs $4999 to $5499, and made the mock labs available at a low cost…

“Last Mile” Prep Kit Components

• Four full-scale “Mock Lab” exams, professionally printed and bound, then shipped to your door.
• The books you receive will include detailed written walk-through explanations for each of the labs.
• You will also have electronic access to download a file with the final configurations.

60 Hours of Online Rack Rental INCLUDED

With this kit, you also get a week’s worth of time with a rack of equipment! You get eight online rack sessions for use at Proctor Labs. That is over 60 hours of rack time to work through the mock labs!

For details and to order your kit…

• Voice: http://www.ipexpert.com/index.cfm/product/sku/IPX0703
• Security: http://www.ipexpert.com/index.cfm/product/sku/IPX0701

Over the past several months, CCIE candidates have been making public mention (on various lists, forums, etc) that they have purchased CCIE Voice training from Internetwork Expert, but have not received what they paid for. To be honest, we have been happy to have a good number of them give up and come to IPexpert and we have remained quiet about it.

Yesterday, some of those being kept on the hook began speaking out loudly on the Group Study email list. In response, Anthony acknowledged the continued delays and gave assurance of full refunds…

from    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
reply-to    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
to    ccie voice <danmccie@gmail.com>
cc    ccielab@groupstudy.com
date    Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 11:08 PM
subject    Re: Internetwork Expert – Worst Voice CCIE Vendor

Please contact our Customer Service or Sales department with your information and I am sure they will provide you with a full refund. So sorry about the delays. I am sure they are a result of our desire to create some of the best materials available. We always strive to do that.

Anthony J. Sequeira, CCIE #15626, CCSI #23251
Senior CCIE Instructor

I will not be a hypocrite here; I acknowledge that IPexpert has slipped on release dates ourselves in the past. I second Anthony’s assertion that some slippage is permissible, when necessary for the assurance of the best-possible product. However, there comes a time when the customer needs to be served and sometimes that means letting them move on. One of the guys in the ongoing Group Study thread questioned “why a product which was announced in October of 2007 still hasn’t been completely released.”

For a CCIE Voice candidate that is resigned to the idea of waiting for the new blueprint change, perhaps they don’t mind more waiting for the IE products they purchased. However, the guys that are really hurt are the ones hoping to pass on the CURRENT blueprint. It’s a shame that their needs have not been held with the highest priority. :(

An offer from IPexpert…

IPexpert has a well-respected line of products and courses for the CCIE Voice track, backed by 24 full racks of gear accessible through a great customized user interface. We have been focused on Voice heavily for 4 years now and have a solid track record of success. Instructors Vik Malhi and Mark Snow have worked tirelessly to continually refine our Voice training to be the best available anywhere.

We would like to take care of anybody that wants to be training immediately:

1. For the first FIVE customers to present us with a paid receipt (dated prior to today) for IE’s undelivered products, we will immediately provide a FREE CCIE Voice Blended Learning Solution – a $1999 value – that’s our ENTIRE product line.
2. For any other customers with a paid receipt (dated prior to today) for IE’s undelivered products, we will provide a significant discount off the training products and/or courses you need.

It doesn’t look like IE will be sad to see you leave…

from    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
reply-to    Anthony Sequeira <asequeira@internetworkexpert.com>
to    ccie voice <danmccie@gmail.com>
cc    ccielab@groupstudy.com
date    Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 3:20 PM
subject    Re: Internetwork Expert – Worst Voice CCIE Vendor

I am speaking for me personally. Let me make that clear. I am not speaking on behalf of anyone at Internetwork Expert right now.

I want you to call our Customer Service and get a refund and take your business elsewhere. I personally do not want you as a customer of our company.

Anthony J. Sequeira, CCIE #15626, CCSI #23251
Senior CCIE Instructor

Well, I *am* speaking on behalf of IPexpert here: We DO want you as a customer of our company!

Email your receipt to no_more_waiting@ipexpert.com including your contact details. Let us know about your preparation plans as well. You will have complete CCIE Voice materials in your hands right away!

We wish you would have just come to IPexpert first, but we won’t hold that against you! ;)  We look forward to helping you succeed sooner rather than later.