Cisco Systems has established levels of certifications to recognize different levels of expertise in the careers of networking professionals. Supporting Cisco's long-standing Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification are the various Cisco Career Certifications. Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification is the professional-level Cisco Career Certification for network support, following the associate-level Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. CCNA has been a tremendously popular certification since its inception in May 1998, and many networking professionals who have attained CCNA certification plan to attempt CCNP certification.