It’s about that time of year again - with Cisco Live US 2014 just a few weeks away, INE has several new and exciting developments to talk about.

First, I’d like to invite all of you to join us at INE Rewired, our 2014 Customer Appreciation Party at Cisco Live. The party is on Tuesday, May 20th, 2014, at 6:00pm at the Mezzanine Nightclub San Francisco. We’ll be serving complimentary cocktails and appetizers, there will be over $25,000 in prizes and giveaways, and most importantly we'll have a sneak peak at INE’s revolutionary new training platform, which will completely change the way you learn – but more on that coming soon. Second, we have two important announcements regarding new and updated products for CCIE R&Sv5.

On May 9th & 10th, 2014, I will be running an online CCIE RSv4 to RSv5 Transition Technologies Class. This online course is for candidates who have already invested a significant amount of time preparing for the CCIE Routing & Switching version 4 blueprint, but will be taking the lab exam in the new version 5 blueprint format that begins on June 3rd, 2014. This class focuses on technologies that have been newly introduced in the v5 blueprint, such as IPsec VPNs, DMVPN, GETVPN, and Embedded Packet Capture, as well as technology enhancements such as VTPv3, EIGRP Multi-AF Mode & Wide Metrics, EIGRP HMAC & OSPF SHA Authentication, Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), and OSPF Loop Free Alternative (LFA) just to name a few. All Access Pass members can attend the class for free, but customers who purchase the CCIE RSv4 to RSv5 Transition Technologies Class will have real-time access to ask me questions via chat and will also be granted early beta access to our new new training platform, which is scheduled for release shortly after Cisco Live.

Last but not least, this week we will begin releasing our updated CCIE Routing & Switching Version 5 Workbook. INE’s CCIE Routing & Switching v5 Workbook will collapse the previous four volume format used in our CCIE Routing & Switching v4 Workbooks into a single product. Customers who previously purchased either INE’s CCIE Routing & Switching Workbook Volume I or Volume II will have the new Version 5 Workbook automatically added to their INE Members account before the end of the week. Anyone who purchased just Volume III or Volume IV as standalone products can get in touch with sales@ine.com for special upgrade pricing to the new Version 5 workbook.

The new CCIE Routing & Switching Version 5 Workbook will be priced at $499, or $299 for AAP Members. However, if you purchase either the current Volume 1 or Volume 2 workbook before Thursday, you'll still be eligible for the free upgrade to the Version 5 Workbook, and essentially save $300 on it.  Just don't tell my sales team that I told you about this loophole ;)