Is CCNA related to other certifications?

The CCNA certification is only one of several career certifications sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Depending on the track, network support or network design, CCNA may be the first or second step on the certification track.
The ultimate goal of anyone getting Cisco certification should be the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineer) certification. This is the ultimate badge of honor in networking. But, because of the rigor of the CCIE exam, which draws equally on real-world, hands-on experience and the technical specifications of the gamut of Cisco Systems' hardware and software, you should work your way up to it.
Without getting too confusing, there are two tracks for Cisco certification: Routing and Switching and WAN Switching. As a matter of fact, there's a new CCNA exam just for WAN switching. It is called CCNA'WAN Switching.
The CCNA test that this book is focused on is Cisco CCNA exam 1.0, test number 640−107, which is strictly a routing and switching test, but it can be used for either the network support or the network design tracks.
In the network support specialization, the focus is on installation, configuration, and operation of routed and switched networks. These are networks that use LAN and WAN routing and switching. The test sequence used in this specialization starts with the CCNA exam, moves on to the CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), and finally, the CCIE exam.
In the network design specialization, the focus shifts to the design of networks at the component level to perform simple and complex network routing and switching. The test sequence for the network design emphasis starts with the CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate), proceeds to the CCNA, and finally to the CCDP (Cisco Certified Design Professional).
So, depending on your ultimate goal, whether it be a designer of highly technical networks or as a builder of the same, the CCNA is a key step in either career path.