CCNP Data Center Bundle

Those individuals who obtain the CCNP Data Center certificate are able to prove that they have a solid knowledge of data center solutions. The path is all about the implementation and operation of Cisco Data Center technologies and designed to validate your skills in the related areas. There are no strict requirements for earning this professional-level certification however it is recommended that you have a good understanding of the exam topics before taking the qualifying tests. The potential candidates usually possess more than 3 years of experience implementing data center solutions.

Exam Details

To get the CCNP Data Center certificate, an individual has to pass two tests. One of them comes with core data center technologies, while the second exam should be chosen among 6 available options that cover specific technical areas. Thus, you can customize your certification to a needed technical area of focus.

The core exam is known as Cisco 350-601. This is a 2-hour test with about 100 questions that you need to pass with about 815 points. The exam is available in English and costs $400. To be able to deal with the 350-601 test with flying colors, you should prepare for the following topics:

• Storage network – To master this domain, it is required that you have the skills in implementing Fibre Channel, infrastructure monitoring, and FCoE Unified Fabric. You should also know about software updates, their impacts, NAS concepts, as well as NFS concepts;
• Compute – As for this section, it evaluates your knowledge of HyperFlex Infrastructure Concepts, their benefits, software updates, firmware updates, as well as their impacts. You also need to know how to implement infrastructure monitoring, Cisco Unified Compute System Rack Servers, and Cisco Unified Compute System Blade Chassis;
• Security – To answer the questions from this area, you need to have the skills in applying network security, compute security, and storage security;
• Network – To succeed in this topic, you need to know how to apply switching, routing, and overlay protocols. It is also recommended that you have the relevant skills in analyzing packet flow, Cloud service model, and deployment model. You should also know about the ACI concepts and software updates;
• Automation – This part covers the details of automation and orchestration technologies as well as the ways to implement the automation or scripting tools.

After dealing with the core exam, you will need to choose one of the concentration tests of the path and take it to validate the skills you want. All in all, you can choose among the following options:

• Cisco 300-610 – This test is all about the design of Data Center infrastructure;
• Cisco 300-615 – You need to know how to troubleshoot Data Center infrastructure;
• Cisco 300-620 – This exam is for those who want to know how to implement Cisco Application Centric infrastructure;
• Cisco 300-625 – This test is ideal for those who want to configure MDS 9000 Series Switches;
• Cisco 300-630 – Having the advanced-level skills in implementing Cisco Application Centric infrastructure is what recommended for this option;
• Cisco 300-635 – You can go for this exam if you want to evaluate your knowledge of the implementation of automation for Cisco Data Center solutions.

Further Career Path

It is important to have the required skills if you want to succeed in your role, which is why many IT specialists want to get certified to prove their level of expertise. However, after you obtain any Cisco certificate, it is vital to know how to maintain it. The world is changing rapidly, so you need to know when it is time to evolve. The CCNP Data Center certification is valid for 3 years, so you must be ready to recertify when needed. There are several flexible options to recertify, so you should know everything about the Cisco Continuing Education program. Knowing how to boost your career is a sure way to have a maximum of benefits out of it.