Data Center Certification Comparison

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Certification Name Years of Experience

Job Role Product/Technology Number of Exams

Prerequisites

CCNA Data Center 1-3 • Data Center Network Administrator

Basic Cisco router and switch operations, Cisco Nexus 1000v, 2000 and 5000 Series switches, Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Blade Servers, Cisco ACE Appliance, and Cisco WAAS

2 None

CCNP Data Center 3-5 • Presales Engineer • Design Engineer • Implementation Engineer • Support Engineer

Cisco Nexus Switches (1000, 5000, and 7000 Series), Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS Manager, Cisco Data Center Network Manager, Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, and Cisco MDS Series Multilayer Switches

4 CCNA Data Center

CCIE Data Center 7+ • Business Services Architect • Technology Architect • Design Engineer • Implementation Engineer • Support Engineer

Cisco Catalyst 3750 Switch, Cisco MDS 9222i Multiservice Modular Switch, Cisco Nexus 7009 Switch, Cisco Nexus 5548 Switch, Cisco Nexus 2232 Fabric Extenders, Cisco Nexus 1000V Series Switches, Cisco UCS, and Cisco ACE Appliance

2 None

Data Center Specialists

Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design Specialist

1-3 • Server Virtualization Design/Presales Engineer

Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Blade Servers, server virtualization software, and server operating systems

2 None

Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Support Specialist

1-3 • Server Virtualization Implementation/Support/Field Engineer

Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS in an enterprise data center routing and switching infrastructure, and next-generation Cisco Nexus product family

2 None

Cisco Data Center Unified Fabric Design Specialist

1-3 • Network Virtualization and Unified I/O Design/Presales Engineer

Cisco Nexus Switches (1000, 5000, and 7000 Series), Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Switches, Cisco UCS Manager, Cisco Data Center Network Manager, Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, and Cisco MDS Series Multilayer Switches

2 None

Cisco Data Center Unified Fabric Support Specialist

1-3 • Network Virtualization and Unified I/O Implementation/ Support/Field Engineer

Cisco Nexus Switches (1000, 5000, and 7000 Series), Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS Manager, Cisco Data Center Network Manager, Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, and Cisco MDS Series Multilayer Switches

2 None

Cisco Data Center Network Infrastructure Design Specialist

1-3 • Data Center Network Infrastructure Design/Presales Engineer

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches Service Modules and Cisco Nexus 2000, 4000, 5000, and 7000 Series Switches

1 Valid Cisco CCDA or any CCIE certification can act as a prerequisite.

Cisco Data Center Network Infrastructure Support Specialist

1-3 • Data Center Network Infrastructure Implementation/Support/Field Engineer

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches Service Modules and Cisco Nexus 2000, 4000, 5000, and 7000 Series Switches

2 Valid Cisco CCNP or any CCIE certification can act as a prerequisite.

Cisco Data Center Storage Networking Design Specialist

1-3 • Storage Networking Design/Presales Engineer

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Director and Multilayer Fabric Switches, Cisco NX-OS, and a technology overview of Cisco Unified Fabric, Cisco Nexus, and Cisco UCS products

1 None

Cisco Data Center Storage Networking Support Specialist

1-3 • Storage Networking Implementation/Support/Field Engineer

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Director and Multilayer Fabric Switches, Cisco NX-OS, and a technology overview of Cisco Unified Fabric, Cisco Nexus, and Cisco UCS products

1 None

Cisco Data Center Application Services Design Specialist

3-5 • Channel Partners Cisco ACE Services Module and Appliance, Cisco Global Site Selector, and Cisco Application Network Manager

1 Valid CCDA or any CCIE certification can act as a prerequisite.

Cisco Data Center Application Services Support Specialist

3-5 • Channel Partners Cisco ACE Services Module and Appliance, Cisco Global Site Selector, and Cisco Application Network Manager

1 Valid CCNA or any CCIE certification can act as a prerequisite.