Everything is trying to evolve to survive as a result of the changing times and technological advancements. When it comes to enterprise networks, there have been significant changes in the networks over the past few years; new technologies have been reshaping how networking used to be. One such technology that is tackling today’s IT challenges is Cisco SD-WAN. Cisco SD-WAN certification validates a professional’s skills and knowledge of WAN virtualization, elastic traffic management, centralized management, and edge connectivity.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN stands for Software-Defined Wide Area Network; as the name suggests, it is a software-defined approach to managing WANs. Enterprises are moving away from MPLS and towards SD-WAN to:
- Reduce cost
- Improve application performance
- Increase agility
- Optimize User-experience
- Simplifying Operations with automation and cloud-based management
Enterprises have recognized that WANs were created before the Cloud existed and could not handle the increased traffic that the Cloud brings. Therefore, businesses are switching to SD-WAN, which is creating opportunities for network engineers with knowledge in handling Enterprise SD-WANs.
So, it is the perfect time for network engineers to become Cisco SD-WAN certified professionals and help enterprises migrate from traditional WANs to SD-WAN.
Cisco SD-WAN Certification
Enterprises globally started moving to SD-WAN, and they were looking for professionals with the skills required to migrate their live networks. Therefore, in 2020, the networking giant Cisco came up with its Cisco SD-WAN certification as one of its concentration exams under the enterprise track.
A network professional needs to pass this certification exam to validate their enterprise SD-WAN solution skills and get a Cisco certified specialist – Enterprise SD-WAN implementation certification. If a professional has already gained the ENCOR 350-401 Certification, then they will become a CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional). Here are some more details of Cisco SD-WAN Certification:
- Certification Exam name – ENSDWI
- Exam Code – 300-415
- Exam Duration – 90 Minutes
- Exam Language – English and Japanese
However, passing this certification exam is not so easy; one must take the Cisco SD-WAN certification training to pass this exam. This training will provide professionals with the skills to design, deploy, configure, and manage SD-WAN solutions to a live network which also includes learning how to migrate from traditional WAN to SD-WAN.
The topics that you get to learn in the Cisco SD-WAN training are as follows:
- How to interconnect SD-WAN components.
- Enterprise Root CA server installation
- Performing initial configurations on SD-WAN controllers via CLI
- Advanced control, data, and application-aware policies
- Placement of controllers, deployment and replacement of edge devices and more to the desired network.
- Zone base Firewall, IPS, and URL filtering
These are some of the most important topics you get to learn in the from PyNet Labs, the best SD-WAN training institute in India as well as the USA. It is recommended to go for Cisco SD-WAN certification training and study vigorously before attempting the ENSDWI (300-415) certification exam.
After passing the SD-WAN certification exam, networking professionals become the perfect candidates for many networking jobs. Let’s discuss the scope after passing the ENSDWI exam.
Scope of Cisco ENSDWI Certification:
Since enterprises started their movement towards Cloud and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), the scope of networking professionals with SD-WAN skills has continuously grown. Traditional WANs are no longer an option for any enterprise, so every enterprise needs a specialist with SD-WAN skills who can migrate their live network to SD-WAN solutions.
So, the growing demand for such professionals is helping network engineers with SD-WAN skills to get great job opportunities and good hikes in their salaries. Here are some of the top job roles one can get after clearing the SD-WAN certification exam:
- SD-WAN deployment Engineer
- Senior Technical Consultant
- Network Security Engineer
- Solutions Architect
- Network Administrator
All these job roles have the following essential responsibilities:
- Designing and Deploying SD-WAN network configurations
- Ensuring network infrastructure is working at an efficient level
- Securing the enterprise network
- Troubleshooting all network issues, etc.
Cisco SD-WAN Certification Cost:
As it is a concentration level certification in the long list of Cisco certifications, the cost for this certification is USD 300 + Applicable taxes.
The applicable tax slab varies from country to country; there are some countries that do not charge any tax on such certifications. However, the cost of this certification exam in India is USD 300 + 18% GST, bringing the total cost to INR 28000 approx. In July 2022.
(Note – The total cost of the certification may differ with the fluctuation of INR against USD.)
Eligibility for SD-WAN Certification:
There are no eligibility criteria for taking this certification exam; even if you have not taken any Cisco certification before SD-WAN, you can directly go for this certification. However, it is recommended to have good networking knowledge, including CCNA and CCNP ENCOR, before opting for Cisco SD-WAN certification.
Even for training for this certification, it is required to have the knowledge of:
- Software-Defined Networking (SDN) concepts
- WAN design in enterprise infrastructure
- All routing protocols, including both interior and exterior and its operations
- TLS (Transport Layer Security) and IPSec (IP Security)
The best course to meet these prerequisites is CCNA and CCNP training. These two training will clear all your networking basics and develop your networking skills to move to SD-WAN training.
Who should take the SD-WAN training?
- Network Engineers who want to move ahead in their careers
- System Administrators
- Cloud Architects
- Anybody who wants to get knowledge of SD-WAN solutions
- Anybody who wants to clear the Cisco SD-WAN certification exam
- Anybody, whose enterprise is moving to SD-WAN
Conclusion – Cisco is the godfather of networking, and all its certifications are considered prestigious, having high values among employers. Cisco SD-WAN certification is among the most demanded certifications in the networking domain. As you can see, to get this certification, one must take the certification exam and to take the certification exam, one must take the certification training. The cost of Cisco certifications is very high compared to other certifications, so one should prepare thoroughly before taking any Cisco certification exam, which also stands for Cisco SD-WAN. This is everything you need to know about the Cisco SD-WAN certification.
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