Two Sides of Cisco CCIE Enterprise Path: Which Certification Will You Choose?

CCIE Enterprise is one of the most prestigious tracks in the Cisco certification program. Undoubtedly, it has very difficult exams, but their benefits are worth every investment you make in earning one of the two badges. By getting one, you demonstrate your expert-level knowledge of a specific domain within the networking realm.

On February 24, 2020, Exam-Labs.com made a significant change to its program. Thus, there were the retirement of several certifications and the introduction of some new ones. The CCIE path also received a couple of major changes. Instead of the old seven specializations, the candidates now have six of them with the one that is divided into two credentials: CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure and CCIE Enterprise Wireless.

You might be interested to know that popular Exam-Labs Premium File has been retired and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure is its new replacement. Additionally, CCIE Wireless has also been withdrawn and replaced by the CCIE Enterprise Wireless certificate. In this post, we will refer to these two expert-level badges and talk about them in more detail. So, let’s dive into their peculiar features.

Prerequisites for Cisco CCIE Enterprise Certifications

Unlike the old CCIE track, the new one does not come with any strict requirements that you need to fulfill. This means that you shouldn’t earn any prior certification to pursue any of the CCIE Enterprise credentials. Therefore, you don’t need to have CCNA or CCNP to be eligible for CCIE. However, it is recommended that you have at least five years of work experience in the specific domain you want to pursue. For each expert-level certificate, there are two exams that must be passed. They include one qualifying written test and one hands-on lab exam. Let’s explore them in detail.

Overview of Written Exam for Cisco CCIE Enterprise Certifications

The qualifying exam for both CCIE Enterprise certificates is the same. To earn any of these credentials, you must pass Cisco 350-401 ENCOR. It is a 120-minute test with about 100 questions that covers a wide range of skills in implementing core enterprise network technologies. This exam can be taken in English and Japanese and is administered by Pearson VUE. The domains covered under this certification test include the following:

• Security: 20%;

• Virtualization: 10%;

• Infrastructure: 30%;

• Architecture: 15%;

• Automation: 15%;

• Network Assurance: 10%.

• CCNP Enterprise

The details of these topics can be found on the official webpage. You need to know that passing Cisco 350-401 also leads to the attainment of the individual certificate – Cisco Certified Specialist – Enterprise Core. Thus, you will be recognized for all your achievements.

Overview of Lab Exams for Cisco CCIE Enterprise Certifications

The content of the lab exams varies for these two CCIE Enterprise credentials. However, they have some details in common. For instance, both practical tests will give you 8 hours to complete each of them. Moreover, they are the closed-book exams. This means that the students will not be allowed to use any external references.

1. CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Lab Exam

This hands-on lab exam requires that the learners know all about planning, designing, operating, deploying, and optimizing dual-stack solutions for the complex enterprise networks. They will also be required to program and automate the enterprise network during their test. The areas that will be covered in the exam include the following:

• Network Infrastructure: 30%;

• Software-Defined Infrastructure: 25%;

• Infrastructure Security & Services: 15%;

• Transport Technologies & Solutions: 15%;

• Infrastructure Automation & Programmability: 15%.

• 220-301 Cisco CCNA Premium

The complete details of these topics can be found on the exam page. You can explore various study materials available online to prepare for your test.

2. CCIE Enterprise Wireless Lab Exam

This practical exam is designed to evaluate the individuals’ skills in planning, developing, implementing, managing, and optimizing the multifaceted enterprise wireless networks. The students will also be evaluated based on their ability to program and automate them. This lab test comes with the following objectives:

• Enterprise Wireless Network: 25%;

• Identity Management & Wireless Security: 20%;

• Wireless Business Services &Applications: 20%;

• Radio Frequency & Standards: 15%;

• Enterprise Wired Campus: 10%;

• Analytics, Automation, as well as Assurance: 10%.

• Cisco 300-415 ENSDWI Premium File

As for this lab exam, all the details can also be found on the official webpage. There you can also get some recommendations regarding the prep resources that the company offers to use.

Conclusion

The CCIE Enterprise certifications are considered the most sought-after of all other Cisco credentials. That is why it is important to explore all the required domains and master them to pass the related exams.

In conclusion, we would like to mention that these expert-level certificates are valid for three years. If you don’t recertify before this period ends, you will be required to restart the whole certification process. Thus, you should check the Cisco website to see the available recertification options.

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