CiscoProfessional
Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure
DCACI · 5 days
View course →
CiscoExpert5 daysUpdated: July 2026
DCACIA Training for Your Team — Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure — Advanced
A single ACI fabric is a solved problem; the trouble starts when there are two of them, a second data center, a firewall cluster that must sit in the traffic path, and an auditor asking how policy stays consistent across all of it. DCACIA (Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure — Advanced) is the course for exactly that stage: fabrics that have outgrown one pod, one site and one pair of hands.
The program covers Multi-Pod and Multi-Site architectures, remote leaf deployments, service insertion with policy-based redirect, transit routing and large-scale contract design, plus automating all of it through the API rather than the GUI. It is an expert-level course by design — DCACI fundamentals are assumed, not revisited — and teams typically schedule it immediately ahead of a multi-DC build or a service-insertion project.
We organize delivery through authorized partners whose instructors have shipped large ACI deployments themselves — live online in your time zone, on site, or as a private group with labs weighted toward the architecture you are about to build.
Who this course is for
- ACI engineers moving from a single fabric to Multi-Pod or Multi-Site designs
- Senior data center engineers who own service insertion and external routing on ACI
- Architects validating a stretched-fabric or multi-DC design before committing hardware
- Integrator specialists delivering large ACI projects for enterprise customers
What your team will learn
Topic areas below are grouped in our own words. The full official agenda is available on request — it comes from the authorized partner as part of your quote.
- Multi-Pod and Multi-Site: one policy domain across buildings, cities and the awkward links between them
- Remote leaf deployments — extending the fabric without extending the blast radius
- Service insertion and policy-based redirect: firewalls and load balancers in the traffic path, on purpose
- Advanced contract design at scale, before the TCAM runs out
- Transit routing and the complex L3Out scenarios single-fabric courses skip
- Automating ACI with the API and infrastructure-as-code tooling instead of heroic clicking
Key facts
| Duration | 5 days |
|---|---|
| Level | Expert |
| Prerequisites | DCACI-level ACI implementation skills and hands-on experience with a production or lab fabric |
| Formats | Live online (VILT), On-site at your location, Private group, Seats in scheduled groups |
| Languages | English + local-language instructors on request |
Formats and how we organize it
- Live online (VILT)
- On-site at your location
- Private group
- Seats in scheduled groups
One request → three options
Fill in the form below — it takes a couple of minutes. Within 5 business days you compare 2–3 concrete offers — provider, instructor, dates, price below the public list. We contract and administer the delivery end to end. Details:how we work and vendor training.
DCACIA vs alternatives: which to choose
Factual criteria only — level, duration, audience and certification. The right choice depends on your team's starting point and stack.
Cisco DCACI (ACI Implementation)
The prerequisite course: single-fabric implementation, the policy model, L3Outs and VMM integration, plus the 300-620 CCNP concentration exam. Take DCACI first; DCACIA assumes those fundamentals and spends its week entirely on scale and complexity.
Cisco DCACID (ACI Design)
The design counterpart: requirements, sizing and architecture decisions rather than implementation mechanics. Choose DCACID for architects making the choices; DCACIA for the engineers who then have to build and operate the result.
A custom intensive
If your team only needs the Multi-Site portion, or service insertion with your specific firewall vendor, a custom 2–3 day program on our materials covers that scope against a mock-up of your own topology.
Need only part of DCACIA?
If your team needs a subset of this program — or a mix of topics from several courses — we build a custom 2–4 day intensive on our own materials, shaped by your infrastructure. One custom program typically replaces 2–3 catalog courses.
Explore custom coursesDCACIA: frequently asked questions
How advanced is DCACIA really?
It assumes you can already build and operate a single ACI fabric without help. The week is spent on Multi-Pod, Multi-Site, remote leaf, service graphs with policy-based redirect, transit routing and automation — the topics that dominate large deployments and rarely fit into a first ACI course.
Is there an exam attached to DCACIA?
No dedicated certification exam maps to this course. The CCNP Data Center ACI concentration exam, 300-620, is prepared by DCACI instead. Teams take DCACIA for capability on complex deployments rather than a certificate — typically right before a Multi-Pod or Multi-Site project.
We are planning Multi-Site — is this the right course before the project?
Yes, that is the classic timing. The course walks through inter-site policy, the orchestration layer and the failure modes of stretched designs, so your team evaluates the architecture with open eyes instead of discovering constraints mid-migration. Pair it with DCACID if the design itself is still undecided.
Does it cover integrating firewalls and load balancers?
In depth. Service insertion with service graphs and policy-based redirect is one of the core blocks — where inserted devices sit, how traffic is steered, and what breaks when they fail. In private groups the instructor can bias examples toward your firewall vendor.
How do we organize DCACIA training?
Fill in the request form on this page — team size, format, timing. Within 5 business days you receive 2–3 options from authorized partners with vetted instructors, dates and prices below public lists.
Request 2–3 DCACIA training options — quotes within 5 business days
No commitment — describe the task and we come back with concrete options, dates and prices.
Cisco, DCACIA and course names are trademarks of their respective owners. Uptime Skills is an independent training operator and is not affiliated with or endorsed byCisco. Official courses are delivered by authorized training partners.