CiscoProfessional
Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies
DCCOR · 5 days
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CiscoProfessional5 daysUpdated: July 2026
DCID Training for Your Team — Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure
Every data center refresh starts with a design document, and most design documents are reverse-engineered from whatever the last integrator quoted. DCID (Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure) is the course that puts the reasoning back in: given requirements, budget and an existing estate, how do you choose network topology, fabric technology, compute architecture and storage connectivity — and defend those choices when the project review asks why.
The course spans the full data center stack — LAN and fabric design including VXLAN EVPN and ACI options, UCS compute design, storage networking, DC interconnect and management/automation design — and prepares the 300-610 DCID exam, the design concentration of CCNP Data Center. It pairs naturally with DCCOR, which covers the core exam and the underlying technologies.
We arrange delivery through authorized partners with instructors who design data centers for a living — live online in your time zone, at your site, or as a private group where the case studies can lean toward the refresh you are actually planning.
Who this course is for
- Data center engineers stepping up from implementation to design responsibility
- Architects formalizing design practice for the 300-610 concentration exam
- Pre-sales and integrator engineers who produce customer designs and bills of materials
- Technical leads planning a data center refresh or consolidation
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.
- Data center network design: Layer 2 and Layer 3 choices, and which ones age badly
- Fabric architectures — VXLAN EVPN and ACI as design options, not just products
- Compute design with UCS: from server counts to policies, pools and firmware sanity
- Storage network design: FC, FCoE and IP storage, each in the right place
- Interconnecting data centers without turning two failure domains into one
- Designing for automation and management from day one, not as an afterthought
Key facts
| Duration | 5 days |
|---|---|
| Level | Professional |
| Prerequisites | DCCOR-level familiarity with data center technologies — networking, compute and storage |
| Certification | Prepares for exam 300-610 DCID — a CCNP Data Center concentration |
| 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.
DCID 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 DCCOR (Data Center Core)
The technology core across network, compute, storage and automation, mapped to the 350-601 exam. DCCOR teaches how the pieces work; DCID teaches how to choose and combine them. Certification-wise DCCOR is the mandatory core, DCID one concentration option.
Cisco DCIT (Data Center Troubleshooting)
The other side of the same estate: diagnosing network, compute and storage failures, mapped to exam 300-615. Choose DCIT for operations-focused engineers; DCID for those making architecture decisions. Both count as CCNP Data Center concentrations.
A custom intensive
Facing one concrete design — a refresh, a second site, a fabric migration? A custom 2–4 day design workshop on our materials works through your actual requirements instead of the full exam syllabus.
Need only part of DCID?
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 coursesDCID: frequently asked questions
How does DCID fit into CCNP Data Center certification?
CCNP Data Center requires the 350-601 core exam plus one concentration; 300-610 DCID is the design concentration this course prepares. Engineers usually take DCCOR first for the core, then DCID if their role leans toward architecture rather than operations or automation.
Is this a lecture course or are there labs?
Design courses are exercise-driven rather than configuration-driven: you work through requirements, constraints and trade-offs to produce and defend design choices. Expect case studies across network, compute and storage rather than device labs — closer to the job of an architect than an installer.
Does DCID cover ACI design?
It covers ACI at the architecture level — where a policy-driven fabric fits, and its design implications alongside VXLAN EVPN alternatives. For a full week dedicated to ACI fabric design specifically, the DCACID course goes deeper; DCID is the broader multi-domain design view.
Who gets the most from the course?
Engineers with solid hands-on data center experience who are starting to own design decisions — refresh projects, second sites, capacity planning. Pure beginners get more from DCCOR first; the design discussion assumes you already know how the underlying technologies behave.
How do we organize DCID 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 DCID training options — quotes within 5 business days
No commitment — describe the task and we come back with concrete options, dates and prices.
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