Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) - Data Center
1 Data Center Technologies
1-1 Data Center Fundamentals
1-1 1 Data Center Concepts
1-1 2 Data Center Infrastructure
1-1 3 Data Center Services
1-1 4 Data Center Design Principles
1-2 Data Center Network Architecture
1-2 1 Network Design Models
1-2 2 Network Virtualization
1-2 3 Network Automation
1-2 4 Network Security
1-3 Data Center Storage
1-3 1 Storage Technologies
1-3 2 Storage Area Networks (SAN)
1-3 3 Network Attached Storage (NAS)
1-3 4 Storage Virtualization
1-4 Data Center Compute
1-4 1 Server Technologies
1-4 2 Server Virtualization
1-4 3 Hypervisors
1-4 4 Virtual Machine Management
1-5 Data Center Management
1-5 1 Data Center Management Tools
1-5 2 Monitoring and Troubleshooting
1-5 3 Capacity Planning
1-5 4 Compliance and Governance
2 Data Center Infrastructure
2-1 Physical Infrastructure
2-1 1 Building and Site Considerations
2-1 2 Power and Cooling
2-1 3 Cabling and Connectivity
2-1 4 Physical Security
2-2 Network Infrastructure
2-2 1 Network Topologies
2-2 2 Switching and Routing
2-2 3 Load Balancing
2-2 4 High Availability
2-3 Storage Infrastructure
2-3 1 Storage Arrays
2-3 2 Storage Protocols
2-3 3 Storage Networking
2-3 4 Backup and Recovery
2-4 Compute Infrastructure
2-4 1 Server Hardware
2-4 2 Server Deployment
2-4 3 Resource Management
2-4 4 Scalability and Flexibility
3 Data Center Operations
3-1 Data Center Management Systems
3-1 1 Management Platforms
3-1 2 Automation Tools
3-1 3 Monitoring Solutions
3-1 4 Reporting and Analytics
3-2 Data Center Security
3-2 1 Security Policies
3-2 2 Access Control
3-2 3 Threat Detection
3-2 4 Incident Response
3-3 Data Center Maintenance
3-3 1 Preventive Maintenance
3-3 2 Corrective Maintenance
3-3 3 Asset Management
3-3 4 Documentation and Records
3-4 Data Center Optimization
3-4 1 Performance Tuning
3-4 2 Resource Optimization
3-4 3 Energy Efficiency
3-4 4 Continuous Improvement
4 Data Center Design
4-1 Design Principles
4-1 1 Scalability
4-1 2 Flexibility
4-1 3 Resilience
4-1 4 Cost Efficiency
4-2 Design Considerations
4-2 1 Business Requirements
4-2 2 Technical Requirements
4-2 3 Compliance Requirements
4-2 4 Future Growth
4-3 Design Process
4-3 1 Needs Assessment
4-3 2 Design Development
4-3 3 Implementation Planning
4-3 4 Testing and Validation
4-4 Design Tools
4-4 1 Design Software
4-4 2 Simulation Tools
4-4 3 Modeling Tools
4-4 4 Collaboration Tools
5 Data Center Evolution
5-1 Trends in Data Center Technology
5-1 1 Cloud Computing
5-1 2 Edge Computing
5-1 3 Software-Defined Data Centers
5-1 4 Artificial Intelligence in Data Centers
5-2 Data Center Modernization
5-2 1 Legacy System Migration
5-2 2 Infrastructure Upgrades
5-2 3 Technology Integration
5-2 4 Future-Proofing
5-3 Data Center Sustainability
5-3 1 Energy Management
5-3 2 Waste Reduction
5-3 3 Environmental Impact
5-3 4 Green Data Centers
5-4 Data Center Innovation
5-4 1 Emerging Technologies
5-4 2 Research and Development
5-4 3 Industry Collaboration
5-4 4 Innovation Strategies
5 Data Center Evolution Explained

5 Data Center Evolution Explained

Key Concepts

Physical Data Centers

Physical Data Centers are traditional facilities where servers, storage, and networking equipment are housed in a centralized location. These centers are designed to provide a secure, controlled environment with redundant power, cooling, and physical security.

Example: A large enterprise might have a physical data center in its headquarters, housing hundreds of servers that support its global operations. This data center ensures high availability and reliability for critical business applications.

Virtualization

Virtualization is the process of creating virtual versions of physical resources, such as servers, storage, and networks. This technology allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server, optimizing resource utilization and reducing costs.

Example: A company uses virtualization to consolidate 10 physical servers into two, each running multiple VMs. This reduces hardware costs, simplifies management, and improves disaster recovery capabilities.

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing provides on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) over the internet. This model allows organizations to scale resources up or down based on demand without investing in physical infrastructure.

Example: A startup uses a cloud service provider to host its web application. The startup can scale its computing resources dynamically based on user traffic, paying only for what it uses, and avoiding the need for a physical data center.

Software-Defined Data Centers (SDDC)

Software-Defined Data Centers (SDDC) abstract and automate the management of data center resources through software. This includes software-defined networking (SDN), storage, and compute, enabling greater flexibility, scalability, and efficiency.

Example: A large enterprise implements an SDDC to manage its data center operations. The SDDC allows the company to automate network configurations, dynamically allocate storage resources, and optimize server utilization, reducing operational complexity and costs.

Edge Computing

Edge Computing brings computing resources closer to the data source, reducing latency and bandwidth usage. This is particularly useful for applications requiring real-time processing, such as IoT devices, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities.

Example: A manufacturing company uses edge computing to process data from its IoT sensors in real-time. By processing data at the edge, the company can make immediate decisions based on sensor readings, improving operational efficiency and reducing the load on centralized data centers.