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CCDE

Cisco Certified Design Expert

Cisco Certified Design Expert

Official page at Cisco↔ Compare with another cert
Exam fee
$1,750
Ongoing
30 CPE/yr
Study time
800–1600 hrs
Delivery
Test center
Validity
3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

31.5 / 40

Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.

Blueprint rigor
How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.
Design-expert ECO covers wide-area, data-center, security, services-provider patterns.
8.5/10
Practical evidence
Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.
Two-stage exam with extensive design scenarios; no live config lab.
7.5/10
Currency & upkeep
How aggressively content is kept current with the field.
Refreshed every few years to track Cisco architecture evolution.
8.0/10
Market recognition
How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.
Recognised in senior network-design consulting; smaller market than CCIE.
7.5/10

› Built for these roles

IT Service ManagerIT Operations ManagerIT Project ManagerHelpdesk and Support LeaderSecurity Officer with ITSM focus

› Exam format

Scenario-based written exam, 8 hours. Focus on network design.

Passing score
Two-stage: written exam ~825/1000 + 8-hour scenario-based practical
Retake policy
Fee: $300 per attempt
Wait: 5d between attempts

5-day wait between attempts (varies by exam level).

› Recertification

Valid for 3 years. 120 CE Credits over 3 years or higher-level Cisco exam.

› NICE Framework work roles

The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.

DD-WRL-004DD-WRL-002IO-WRL-004DD-WRL-001
Recognition
Global
Exam languages
en

› Core domains covered

The 2 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A25Security Architecture & Engineering

Reference architectures, control frameworks (NIST SP 800-53, CIS Controls), secure-by-design patterns, threat modeling, trust-boundary design, technology standards.

A2Network Security

Firewalls, IDS/IPS, network segmentation, DNS security, SD-WAN, VPN, traffic analysis, wireless security.

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. De facto: CCNP-level + design experience.

› Progression

requiredrecommended

Where this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.

Required prereqs (0)

No vendor-gated prereqs.

Recommended priors (1)
CCNP EntCisco
CCDE
Cisco
Required by (0)

No certs require this one.

Recommended next (0)

No follow-on certs reference this one yet.

› Study materials

Curated starting points. Not exhaustive — vet each against your learning style and the current exam version.

Official guides
Training providers
  • Cisco Champions / mentor-led prep groups
  • Orhan Ergun CCDE prep
Practice tests
  • CCDE Practical Sample Scenarios (limited public set)
Free / community
  • Cisco Learning Network CCDE Group

› Version & lifecycle

Current version
CCDE v3.0
Released
2022-02

Network design at the architect tier — distinct from CCIE Enterprise's implementation focus.

› Salary signal

Senior network architect / consulting design lead, US, 10+ years.

$160K–$240K
median $195K

Robert Half Salary Guide + Glassdoor 'Network Design Architect' aggregations · 2024 · US base only · p25–p75 range

› How it compares

vs
CCIE Ent

CCIE Enterprise is implementation expertise; CCDE is design-tier (architecture, trade-offs).

↔ Compare side-by-side

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