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CCNP Service Provider Concentration Certification Exam: Which Is Right for You?

CCNP Service Provider Concentration Certification
2023-05-29
4 mins read
Amit Masih
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The CCNP Service Provider certification is a valuable credential that demonstrates your advanced skills and knowledge in network engineering. It can help you land senior roles such as senior network engineer, senior system engineer, network designer, senior network manager, or senior network administrator.

These roles require a high level of expertise and professionalism that can be hard to achieve without proper certification.

The CCNP Service Provider certification is ideal for network professionals who want to troubleshoot routing protocols in service provider environments. In this article, you will discover the general format and purpose of the exam, as well as the prerequisites you need to fulfill.

You will also learn how the SPRI certification differs from other CCNP service provider certifications and why you should pursue it.

What is the CCNP Service Provider certification exam?

The CCNP Service Provider certification exam is a challenging professional credential that validates your skills and knowledge in configuring and maintaining service provider networks. The certification is provided by Cisco Systems and requires high preparation and expertise.

To obtain this certification, you need to prove your competence in implementing and operating the core technologies of the Cisco service provider network.

In this role, you'll work with Cisco service provider networks' core architecture, networking, automation, security, and network assurance. Additionally, you must demonstrate your advanced capabilities in one specific area of service provider network design or administration.

What does the CCNP Service Provider certification exam cover?

The CCNP Service Provider Exam evaluates your skills and knowledge in creating and managing the infrastructure and services of a service provider network. To qualify for the specialized SPRI certification, you must first pass the core exam.

The core exam assesses your ability to implement OSPF, IS-IS, high availability, and route maps. It also measures your ability to implement MPLS, engineer traffic, and route segments. Additionally, the core exam tests your skills in configuring quality of service, Carrier Ethernet, L3VPN, multicast, and L2VPN services.

Also, the candidate should be able to manage configurations and automate network components. The candidate should also understand how the service provider network's core architectures, virtualization processes, and transport mediums work.

There are no prerequisites for taking the core and concentration exams, but service providers usually have three to five years of experience before attempting the problematic exam process.

The certifications expire after three years from the date they are acquired. To maintain their certifications, service provider professionals must earn 80 continuing education credits or pass one professional concentration exam and earn 40 continuing education credits. There is no need to retake the core exam.

CCNP Service Provider Concentration certification exam: an overview

After passing the Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies Exam (300-501 SPCOR), you can select one of the three specific concentrations for your second exam.

These options are:

  1. Implementing Cisco Service Provider VPN Services (300-515 SPVI)
  2. Implementing Automation for Cisco Service Provider Solutions (300-535 SPAUTO)
  3. Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions (300-510 SPRI)

Each service provider guides your career path toward different opportunities and enables you to develop different sets of skills. Here's what you need to know about the three service provider concentration exams to choose the right one for your career goals.

Implementing Cisco Service Provider VPN Services (300-515 SPVI)

By preparing for the implementing Cisco Service Provider VPN Services (300-515 SPVI) exam, you will become proficient in securing end-customer Virtual Private Network domains (VPNs). The Cisco 300-515 SPVI certification focuses on VPNs operated through a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) service provider.

To pass the CCNP Service Provider certification exam, you must be able to manage critical components of a VPN environment, including MPLS VPN routing and data management. You will also be able to configure server traffic routes that can help reduce and prevent congestion within the network.

Who should take the Cisco 300-515 SPVI certification exam?

This concentration exam is suitable for IT professionals who have (or want to acquire) the skills to implement, maintain, support, analyze, and monitor service provider VPN routes that run on an MPLS backbone.

Professionals who may benefit from taking this exam concentration include:

  • Network engineer
  • Network designer
  • Network manager
  • Network Administrator
  • Network supervisor
  • Network architect
  • Channel partner
  • Network Operations Center (NOC) employees

Implementing Automation for Cisco Service Provider Solutions (300-535 SPAUTO)

The Implementing Automation for Cisco Service Provider Solutions (300-535 SPAUTO) exam will help you develop your skills and knowledge in optimizing and automating service provider network infrastructures. You will learn to use network programmability and the latest data modeling techniques to deploy and maintain service provider network infrastructures.

To prepare for the CCNP Service Provider concentration exam, you need hands-on experience in orchestrating and programming OS, applying automation, designing and implementing automated solutions, and managing new network protocols across hundreds of servers from a single database.

You also need to have a solid working knowledge of specific data models and network management protocols such as YANG (Yet Another Next Generation), NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol), and RESTCONF (Representational State Transfer Configuration Protocol).

You should be able to use automated network operations tools such as WAE (WAN Automation Engine) and other automation tools such as Ansible and NetMiko, among other specific protocols and tools.

Who should take the Cisco 300-535 SPAUTO certification exam?

This concentration exam is suitable for IT professionals who want to validate their skills in implementing and maintaining automation techniques in a service provider network environment, including a solid ability to use automation tools, protocols, and data modeling.

Professionals who may benefit from taking this exam concentration include:

  • Network Engineer
  • Network supervisor
  • Network manager
  • Network designer
  • Network administrator
  • Network Operations Center (NOC) employee
  • Network architect

Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions (300-510 SPRI)

The Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions (300-510 SPRI) Exam will test your ability to apply complex routing technologies in service providers' core networks. You will learn how to use policy language, MPLS (multiprotocol label switching), multicast routing, segment routing, and other routing protocols with advanced proficiency.

Who should take the Cisco 300-510 SPRI certification exam?

Many companies today need and value the core network service provider skills that this certification covers. If you are interested in pursuing Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions (300-510 SPRI) certification, you may be one of the following professionals:

  • System engineers
  • Project managers
  • Network administrators
  • Network designers

SPRI vs. other CCNP Service Provider Concentration certification exams

The Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions Exam, or SPRI, differs from the other CCNP Service Provider Concentration exams because it tests an individual’s skills at routing protocols at an advanced level.

The exam covers the following specific topics:

  • Quality of service (QoS)
  • IP multicast routing
  • MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
  • Optimization of service provider routing solutions
  • Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) configuration
  • OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP troubleshooting
  • Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2) implementation
  • PIM-SM protocol implementation and verification
  • Policy language
  • Routing protocols
  • Integration into the service provider network and other advanced-level topics

The SPRI concentration is the most popular choice for Cisco CCNP certification aspirants. There is a high demand for senior-level employees with valid skills and challenging certifications to back them up, but there is a need for such specialists.

Research shows that companies that rely on manual processes for their standard operating procedures waste 19% of their workweek searching for information. Organizations can improve their productivity and performance by implementing efficient routing protocols.

As digital transformation becomes more common, with more businesses moving their files and operations to remote cloud-based platforms, IT engineers are more sought-after than ever.

This means that IT professionals with the Cisco CCNP Service Provider certification with the SPRI concentration have a significant advantage in the job market. They can qualify for higher salaries, more senior roles, and better benefits after passing the SPRI concentration exam.

Cisco CCNP Service Provider: a career booster

For network administrators and system managers who want to enhance their employability and pursue a more rewarding position, evidence of highly advanced skills is crucial. The Cisco CCNP Service Provider certification is unnecessary for most entry-level to mid-level jobs. Still, it can benefit higher-level employees eager to progress in their careers.

The Advanced Routing Solutions concentration, or SPRI, is the most valuable among the specific concentration options available to certification candidates, as it shows that engineers and other IT professionals have proven expertise in high-demand skills, such as designing, implementing, maintaining, and operating advanced technologies for the Cisco service provider core networks.

The bottom line

Cisco is a key networking infrastructure provider and software enabling many businesses to use the cloud. A network professional with a Cisco certification can demonstrate their expertise and value to their employers and potential employers.

If you want to take the Cisco CCNP Service Provider certification exam, we at CBT Proxy can help you pass the exam on your first attempt.

To learn more about the exam and how to get started with us, click the chat options below, and we’ll guide you.

We are a one-stop solution for all your needs and offer flexible and customized offers to all individuals depending on their educational qualifications and certification they want to achieve.

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