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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Operation and Deployment (SDWFND)

The Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Operation and Deployment (SDWFND) training provides foundational concepts, business drivers, and an architectural vision of Cisco Catalyst software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), demonstrating how its core principles enable agile, secure, and cloud-ready WAN solutions to meet modern business demands.

What you need to know

Continuing Education

Earn 14 CE credits towards recertification

Ways to get this training

Cisco U. Learning Path

Follow a guided Learning Path designed for your certification success. Pre- and post-assessments help you skip what you know and focus on what you need to learn.

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Instructor-led training

Join lively classroom-style learning and discussions, online or in person, that are led by Cisco and our Learning Partners.

Register for instructor-led training
Download the course overview (PDF)

    How you'll benefit

    This training will help you:

    • Establish transport-independent WAN for lower cost and higher diversity
    • Meet SLAs for business-critical and real-time applications
    • Provide end-to-end segmentation for protecting critical enterprise compute resources
    • Extend seamlessly into the public cloud
    • Optimize the user experience for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications

    Who should enroll

    • Network engineers
    • Network architects
    • Network designers
    • Network administrators
    • Solutions architects
    • Consulting systems engineers
    • Technical solutions architects
    • Cisco integrators/partners
    • Security engineers
    • Network managers
    • Program managers
    • Project managers
    • IT directors/Chief Information Officers (CIOs)

    Technology areas

    • Networking

    Objectives

    After taking this training, you should be able to:

    • Discuss why traditional WANs struggle with modern demands and explain how Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's architecture and core principles address those challenges
    • Identify the main Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN components and explain how their roles and interactions support the overall solution
    • Explain and perform secure controller and WAN Edge onboarding using zero-trust principles (ZTP) and secure control channels
    • Implement and verify secure data plan operations using IPsec, segmentation, bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD)-based path monitoring, app visibility, and site redundancy
    • Configure and verify Overlay Management Protocol (OMP)-based overlay routing, including route advertisement, redistribution, and network segmentation
    • Manage Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN device configurations using Configuration Groups, Feature Profiles, Device Templates, and automation workflows for scalable, consistent deployment
    • Navigate SD-WAN Manager monitoring dashboards and interpret key metrics and alarms for troubleshooting and operational visibility
    • Design and apply centralized and localized policies, including Quality of Service (QoS) and Application Quality of Experience (AppQoE), to control and prioritize traffic across the SD-WAN fabric
    • Implement Direct Internet Access (DIA) and cloud optimization features to enhance application experience, traffic flow, and branch security in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

    Prerequisites

    There are no prerequisites for this training. However, the knowledge and skills you are recommended to have before attending this training are:

    • Familiarity with traditional WAN technologies such as MPLS and internet circuits
    • Working knowledge of Cisco IOS networking and concepts, including Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing and IPsec tunnels
    • Basic understanding of network security concepts and familiarity with operating system interfaces (CLI/GUI) for device interaction

    These skills can be found in the following Cisco Learning Offerings:

    Outline

    • SD-WAN Evolution and Core Concepts
    • Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Components and Roles
    • Initial SD-WAN Deployment
    • Secure Data Plan and Segmentation
    • Configuration Management and Automation
    • Overlay Routing and Integration
    • Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Policies
    • Direct Internet Access and Cloud Optimization

    Lab outline

    • Access and Monitor Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Components
    • Deploy and Verify Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Edge Routers
    • Deploy Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Edge Configuration
    • Implement Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Overlay Routing
    • Deploy Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Policies