Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (350-401 ENCOR)

Every enterprise network rests on the same foundation: switches that keep traffic flowing, routing protocols that find the best path, security controls that keep the wrong people out, and the tools to see what is happening at any moment. The Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (350-401 ENCOR) course brings all of these together in one structured programme.

This Cisco ENCOR training is built around the current 350-401 exam blueprint. It starts with how modern campus and branch networks are designed, from two-tier and three-tier layouts to fabric and cloud-connected models. From there, you move into the hands-on core of routing and switching: 802.1Q trunking, EtherChannel, Rapid Spanning Tree and MST, OSPFv2 and OSPFv3, and eBGP between directly connected peers.

The course then widens the view. You will work with VRF, GRE and IPsec tunnels, and learn how overlay concepts such as LISP and VXLAN support Cisco SD-Access. You will study how Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN separates its control and data planes, and how Cisco Catalyst Center helps teams configure, monitor and manage the network.

Network security receives serious attention, covering AAA, ACLs, Control Plane Policing and the wider security design that includes next-generation firewalls, TrustSec and MACsec. The final strand is network automation. You will read Python scripts, build valid JSON, work with NETCONF and RESTCONF, and see how YANG data models and REST APIs make enterprise network infrastructure easier to operate at scale.

The result is a well-rounded view of enterprise network technologies, grounded in the tasks network engineers handle every day and aligned with the 350-401 ENCOR exam.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Explain enterprise network design principles, including tiered and fabric architectures and high-availability techniques such as FHRP and SSO.
• Configure and troubleshoot Layer 2 switching with VLANs, 802.1Q trunks, EtherChannel, RSTP and MST, including root guard and BPDU guard.
• Implement IPv4 and IPv6 routing with multi-area OSPFv2 and OSPFv3, compare OSPF with EIGRP, and establish eBGP neighbour relationships.
• Build network redundancy and IP services using HSRP, VRRP, NAT/PAT and NTP, and describe how multicast protocols such as PIM and IGMP operate.
• Apply virtualization technologies, including VRF, GRE and IPsec tunnelling, and explain how LISP, VXLAN, SD-Access and Catalyst SD-WAN work.
• Secure the infrastructure with AAA, ACLs and CoPP, and monitor it using Flexible NetFlow, SPAN, IP SLA, SNMP and syslog.
• Automate routine tasks using Python, JSON, YANG, NETCONF, RESTCONF, and the REST APIs of Cisco Catalyst Center and SD-WAN Manager.