CCNP Security or CCNP Data Center?

Somnipotent

I've been awol for a bit due to a lot of changes in my professional career. I left Verizon earlier this year for an outstanding position with Oracle as a Sr. Network Engineer. I'm technically a "Network Security Engineer" although I have dabbled very little outside of textbook labs into full on network security. That being said, my team is in charge of a handful of data centers across the US, Canada, and a few random countries. The team was actually an acquisition into Oracle a few years ago and now have been tasked to revamp the entire network infrastructure for Oracle's cloud computing platform. I'm talking the works. Nexus 7k, 5k distros, 2k FEX, 6513 cores, F5 LTMs, Riverbed Steelhead CXs, you name it. Sadly, not a lot of layer 3 stuff though. My dilemma now is where to focus my energies. While I'll be dealing a lot with configuration and maintenance of the 7k/5ks I've also been tasked to take the project lead on several security initiatives. Since I'm also heavily vested in the R&S track (holding off the lab until the first few takers trickle out from v5) I need to make sure my time is devoted to something that will yield the most rewards at this time. Both Security and Data Center are very much inline with what I'm doing (save there's very little UCS involved here). The only few security appliances I get to touch are some ACS, ASAs, IDSes, Palo Altos, Juniper SSGs, etc.

I'm leaning towards Security right now (I'm not a huge fan of the domain but I think it's because there has been little practical reason to shoot for it until now). Data Center seems perfect for what I may need later as I move on towards more troubleshooting of the network. Anyone think one would be better to start with than the other? Considering I have the associate level certs for both, it's now a matter of picking one.

Roy4USA

Somnipotent wrote: »

Cut Data Center seems perfect for what I may need later as I move on towards more troubleshooting of the network.

The Nexus part of Data Center is aligned with your R&S Lab and should reinforce that. But then again, so should the security for Crypto Stuff for R&S Lab. I think you should decide which one would you be happier doing.

SteveO86

I would so whichever one you have more of interest in. That will make studying for the exam that much easier.

Do you have exposure to UCS? Half of the CCNP: DC is UCS related as well as Nexus related. (If not, the UCS Emulator can go pretty far)