Passing the Designing Cisco Security Infrastructure (300-745 SDSI) exam earns you the Cisco Certified Specialist – Designing Cisco Security Infrastructure credential and fulfills the concentration exam requirement for the CCNP Security certification. The latest Designing Cisco Security Infrastructure 300-745 SDSI Dumps from Passcert are carefully designed to cover all official exam objectives, featuring real exam-style questions and verified answers to help candidates pass the exam confidently on the first attempt. These updated materials focus on practical security design scenarios, modern infrastructure challenges, and Cisco-aligned best practices—making them an efficient preparation solution for professionals targeting CCNP Security certification success.
Comprehensive Overview of the 300-745 SDSI Exam Structure and Purpose
The 300-745 SDSI v1.0 exam is a 90-minute, English-language assessment that evaluates a candidate’s ability to design robust, scalable, and future-ready security architectures. Rather than focusing on device-level configuration, the exam emphasizes design decisions, architectural trade-offs, and risk-based security planning across enterprise and cloud environments.
This domain tests your ability to design secure network foundations that align with business and technical requirements. Candidates must understand how to:
Select appropriate security approaches to mitigate infrastructure threats
Adapt security architectures to meet evolving technical constraints
Choose suitable VPN and tunneling solutions such as SD-WAN, IPsec, GRE, DMVPN, MPLS, and public cloud tunnels
Secure management and control planes
Design firewall architectures, including Next-Generation Firewalls, WAFs, IPS/IDS, distributed firewalls, eBPF, and host-based firewalls
This section heavily emphasizes architectural reasoning over product memorization.
2. Applications (25%)
Modern enterprises rely on complex application architectures, and this domain validates your ability to protect them effectively. You are expected to:
Select application-focused security controls such as firewalls, SSL offloading/decryption, DLP, and endpoint protections
Design security for cloud-native applications, microservices, containers, and serverless workloads
Apply segmentation and microsegmentation strategies
Understand the security implications of emerging technologies, including generative AI, machine learning, and quantum computing
This domain reflects the growing shift from perimeter security to application-centric and workload-centric defense models.
3. Risk, Events, and Requirements (30%)
This is one of the most critical sections of the exam, focusing on security governance and lifecycle management. Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of:
How Security Operations Centers (SOC) use incident handling and response tools
Modifying designs to mitigate identified risks
Updating architectures after security incidents
Applying industry frameworks such as MITRE CAPEC, NIST SP 800-37, and Cisco SAFE
Mapping regulatory and compliance requirements to real-world business scenarios
Strong analytical thinking and familiarity with risk-based decision-making are essential here.
4. Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and DevSecOps (15%)
This forward-looking domain reflects Cisco’s emphasis on automation and intelligent security operations. You will be tested on:
The role of AI in securing network infrastructure
Designing architectures that support automation, including APIs, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), monitoring, telemetry, SOAR, and container scanning
Identifying the next steps in DevSecOps pipelines to reduce deployment risk
This section highlights the importance of security-by-design in automated and CI/CD-driven environments.
Recommended Study Tips to Prepare for the CCNP Security 300-745 SDSI Exam
Master the Exam Blueprint: Review the official Cisco exam topics and ensure you understand the weight distribution—focus more time on high-percentage domains like Secure Infrastructure (30%) and Risk, Events, and Requirements (30%).
Use Quality Study Materials: Leverage the latest Designing Cisco Security Infrastructure 300-745 SDSI Dumps from reputable sources like Passcert, which include real exam-style questions and verified answers aligned with current exam objectives.
Practice Scenario-Based Questions: The exam emphasizes real-world design scenarios. Practice questions that require you to evaluate trade-offs, select appropriate solutions, and justify architectural decisions.
Join Study Groups and Forums: Engage with other candidates through Cisco Learning Network, Reddit, or LinkedIn groups to exchange insights, clarify doubts, and share study strategies.
Take Practice Exams: Simulate the exam environment by taking timed practice tests. This helps you manage time effectively and identify weak areas that need more attention.
Conclusion: Why the 300-745 SDSI Exam Is a Strategic Career Move
The Designing Cisco Security Infrastructure (300-745 SDSI) exam is more than a certification requirement—it is a validation of your ability to design secure, scalable, and future-ready security architectures. With its strong emphasis on infrastructure design, application security, risk management, automation, and AI, the exam reflects the real challenges faced by modern enterprise security architects.
For professionals pursuing CCNP Security, aiming for specialist recognition, or maintaining Cisco certifications through recertification, the 300-745 SDSI exam represents a critical and valuable milestone in advancing a long-term career in network and security architecture.