Validate your expertise in designing Cisco and NetApp FlexPod converged infrastructure solutions — covering solution sizing, hardware component selection, Cisco networking design, security architecture, and multi-tenancy for enterprise business workloads and application deployment.
The NS0-175 exam earns the Cisco and NetApp FlexPod Design Specialist credential — a joint certification that validates your ability to design FlexPod converged infrastructure solutions for a variety of business workloads. FlexPod — a co-developed and co-validated architecture from Cisco and NetApp — integrates Cisco UCS compute, Cisco Nexus networking, and NetApp ONTAP storage into a pre-validated, lifecycle-managed converged infrastructure platform.
Candidates are expected to understand how to select and size FlexPod hardware for given customer requirements, describe the Cisco networking components used within FlexPod designs, and address security and multi-tenancy considerations. With enterprises increasingly adopting FlexPod for AI/ML inference, VDI, SAP, Oracle, and cloud-ready application modernisation workloads, FlexPod Design Specialists are in demand at NetApp and Cisco partners, system integrators, and enterprise IT architects globally.
Design FlexPod solutions for specific business workloads — describe FlexPod components, size solutions per customer requirements, and explain FlexPod CVD (Cisco Validated Designs) best practices
Describe Cisco networking components used in FlexPod — Nexus switching, UCS fabric interconnects, vPC (virtual PortChannel), and FC/FCoE/iSCSI fabric topology for FlexPod environments
Describe FlexPod security architecture — access control methods, role-based administration, RBAC across UCS/ONTAP/Nexus, and considerations for building secure multitenancy designs
Use FlexPod tools and resources — identify supported FlexPod components via the Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT), use management tools (Cisco Intersight, NetApp AIQUM, BlueXP), and apply troubleshooting methodologies
Understand FlexPod hardware components — Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers, Cisco Nexus 9000/5000 switches, Cisco MDS FC switches, and NetApp AFF/FAS storage systems
Describe FlexPod support options — NetApp and Cisco joint support models, FlexPod support agreements, and resources for ongoing FlexPod lifecycle management and firmware compliance
Pre-sales and systems engineers at Cisco and NetApp partner organisations who design, size, and propose FlexPod converged infrastructure solutions to enterprise customers
Data centre architects and infrastructure design engineers responsible for designing converged and hyperconverged solutions for enterprise compute, storage, and networking
IT professionals with 6–12 months of FlexPod field experience who want a joint Cisco-NetApp credential validating their ability to design solutions using FlexPod Validated Designs (CVDs)
Cisco CCNP Data Center or NetApp NCDA certified professionals seeking to expand their credentials with the FlexPod joint specialisation for converged infrastructure design roles
Zetlan Technologies covers all 4 exam domains — FlexPod Design, Networking, Security, and Tools — with expert-led training on CVDs, UCS, Nexus, and ONTAP integration.
Click any domain to explore all topics covered in the NS0-175 FlexPod Design Specialist exam.
From FlexPod CVD architecture and UCS design to Nexus networking, security, and Intersight — get certified with Zetlan Technologies.