The Amazon AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certification proves candidate’s skills in working with network architecture using the existing variety of AWS services. This designation helps organizations develop critical skills for utilizing cloud initiatives. And to gain it you need to pass one exam – ANS-C00.
The main requirement before enrolling in the process of taking the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certification exam is that you should have at least 5 years of practical experience in performing and architecting network solutions. In addition, it’s advisable that you possess skills in using AWS security best practices, AWS technology, and AWS storage options. Besides, you need to familiarize yourself with advanced networking architectural and interconnectivity options (VPLS, MPLS, IP VPN) beforehand. To add more, you should be knowledgeable of automation tools and scripts, which means that you are able to deal with routing architectures, high availability connectivity solutions, and multi-region solutions for a global enterprise. Moreover, you should have a thorough understanding of sub-netting and CIDR, IPv6 transition challenges, generic solutions, intrusion prevention systems, and DDoS protection.
The exam that will help you gain this AWS certification is known as the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty or simply ANS-C00 evaluation. Mainly, it checks candidate’s skills to design and apply AWS and hybrid IT network architectures and complete complex networking tasks. To be more precise, exam-takers should be able to create, develop, and deploy cloud-based solutions with the help of AWS, apply key AWS services, design and support network architecture for all AWS services, and utilize tools to automate AWS networking tasks.
Speaking of the exam topics, they are divided into 6 domains.
The exam will include 65 questions of multiple choice or multiple response types which you need to complete within 170 minutes. The passing score is 750 points on a scale of 100-1000. Still, note, that only 50 items will affect your final result, which is pass or fail. The rest 15 questions are unscored. Before taking the test you will need to pay $300.
The first domain is dedicated to design and applying hybrid IT network architectures at scale. It checks your skills to use procedural concepts to apply connectivity for hybrid IT architecture, integrate AWS and on-premises DNS services, utilize device configurations based on templates, customize device configurations that meet business requirements. In addition, in this section, you also should be able to create multipath links into the VPC and define the HA requirements that refer to a specific architecture. To add more, you should be able to utilize Direct Connect in the process of extending connectivity, assess design alternatives that refer to Direct Connect, and determine routing polices for hybrid IT architectures.
The second domain is all about design and implementation of AWS networks. It implies that you are skilled in using AWS networking concepts, explaining network architectures based in AWS, and offering the most suitable designs. You are also able to meet customer’s app requirements and propose a proper architecture, as well as estimate charges based on network design and the app data flow.
The third domain is about automation of AWS tasks. In this part, you should demonstrate your skills to implement AWS CloudFormation to operate VPC infrastructure and build CloudFormation templates, utilize AWS Service Catalog to extend network provisioning, and use AWS CodeCommit to store Infrastructure-as-Code artifacts. Besides, you should be able to use any scripting language to perform highly available solutions for firewalls or NAT, based on EC2, apply APIs, EC2 monitoring scripts, VPC traffic monitoring, and CloudWatch.
The topics in the fourth domain revolve around configuring network integration with the help of app services. Here you should be proficient in working with capabilities of Amazon Route 53, DNS solutions in a hybrid IT architecture, suitable configuration of DHCP in AWS. In addition, you should be able to use the suitable load balancing strategy in terms of the AWS ecosystem, identify the appropriate Amazon CloudFront solution, and design the network communication for the app and an AWS service.
The fifth part deals with the design and implementation of security and compliance. In this section, you should be ready to assess design requirements that comply with security and compliance requirements, and estimate monitoring strategies. You also should be able to manage network traffic through evaluating AWS security features and protect network communications by applying encryption technologies.
The 6th part is about managing, optimizing, and troubleshooting the network. It requires from you to show your practical skills to troubleshoot and solve a network issue in a given scenario. That’s why your understanding of route tables, on-premises devices, causes of failure at the layers, and defining errors in the AWS network configuration is a must.
Covering all the topics given, you will be fully equipped to tackle this ANS-C00 exam at the first attempt.
And as indicated on Ziprecruiter website, with the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty accreditation you can earn annually about $82,142.
