Associate → Professional → Expert

DataCenter Stream

Spine-leaf fabrics, EVPN-VXLAN and lossless GPU-cluster networking.

The flagship ladder into India's AI-infrastructure gold rush — Clos fabrics, EVPN-VXLAN overlays, RoCEv2 lossless Ethernet and GPU-cluster design. Product-aligned to Cisco (Nexus, ACI) and Juniper (QFX, Apstra, JNCIA/JNCIP/JNCIE-DC).

See the three-tier ladder Start at RCDA (Associate)
24 modules across 3 certifications 53 graded labs 46 weeks end-to-end
Index 47
AI-operations Supply Sufficiency Index — one qualified candidate for every two roles
The ladder at a glance
1
RCDA
Associate · 10 weeks
2
RCDP
Professional · 16 weeks
3
RCDE
Expert · 20 weeks

The three-tier progression

One ladder, three credentials — each rung a graded practical exam.

Every tier is a standalone certification with its own modules, labs and career plan. Complete them in order and the stream carries you from first job to architect-grade specialist.

01
Associate

RCDA

RKR Certified DataCenter Associate

Build the fabric India's AI datacenters run on — from the first patch cable to a routed Clos underlay.

No prerequisite — the entry gate to this stream
Duration
10 weeks · 8 hrs/wk
Curriculum
7 modules · 16 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — Juniper JNCIA-DC
  • Cisco — Cisco CCNA (Data Center foundations)
₹49,999
full program
Explore RCDA A0 blueprint sheet
02
Professional

RCDP

RKR Certified DataCenter Professional

Own the fabric: EVPN-VXLAN, ACI, and Apstra — with the lossless-Ethernet on-ramp to AI datacenters.

Prerequisite: RCDA
Duration
16 weeks · 10 hrs/wk
Curriculum
8 modules · 18 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — JNCIP-DC
  • Cisco — CCNP Data Center (incl. DCACI)
₹99,999
full program
Explore RCDP A0 blueprint sheet
03
Expert

RCDE

RKR Certified DataCenter Expert

Design the fabrics that train India's AI — and defend every decision under fire.

Prerequisite: RCDP
Duration
20 weeks · 12 hrs/wk
Curriculum
9 modules · 19 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — Juniper JNCIE-DC
  • Cisco — Cisco CCIE Data Center
₹1,99,999
full program
Explore RCDE A0 blueprint sheet

The career arc, tier by tier

Where each credential takes you — with the salary band at every rung.

Each tier publishes its own career plan. Read them left to right and this is the full arc of the datacenter stream: entry role to architect-grade specialist.

RCDA
Associate tier
Rung 1 · 0-1 yr
DC NOC Engineer / Network Technician
Rs 6-9 LPA
Rung 2 · 1-3 yrs
Datacenter Network Engineer (deploy & operate pods)
Rs 9-14 LPA
Rung 3 · 3-5 yrs
Fabric Engineer — EVPN/VXLAN operations (RCDP track)
Rs 14-20 LPA
Rung 4 · 5+ yrs
Senior DC Network Engineer / GPU fabric specialist
Rs 20-26 LPA
Rs 6-14 LPA entry band, with a credible 14-20 LPA step within 2-3 years on the fabric track
RCDP
Professional tier
Entry point (typical RCDA holder)
DataCenter Network Engineer
Rs 8-14 LPA
0-12 months post-RCDP
Senior DC Fabric Engineer — EVPN-VXLAN / ACI
Rs 14-26 LPA
1-3 years
Lead Fabric Engineer / Automation-First Fabric Owner
Rs 26-40 LPA
3-5 years (RCDE / expert track)
Principal DataCenter Fabric Architect
Rs 40-50 LPA (Rs 50-90+ on the expert/AI-fabric track)
Rs 14-26 LPA on certification, with a senior-track runway to Rs 26-50 LPA
RCDE
Expert tier
Entry point (RCDP + RCDE in progress)
Senior Datacenter Network Engineer — AI fabrics
Rs 26-38 LPA
1-2 years post-RCDE
AI Fabric Architect / Lead Network Engineer, GPU cloud
Rs 38-55 LPA
3-4 years post-RCDE
Principal Network Engineer — AI Infrastructure
Rs 55-75 LPA
Senior track
Distinguished Engineer / Head of Network Architecture
Rs 75-90+ LPA
Rs 26-90+ LPA (senior to principal, datacenter stream; AI-fabric specialisation carries a ~1.7x niche premium over generic DC roles)
See all career outcomesStart the ladder at RCDA

Product-based depth

The vendor stacks behind this stream.

RKR certifications are vendor-aligned, not vendor-locked. These product tracks build the hands-on platform fluency that the datacenter stream exams grade.

Cisco

Nexus, ACI and enterprise-grade product depth.

Product-based advanced training on Cisco's datacenter and security stack — Nexus NX-OS, ACI policy fabric, Catalyst, Firepower NGFW and ISE identity. Builds the hands-on product fluency behind RKR's DataCenter and Security certifications.

Nexus / NX-OSACI (APIC)CatalystFirepower NGFWIdentity Services Engine (ISE)

Juniper

Junos, Apstra and SRX across DataCenter and Security.

Product-based advanced training on Juniper — Junos on QFX/MX, Apstra intent-based fabric automation and SRX security. Maps RKR's DataCenter and Security ladders to the JNCIA / JNCIP / JNCIE progression, RKR-branded.

Junos OSQFX SeriesApstra (intent-based DC)SRX SeriesMX Series

Climb the datacenter stream — or compare all three ladders.

RCDA → RCDP → RCDE. Every tier lab-graded, every tier with a published career plan.

Begin with RCDA View all 9 certifications
Wireless Stream Security Stream