CCNP Architecture Practice Question
A network engineer is designing a new branch office that must support wired and wireless users with unified policy enforcement and automation. The company wants to minimize manual configuration and ensure consistent security policies across all access ports. Which Cisco architecture should the engineer recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse campus fabric automation with WAN or data center architectures that also provide policy but not for unified campus access.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Cisco SD-Access
Cisco SD-Access is a campus fabric architecture that integrates wired and wireless access with centralized policy using Cisco ISE and VXLAN. It automates fabric provisioning and enforces consistent security policies across all access ports, directly addressing the need for unified policy and minimal manual configuration in a branch office.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cisco SD-WAN
Why it's wrong here
SD-WAN focuses on WAN transport optimization, overlay tunnels, and centralized control for branch-to-datacenter and branch-to-branch traffic. While it offers automation, it does not provide unified campus access policy enforcement for wired and wireless users at the access layer, so it does not meet the described campus requirement.
- ✓
Cisco SD-Access
Why this is correct
SD-Access uses a fabric with VXLAN encapsulation and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) for policy, enabling consistent security and automation across wired and wireless. It provides a single policy plane and reduces manual configuration through fabric provisioning, matching the requirement for unified policy and minimal manual effort.
- ✗
Cisco ACI
Why it's wrong here
ACI is designed for data center networks with a spine-leaf topology and policy applied to endpoint groups. It does not extend to campus branch access switches for wired and wireless user policy, making it unsuitable for the branch office access design described.
- ✗
Cisco TrustSec
Why it's wrong here
TrustSec provides security group tagging and policy enforcement but is not a full architecture for automation and unified wired/wireless access. It can be integrated into SD-Access, but alone it lacks the fabric automation and consistent provisioning required for the branch office scenario.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
This 350-401 question is part of Courseiva's 1,923-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 350-401 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-401 exam.