350-401 Architecture Practice Question
An engineer is deploying a Cisco SD-WAN solution using Cisco vManage. The company requires that the WAN edge devices authenticate to the controllers using certificates signed by an enterprise PKI rather than the default Cisco-signed certificates. Which component must be configured to issue and manage these certificates?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that vManage, as the management component, also acts as the certificate authority for enterprise PKI.
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
✓
An external certificate authority (CA) server
Cisco SD-WAN supports two certificate options: the default Cisco-signed certificates or enterprise PKI. For enterprise PKI, an external CA must sign the device certificates. The vManage, vSmart, and vBond components do not issue certificates; they only validate them during control plane establishment. Therefore, an external CA server is required to meet the enterprise PKI requirement.
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 vBond orchestrator
Why it's wrong here
The vBond orchestrator is responsible for initial authentication and orchestration between vSmart controllers and WAN edge devices, but it does not issue or manage certificates. It validates certificates presented during the control plane establishment, yet the actual signing authority for enterprise PKI must be an external CA. Using vBond as the CA is not supported in Cisco SD-WAN architecture.
- ✗
Cisco vManage
Why it's wrong here
Cisco vManage provides the management plane GUI and API for configuration, monitoring, and policy deployment. It can push certificate configurations to devices, but it does not act as a certificate authority. The enterprise PKI requires an external CA to sign certificates; vManage merely facilitates the distribution of those certificates to the WAN edge devices.
- ✗
Cisco vSmart controller
Why it's wrong here
The vSmart controller distributes routing and policy information via OMP to WAN edge devices. It does not function as a certificate authority and cannot sign device certificates. While it participates in the control plane security through DTLS/TLS, the certificate issuance and management for enterprise PKI is handled by an external CA, not by vSmart itself.
- ✓
An external certificate authority (CA) server
Why this is correct
In Cisco SD-WAN, when using enterprise PKI, an external CA server (such as Microsoft Certificate Services or a third-party CA) signs the device certificates. The WAN edge devices generate a CSR, which is sent to the CA; the CA returns a signed certificate that the device uses to authenticate to the controllers. This satisfies the requirement for certificates signed by an enterprise PKI.
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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
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