Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)

What's the CCDE?
According to Cisco, it's an expert-level certification that focuses on network design. The emphasis is on the design principles and theory at Layer 3 (network layer). Successful candidates need to be able to translate business requirements into technical specifications which are incorporated to successful network designs. The CCDE went live on January 22nd, 2008. The lab component is due sometime in the Fall of '08.

Who can/should do this?
Anyone, of course! There are no formal prerequisites, just like the CCIE. However, it is recommended that you have at least 7 years of solid networking experience under your belt before making an attempt, or have attained the CCIE. This exam is costly in terms of preparation (time, finances) let alone the exam itself. Currently the CCIE written now is $325 and the practical lab is $1400USD; it's likely that the CCDE may follow this path.

The Titans: CCIE v. CCDE
The choice of one over another depends on one's (perceived) career path - CCIE is more focused on the implementation and operation of networks, while CCDE is network design. However, both are parallels in terms of level of difficulty and depth of expertise.

For more information check out the CCDE page at Cisco.com.

Aside: Network architecture and design has always interested me and so sometime in the future I may tread down this path. For now, i'm slowly but surely preparing for the CCIE lab and will probably sit for the CCDP while i'm at it. Good luck to all that attempt this and kudos to those that pass; the race for the coveted number CCDE#1 (should that be the numerical scheme of awarding numbers Cisco adopts) has just begun!