We be taught from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Typically we view change as one thing to be nervous about, one thing we should shift and modify for, and that the unknown may carry us…nicely, something. On the flip facet, some change is sweet, even wanted and refreshing (as anybody who places a brand new coat of paint on a home will attest). I suppose you would say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you might have somebody so as to add context that explains how a selected change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog sequence will allow you to do exactly that, as we face main adjustments centered on a subject close to and pricey to my coronary heart: the up to date Cisco Automation Certifications and their related examination subjects.
In case you missed the announcement in Might 2025, we’re renaming Cisco DevNet Certifications to Cisco Automation Certifications. On February 3, 2026, every certification stage (Affiliate, Skilled, and Skilled) will transition to the CCNA/CCNP/CCIE taxonomy that’s so acquainted to our studying neighborhood, companions, and employers. Learn the announcement.
As of February 3, 2026, the Cisco Licensed DevNet Affiliate and the Cisco Licensed DevNet Skilled will turn into often known as the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Similar take a look at, new names. It’s that simple.
Nonetheless, after a lot thought and consideration, it was determined that the Cisco Licensed DevNet Skilled certification wanted greater than a reputation change. It wanted to align with right this moment’s job market.
CCNP Automation: Reimagining the DevNet Skilled Certification
We wanted to align the CCNP Automation certification to check the talents and necessities being seen available in the market right this moment from our prospects who’re using community automation engineers. A lot work was put into job position and process evaluation, in addition to figuring out the {qualifications} of a certified candidate.
In spite of everything that work was carried out, it was time to lock a bunch of material specialists from varied backgrounds and focus areas in a room to work out the examination subjects checklist, the three of which have been launched on the finish of July.
A brand new strategy to testing
All Cisco certification exams endure an replace and alter course of yearly. We alter solely as much as 10% of the examination subjects, and typically not even that a lot. However within the case of the CCNP Automation, we simply couldn’t make that quantity match with how the exams wanted to be reshaped.
When first launched, the Skilled-level DevNet exams have been centered very a lot on remodeling community engineers into people who have been comfy with writing functions for community automation. These “community automation builders” wanted to be acquainted not solely with Cisco APIs and their capabilities but additionally with the software program improvement lifecycle, utility deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these functions have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do right this moment’s engineers want?
These abilities are nice to have in your base of data, however the market wanted one thing totally different. Engineers who’re comfy with automation frameworks and instruments and might:
- Create digital twins for pre- and post-change validations
- Leverage programmability rules for operations and monitoring
- Snug navigating the brand new world of AI
We wanted to check a skillset that wasn’t “utility developer who understands a little bit of networking,” however “community engineer with expertise in network-specific automation frameworks to implement an end-to-end answer.”
Lofty objectives, however I really feel that our new examination subjects hit all these areas (I could also be just a bit biased, since I used to be a type of people locked in that room for hours).
Cisco Automation Certification examination subjects are actually out there!
Obtain examination subjects
So, what did we modify within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the high of the Examination Subjects PDF, particular in-scope platforms are known as out.
- This reduces repetition within the examination subjects.
- Focuses on the platforms you need to research for.
- Offers boundaries for the scope, so that you don’t want to check each single Cisco product.
Maintain these platforms in thoughts as you progress via every of the domains.
Area Adjustments
- The examination moved from 5 domains of research to 4.
- This will increase the examination weight on the primary two domains: Community Automation and Infrastructure as Code.
- These sections might be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Fairly than testing on single-platform APIs, every process within the Community Automation part is targeted on a answer that includes an automation software, equivalent to Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some cases, not all platforms could be configured for every process (like utilizing NETCONF for ACI). This wasn’t an oversight; as a community automation skilled, you’ll be checked out as somebody to assist information an enterprise in the direction of a correct answer and toolset, so you have to know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to methods to accomplish a objective utilizing automation.
Infrastructure as Code part
Whereas instruments like Git are nonetheless vital, once more, the main target has shifted in the direction of utilizing a CI/CD pipeline and GitOps to deploy community automation options, both towards actual {hardware} or leveraging a digital twin simulation software.
Professionals want to know:
- CI/CD processes.
- Cisco Modeling Labs.
- Community sources of fact (for pulling information into pipelines for variables, configuration, and many others.).
The main target is on the answer somewhat than particular person parts.
Operations part
The emphasis is on methods to maintain an automation answer practical previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embody:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Making certain deployed automation options stay practical via network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on varied platforms to enhance community observability.
Consider, although, that the safety/secret administration (like passwords and API keys), certificates administration, and logging solely pertain to the community gadgets or the automation answer being examined on, not on all the utility stack (which is one thing an utility developer would care about).
We’re trimming the subjects to house in on that community automation engineer persona and testing it via actionable abilities.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No trendy engineer will have the ability to operate with out some understanding of AI, its affect on our trade, and methods to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers gained’t be any exception to this, both. Nonetheless, we needed the examination subjects to be crafted in such a approach that introduced tangible, priceless abilities and AI functions to the take a look at, and I really feel like we hit the mark with these.
We needed the candidates to know the implications behind utilizing AI for his or her roles, together with:
- Ways in which AI may trigger hurt to a company, together with IP theft, information sovereignty, and simply “code that doesn’t work.”
- Likewise, community automation engineers ought to have the ability to determine when options will work and when they’re simply plain made up.
- This reinforces the usage of AI as a software and assistant, somewhat than outsourcing every part to a mannequin; if one thing breaks at 3 a.m., “AI made it” gained’t be an appropriate excuse to your leaders.
- The sensible functions of AI within the networks.
- With the short rise of mannequin context protocol (MCP) servers getting used as conduits and extensions to LLMs for community automation, it was a no brainer to incorporate a Pythonic framework of MCP server improvement as a process merchandise.
We additionally needed to make it possible for our engineers may assemble an AI agent that may enable them to naturally speak to an LLM and carry out some kind of community automation, presumably even utilizing a number of MCP servers.
Whereas we perceive the world of AI is quickly evolving, we felt that the talents examined by these examination subjects might be wanted and utilized by our prospects and learners, and can turn into a part of the baseline information that any community automation engineer ought to know.
Does this variation my DEVCOR research?
With such a significant rewrite of an examination, the reply to this query will at all times be “sure”. Whereas we all know that this might doubtlessly interrupt your research, hopefully, the extra context and reasoning why we made this variation will allow you to really feel extra assured and comfy with making that change. Additionally, bear in mind that you’ve till February 2, 2026, to take and cross the current DEVCOR examination, so in the event you really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed transferring on to get that cross earlier than then.
Should you do have to vary your research, although, all just isn’t misplaced. Lots of the ideas that exist inside DEVCOR, like API utilization, git instructions, use of Python, Ansible, and Terraform, and understanding Cisco platforms, will all come in useful in AUTOCOR. Your research might be accelerated with these ideas, so you possibly can concentrate on making use of these ideas in a whole automation answer.
Upleveling your automation considering
You’ll additionally have the ability to uplevel your automation considering and conversations, not simply understanding the how, however the why, which can profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, when you don’t wish to neglect every part you realized about utility improvement and the related lifecycle, you gained’t be required to recollect it on the brand new examination.
This can be a change, however this can be a change for the higher. I’ll even be placing out the same breakdown of the ENAUTO 2.0, in addition to the brand new DCNAUTO (I contributed to all three exams), so as to really feel comfy with these adjustments as nicely.
Lastly, I promise that I’ll change one thing concerning the following elements of this sequence: I promise to not use the phrase “change” almost as a lot as I did right here. 😉
As at all times, you will discover me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) when you’ve got any questions relating to this or another examination. Pleased learning!
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