We study from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Generally we view change as one thing to be apprehensive about, one thing we should shift and modify for, and that the unknown may carry us…properly, something. On the flip facet, some change is nice, even wanted and refreshing (as anybody who places a brand new coat of paint on a home will attest). I assume you possibly can say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you have got somebody so as to add context that explains how a selected change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog collection will show you how to just do that, as we face main adjustments centered on a subject close to and expensive 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 grow to be referred to as the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Similar check, new names. It’s that straightforward.
Nevertheless, 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 now’s job market.
CCNP Automation: Reimagining the DevNet Skilled Certification
We would have liked to align the CCNP Automation certification to check the talents and necessities being seen out there right now from our prospects who’re using community automation engineers. A lot work was put into job position and job evaluation, in addition to figuring out the {qualifications} of a professional candidate.
In spite of everything that work was achieved, it was time to lock a bunch of subject material specialists from numerous backgrounds and focus areas in a room to work out the examination subjects record, the three of which have been launched on the finish of July.
A brand new method to testing
All Cisco certification exams endure an replace and alter course of annually. We modify solely as much as 10% of the examination subjects, and generally 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 snug with writing functions for community automation. These “community automation builders” wanted to be acquainted not solely with Cisco APIs and their features but additionally with the software program growth lifecycle, software deployment, and platforms, and the way to ensure these functions have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do right now’s engineers want?
These abilities are nice to have in your base of information, however the market wanted one thing totally different. Engineers who’re snug 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 would have liked to check a skillset that wasn’t “software 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 targets, 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 at the moment are accessible!
Obtain examination subjects
So, what did we alter within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the prime of the Examination Subjects PDF, particular in-scope platforms are referred to as out.
- This reduces repetition within the examination subjects.
- Focuses on the platforms you need to examine for.
- Supplies boundaries for the scope, so that you don’t want to review each single Cisco product.
Preserve these platforms in thoughts as you progress by way of every of the domains.
Area Modifications
- The examination moved from 5 domains of examine 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.
- Somewhat than testing on single-platform APIs, every job within the Community Automation part is targeted on a answer that entails an automation software, resembling Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some cases, not all platforms might be configured for every job (like utilizing NETCONF for ACI). This wasn’t an oversight; as a community automation skilled, you may be checked out as somebody to assist information an enterprise in the direction of a correct answer and toolset, so you need to know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to how you can accomplish a objective utilizing automation.
Infrastructure as Code part
Whereas instruments like Git are nonetheless essential, once more, the main target has shifted in the direction of utilizing a CI/CD pipeline and GitOps to deploy community automation options, both in opposition to actual {hardware} or leveraging a digital twin simulation software.
Professionals want to grasp:
- CI/CD processes.
- Cisco Modeling Labs.
- Community sources of fact (for pulling information into pipelines for variables, configuration, and many others.).
The main focus is on the answer relatively than particular person parts.
Operations part
The emphasis is on how you can maintain an automation answer practical previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embrace:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Making certain deployed automation options stay practical by way of network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on numerous platforms to enhance community observability.
Take note, although, that the safety/secret administration (like passwords and API keys), certificates administration, and logging solely pertain to the community units or the automation answer being examined on, not on your complete software stack (which is one thing an software developer would care about).
We’re trimming the subjects to residence in on that community automation engineer persona and testing it by way of actionable abilities.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No trendy engineer will be capable to perform with out some understanding of AI, its affect on our trade, and how you can safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers received’t be any exception to this, both. Nevertheless, we wished the examination subjects to be crafted in such a approach that introduced tangible, helpful abilities and AI functions to the check, and I really feel like we hit the mark with these.
We wished the candidates to grasp the implications behind utilizing AI for his or her roles, together with:
- Ways in which AI may trigger hurt to a corporation, together with IP theft, information sovereignty, and simply “code that doesn’t work.”
- Likewise, community automation engineers ought to be capable to determine when options will work and when they’re simply plain made up.
- This reinforces using AI as a software and assistant, relatively than outsourcing the whole lot to a mannequin; if one thing breaks at 3 a.m., “AI made it” received’t be a suitable 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 growth as a job merchandise.
We additionally wished to guarantee that our engineers may assemble an AI agent that might permit them to naturally discuss to an LLM and carry out some kind of community automation, probably 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 grow to be a part of the baseline data that any community automation engineer ought to know.
Does this modification my DEVCOR research?
With such a serious rewrite of an examination, the reply to this query will all the time be “sure”. Whereas we all know that this might probably interrupt your research, hopefully, the extra context and reasoning why we made this modification will show you how to really feel extra assured and comfy with making that change. Additionally, keep in mind that you’ve got till February 2, 2026, to take and go the current DEVCOR examination, so for those who really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed transferring on to get that go earlier than then.
In case you do have to vary your research, although, all is just not misplaced. Most of the ideas that exist inside DEVCOR, like API utilization, git instructions, use of Python, Ansible, and Terraform, and understanding Cisco platforms, will all turn out to be useful in AUTOCOR. Your research might be accelerated with these ideas, so you’ll be able to deal with making use of these ideas in a whole automation answer.
Upleveling your automation considering
You’ll additionally be capable to uplevel your automation considering and conversations, not simply understanding the how, however the why, which is able to profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, whilst you don’t wish to overlook the whole lot you discovered about software growth and the related lifecycle, you received’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 an identical breakdown of the ENAUTO 2.0, in addition to the brand new DCNAUTO (I contributed to all three exams), in an effort to really feel snug with these adjustments as properly.
Lastly, I promise that I’ll change one thing in regards to the following elements of this collection: I promise to not use the phrase “change” almost as a lot as I did right here. 😉
As all the time, you’ll find me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) when you have any questions relating to this or some other examination. Pleased finding out!
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