We be taught from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Typically we view change as one thing to be anxious about, one thing we should shift and modify for, and that the unknown may carry us…nicely, something. On the flip aspect, some change is sweet, even wanted and refreshing (as anybody who places a brand new coat of paint on a home will attest). I assume you would say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you’ve got somebody so as to add context that explains how a selected change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog sequence will make it easier 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 matters.
In case you missed the announcement in Could 2025, we’re renaming Cisco DevNet Certifications to Cisco Automation Certifications. On February 3, 2026, every certification stage (Affiliate, Skilled, and Knowledgeable) will transition to the CCNA/CCNP/CCIE taxonomy that’s so acquainted to our studying group, companions, and employers. Learn the announcement.
As of February 3, 2026, the Cisco Licensed DevNet Affiliate and the Cisco Licensed DevNet Knowledgeable will develop into often known as the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Identical take a look at, new names. It’s that straightforward.
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 at this time’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 at this time from our clients who’re using community automation engineers. A lot work was put into job function and activity evaluation, in addition to figuring out the {qualifications} of a professional candidate.
In any case 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 matters 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 annually. We modify solely as much as 10% of the examination matters, 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 reworking community engineers into people who have been snug with writing purposes for community automation. These “community automation builders” wanted to be acquainted not solely with Cisco APIs and their features but in addition with the software program improvement lifecycle, software deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these purposes have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do at this time’s engineers want?
These abilities are nice to have in your base of information, however the market wanted one thing completely different. Engineers who’re snug with automation frameworks and instruments and may:
- 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 resolution.”
Lofty targets, however I really feel that our new examination matters hit all these areas (I could also be just a bit biased, since I used to be a kind of people locked in that room for hours).
Cisco Automation Certification examination matters at the moment are out there!
Obtain examination matters
So, what did we alter within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the high of the Examination Matters PDF, particular in-scope platforms are known as out.
- This reduces repetition within the examination matters.
- Focuses on the platforms it is best to research for.
- Offers boundaries for the scope, so that you don’t want to review each single Cisco product.
Hold these platforms in thoughts as you progress by way of 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 shall be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Relatively than testing on single-platform APIs, every activity within the Community Automation part is concentrated on a resolution that entails an automation software, corresponding to Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some cases, not all platforms could be configured for every activity (like utilizing NETCONF for ACI). This wasn’t an oversight; as a community automation skilled, you can be checked out as somebody to assist information an enterprise in the direction of a correct resolution and toolset, so you will need to know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to the way to accomplish a aim 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 reality (for pulling information into pipelines for variables, configuration, and many others.).
The main focus is on the answer somewhat than particular person elements.
Operations part
The emphasis is on the way to preserve an automation resolution useful previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embrace:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Guaranteeing deployed automation options stay useful by way of network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on numerous platforms to enhance community observability.
Have in mind, although, that the safety/secret administration (like passwords and API keys), certificates administration, and logging solely pertain to the community gadgets or the automation resolution being examined on, not on your entire software stack (which is one thing an software developer would care about).
We’re trimming the matters to dwelling 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 operate with out some understanding of AI, its affect on our business, and the way to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers received’t be any exception to this, both. Nonetheless, we wished the examination matters to be crafted in such a approach that introduced tangible, useful abilities and AI purposes to the take a look at, 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 work out when options will work and when they’re simply plain made up.
- This reinforces using AI as a software and assistant, somewhat than outsourcing all the pieces to a mannequin; if one thing breaks at 3 a.m., “AI made it” received’t be an appropriate excuse to your leaders.
- The sensible purposes 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 activity merchandise.
We additionally wished to make it possible for our engineers may assemble an AI agent that might enable them to naturally speak to an LLM and carry out some type 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 matters shall be wanted and utilized by our clients and learners, and can develop into a part of the baseline information 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 make it easier 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 present DEVCOR examination, so in case you really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed transferring on to get that cross earlier than then.
In the event you do have to alter your research, although, all shouldn’t be 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 shall be accelerated with these ideas, so you possibly can deal with making use of these ideas in a whole automation resolution.
Upleveling your automation pondering
You’ll additionally be capable to uplevel your automation pondering and conversations, not simply understanding the how, however the why, which is able to profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, when you don’t need to neglect all the pieces you realized about software improvement and the related lifecycle, you received’t be required to recollect it on the brand new examination.
It is a change, however this can be a change for the higher. I’ll even be placing out an analogous breakdown of the ENAUTO 2.0, in addition to the brand new DCNAUTO (I contributed to all three exams), as a way to really feel snug with these adjustments as nicely.
Lastly, I promise that I’ll change one thing in regards to the following components of this sequence: I promise to not use the phrase “change” practically as a lot as I did right here. 😉
As all the time, you could find me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) you probably have any questions relating to this or every other examination. Comfortable finding out!
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