We study from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Generally we view change as one thing to be fearful about, one thing we should shift and modify for, and that the unknown might convey us…nicely, 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 can say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you might have somebody so as to add context that explains how a specific change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog sequence will show you how to just do 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 Could 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 develop into often called the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Similar check, 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 at this time’s job market.
CCNP Automation: Reimagining the DevNet Skilled Certification
We wanted to align the CCNP Automation certification to check the abilities and necessities being seen out there at this time 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 professional candidate.
In spite of everything that work was executed, it was time to lock a bunch of material consultants from numerous backgrounds and focus areas in a room to work out the examination subjects record, the three of which had 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 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 had been centered very a lot on remodeling community engineers into people who had 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 additionally with the software program improvement lifecycle, utility deployment, and platforms, and the way to ensure these purposes had 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 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 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 are actually out there!
Obtain examination subjects
So, what did we modify within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the high of the Examination Matters PDFparticular in-scope platforms are known 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.
Maintain these platforms in thoughts as you progress via 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 will likely be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Reasonably than testing on single-platform APIs, every process within the Community Automation part is targeted on a answer that entails an automation software, akin to Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some cases, not all platforms will be configured for every process (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 direction of a correct answer and toolset, so you should know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to the right way to accomplish a aim utilizing automation.
Infrastructure as Code part
Whereas instruments like Git are nonetheless vital, once more, the main target has shifted in 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 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 the right way to hold an automation answer useful previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embrace:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Making certain deployed automation options stay useful via network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on numerous 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 units or the automation answer being examined on, not on your entire utility stack (which is one thing an utility developer would care about).
We’re trimming the subjects to residence in on that community automation engineer persona and testing it via actionable abilities.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No fashionable engineer will be capable of operate with out some understanding of AI, its impression on our trade, and the right way to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers received’t be any exception to this, both. Nonetheless, we needed the examination subjects to be crafted in such a method that introduced tangible, precious abilities and AI purposes to the check, 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 might 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 of 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 things 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 fast 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 might assemble an AI agent that may enable 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 abilities examined by these examination subjects will likely be wanted and utilized by our prospects and learners, and can develop into a part of the baseline data that any community automation engineer ought to know.
Does this alteration my DEVCOR research?
With such a serious rewrite of an examination, the reply to this query will at all times be “sure”. Whereas we all know that this might probably interrupt your research, hopefully, the extra context and reasoning why we made this alteration will show you how to really feel extra assured and cozy with making that change. Additionally, keep in mind that you’ve got till February 2, 2026, to take and move the current DEVCOR examinationso for those who really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed shifting on to get that move earlier than then.
For those who 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 come in useful in AUTOCOR. Your research will likely be accelerated with these ideas, so you may deal with making use of these ideas in an entire automation answer.
Upleveling your automation considering
You’ll additionally be capable of uplevel your automation considering and conversations, not simply understanding the howhowever the whywhich can profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, when you don’t need to overlook all the things you realized about utility improvement and the related lifecycle, you received’t be required to recollect it on the brand new examination.
It is a change, however it is 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 concerning the following elements of this sequence: I promise to not use the phrase “change” practically as a lot as I did right here. 😉
As at all times, you will discover me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) if in case you have any questions concerning this or some other examination. Blissful finding out!
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