We study from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Generally we view change as one thing to be frightened about, one thing we should shift and alter for, and that the unknown may deliver 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 might say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you’ve somebody so as to add context that explains how a specific change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog sequence will assist you do exactly that, as we face main modifications 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 Might 2025, we’re renaming Cisco DevNet Certifications to Cisco Automation Certifications. On February 3, 2026, every certification degree (Affiliate, Skilled, and Professional) 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 Professional will grow to be often called the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Identical 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 immediately’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 available in the market immediately from our clients who’re using community automation engineers. A lot work was put into job position and activity evaluation, in addition to figuring out the {qualifications} of a certified candidate.
In any case that work was performed, it was time to lock a bunch of subject material consultants 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 bear an replace and alter course of yearly. 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 comfy 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 growth lifecycle, software deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these purposes have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do immediately’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 comfy with automation frameworks and instruments and may:
- Create digital twins for pre- and post-change validations
- Leverage programmability ideas for operations and monitoring
- Comfy navigating the brand new world of AI
We wanted 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 objectives, 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 type of people locked in that room for hours).
Cisco Automation Certification examination matters at the moment are obtainable!
Obtain examination matters
So, what did we alter 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 matters.
- Focuses on the platforms you must research for.
- Supplies boundaries for the scope, so that you don’t want to check 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 can be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Fairly than testing on single-platform APIs, every activity within the Community Automation part is targeted on a resolution that entails an automation device, equivalent to Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some situations, not all platforms might 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 direction of a correct resolution and toolset, so you should know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to methods to accomplish a purpose utilizing automation.
Infrastructure as Code part
Whereas instruments like Git are nonetheless essential, 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 device.
Professionals want to know:
- CI/CD processes.
- Cisco Modeling Labs.
- Community sources of fact (for pulling knowledge into pipelines for variables, configuration, and so on.).
The main target is on the answer relatively than particular person elements.
Operations part
The emphasis is on methods to preserve an automation resolution purposeful previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embody:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Guaranteeing deployed automation options stay purposeful by way of network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on numerous platforms to enhance community observability.
Take into accout, although, that the safety/secret administration (like passwords and API keys), certificates administration, and logging solely pertain to the community units or the automation resolution being examined on, not on the complete 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 impression on our business, and methods to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers received’t be any exception to this, both. Nevertheless, we wished the examination matters to be crafted in such a approach that introduced tangible, worthwhile abilities and AI purposes to the check, and I really feel like we hit the mark with these.
We wished 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, knowledge 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 the usage of AI as a device and assistant, relatively than outsourcing every little thing 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 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 growth as a activity merchandise.
We additionally wished to make it possible for our engineers may assemble an AI agent that might permit them to naturally discuss to an LLM and carry out some type 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 matters can be wanted and utilized by our clients and learners, and can grow to be a part of the baseline data that any community automation engineer ought to know.
Does this transformation 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 transformation will assist you really feel extra assured and cozy with making that change. Additionally, bear in mind that you’ve got till February 2, 2026, to take and cross the present DEVCOR examinationso when you really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed shifting on to get that cross earlier than then.
In the event you do have to vary your research, although, all is just not 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 turn out to be useful in AUTOCOR. Your research can be accelerated with these ideas, so you may give attention to 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 howhowever the whywhich is able to profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, whilst you don’t need to neglect every little thing you realized about software growth 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 the same 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 comfy with these modifications as properly.
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 all the time, you will discover me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) in case you have any questions relating to this or every other examination. Completely satisfied finding out!
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