We be taught 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 regulate for, and that the unknown might convey us…effectively, something. On the flip aspect, 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 may 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 sequence will enable you to 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 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 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 turn out to be referred to as the CCNA Automation and CCIE Automation certifications, respectively. Similar check, new names. It’s that simple.
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 at the moment’s job market.
CCNP Automation: Reimagining the DevNet Skilled Certification
We would have liked to align the CCNP Automation certification to check the abilities and necessities being seen available in the market at the moment from our clients 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 carried out, it was time to lock a bunch of material consultants from varied 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 method to testing
All Cisco certification exams bear 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 had been centered very a lot on reworking community engineers into people who had been snug 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, software deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these functions had been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation expertise do at the moment’s engineers want?
These expertise are nice to have in your base of data, 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 resolution.”
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 kind of people locked in that room for hours).
Cisco Automation Certification examination subjects are actually out there!
Obtain examination subjects
So, what did we alter within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the high of the Examination Matters 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 check each single Cisco product.
Hold these platforms in thoughts as you progress by 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 probably be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Fairly than testing on single-platform APIs, every job within the Community Automation part is targeted on a resolution that includes an automation instrument, reminiscent of Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some cases, not all platforms will 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 direction of a correct resolution and toolset, so you should 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 vital, once more, the main target has shifted in direction of utilizing a CI/CD pipeline and GitOps to deploy community automation options, both towards actual {hardware} or leveraging a digital twin simulation instrument.
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 target is on the answer quite than particular person elements.
Operations part
The emphasis is on the way to hold an automation resolution 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 network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on varied platforms to enhance community observability.
Remember, 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 the whole software stack (which is one thing an software developer would care about).
We’re trimming the subjects to house in on that community automation engineer persona and testing it by actionable expertise.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No fashionable engineer will be capable of perform with out some understanding of AI, its impression on our trade, and the way to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers gained’t be any exception to this, both. Nevertheless, we wished the examination subjects to be crafted in such a manner that introduced tangible, helpful expertise 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 might trigger hurt to a company, 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 the usage of AI as a instrument and assistant, quite than outsourcing all the pieces 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 job merchandise.
We additionally wished 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 probably be wanted and utilized by our clients and learners, and can turn out 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 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 modification will enable you to really feel extra assured and cozy with making that change. Additionally, keep in mind that you’ve till February 2, 2026, to take and move the present DEVCOR examination, so when you really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed transferring on to get that move earlier than then.
For those who do have to vary your research, although, all just isn’t 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 will probably be accelerated with these ideas, so you possibly can give attention to making use of these ideas in an entire automation resolution.
Upleveling your automation considering
You’ll additionally be capable of 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 all the pieces you discovered about software improvement and the related lifecycle, you gained’t be required to recollect it on the brand new examination.
This can be a change, however it is 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 snug with these modifications as effectively.
Lastly, I promise that I’ll change one thing concerning the following components 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) if in case you have any questions relating to this or every other examination. Joyful finding out!
Be a part of us for our Cisco Automation Certifications Digital Occasion
September 9, 2025, at 9 a.m. Pacific Time | Register now totally free
Join Cisco U. | Be a part of the Cisco Studying Community at the moment totally free.
Study with Cisco
X | Threads | Fb | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
Use #CiscoU and #CiscoCert to affix the dialog.
Share:
