We be taught from an early age that change is the one fixed in life. Typically we view change as one thing to be fearful about, one thing we should shift and alter for, and that the unknown might deliver us…properly, 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 could possibly say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you’ve got somebody so as to add context that explains how a specific change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog sequence will aid you do exactly 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 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 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 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 as we speak’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 as we speak 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 any case that work was executed, 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 listing, 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 alter solely as much as 10% of the examination matters, 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 have been targeted very a lot on reworking 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 capabilities but additionally with the software program improvement lifecycle, utility deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these functions have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do as we speak’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 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 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 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 are actually obtainable!
Obtain examination matters
So, what did we modify within the AUTOCOR?
In-Scope Platforms
On the high of the Examination Subjects PDF, particular in-scope platforms are referred to as out.
- This reduces repetition within the examination matters.
- Focuses on the platforms you must examine for.
- Gives boundaries for the scope, so that you don’t want to check each single Cisco product.
Maintain these platforms in thoughts as you progress via every of the domains.
Area Adjustments
- 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.
- Reasonably than testing on single-platform APIs, every job within the Community Automation part is targeted on a resolution that includes an automation instrument, corresponding to Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
In some situations, not all platforms may be configured for every job (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 need to know and perceive limitations and capabilities in addition to how you can accomplish a purpose utilizing automation.
Infrastructure as Code part
Whereas instruments like Git are nonetheless necessary, 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 instrument.
Professionals want to grasp:
- CI/CD processes.
- Cisco Modeling Labs.
- Community sources of reality (for pulling knowledge into pipelines for variables, configuration, and so forth.).
The main target is on the answer quite than particular person elements.
Operations part
The emphasis is on how you can preserve an automation resolution useful previous preliminary testing and deployment. To do that, key areas embody:
- Safety and secret administration (passwords, API keys).
- Guaranteeing deployed automation options stay useful via 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 gadgets or the automation resolution being examined on, not on the whole utility stack (which is one thing an utility developer would care about).
We’re trimming the matters to house in on that community automation engineer persona and testing it via actionable abilities.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No trendy engineer will be capable of 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 gained’t be any exception to this, both. Nevertheless, we wished the examination matters to be crafted in such a method that introduced tangible, beneficial 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 might 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 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 every part to a mannequin; if one thing breaks at 3 a.m., “AI made it” gained’t be a suitable excuse to your leaders.
- The sensible functions 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 job merchandise.
We additionally wished to guarantee that our engineers might assemble an AI agent that will permit them to naturally discuss to an LLM and carry out some kind 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 abilities examined by these examination matters will probably 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 transformation 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 transformation will aid you 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 if you happen to really feel that you simply’re shut, proceed shifting on to get that cross earlier than then.
For those who do have to vary your research, although, all 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 come in useful in AUTOCOR. Your research will probably be accelerated with these ideas, so you may deal with making use of these ideas in a whole automation resolution.
Upleveling your automation pondering
You’ll additionally be capable of uplevel your automation pondering and conversations, not simply understanding the how, however the why, which can profit you in your skilled profession. Lastly, when you don’t need to overlook every part you discovered about utility improvement and the related lifecycle, you gained’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), so as to really feel snug with these adjustments 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” almost as a lot as I did right here. 😉
As at all times, yow will discover me on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter) in case you have any questions relating to this or every other examination. Joyful learning!
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