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 modify for, and that the unknown might carry 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 suppose you may say that even your views on change can change. Particularly when you may have somebody so as to add context that explains how a selected change advantages you.
It’s my hope that this weblog collection will show you how to just do 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 Skilled) 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 Skilled will turn out to be referred to 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 right now’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 right now 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 certified candidate.
In any case that work was executed, it was time to lock a bunch of subject material consultants from varied backgrounds and focus areas in a room to work out the examination subjects 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 annually. We modify 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 have been targeted very a lot on remodeling community engineers into people who have been comfy with writing functions 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, software deployment, and platforms, and the way to verify these functions have been safe, accessible, resilient, and scalable.
What automation abilities do right now’s engineers want?
These abilities are nice to have in your base of data, however the market wanted one thing completely different. Engineers who’re comfy with automation frameworks and instruments and might:
- Create digital twins for pre- and post-change validations
- Leverage programmability ideas for operations and monitoring
- Snug 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 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 obtainable!
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.
- Gives 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 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 shall be acquainted to community automation professionals, however with a modified focus.
- Relatively 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 cases, not all platforms could 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 have to 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 necessary, once more, the main focus 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 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 moderately 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).
- Making certain deployed automation options stay purposeful via network-centric testing.
- Utilizing model-driven telemetry on varied 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 complete 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 via actionable abilities.
The change all of us knew was coming: AI
No fashionable engineer will have the ability to perform with out some understanding of AI, its impression on our trade, and methods to safely and successfully use its capabilities. Community automation engineers received’t be any exception to this, both. Nonetheless, we wished the examination subjects to be crafted in such a method that introduced tangible, useful abilities and AI functions to the take a look at, 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 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 have the ability to work out when options will work and when they’re simply plain made up.
- This reinforces using AI as a instrument and assistant, moderately 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 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 guarantee that our engineers might assemble an AI agent that may 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 subjects shall 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 variation 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 variation will show you how 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 go the present DEVCOR examination, so should you really feel that you just’re shut, proceed shifting on to get that go earlier than then.
Should you 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 shall be accelerated with these ideas, so you’ll be able to give attention to making use of these ideas in an entire automation resolution.
Upleveling your automation pondering
You’ll additionally have the ability to 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 little thing 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 it is 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 that you could really feel comfy with these modifications as nicely.
Lastly, I promise that I’ll change one thing concerning the following components of this collection: 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) when you’ve got any questions relating to this or every other examination. Completely satisfied finding out!
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