Cisco just announced major updates to their certification portfolio. Here’s what’s changing:
- CCNA v2.0
- CCIE practical exam AI DOO module
- CCIE automation v1.2
CCNA v2.0
Effective February 2027, the CCNA is getting a major update. The future networking administrator/engineer will be more of an orchestrator than operator. Meaning that punching commands on the CLI will only be a small part of the future job role. Instead, you must be able to design, secure, and optimize increasingly autonomous networks. To be job-ready, you’ll need to learn how to:
- Troubleshoot production issues under pressure
- Evaluate what an AI assistant recommends and know when it’s wrong
- Secure an environment by design, not an afterthought
The CCNA is about to get a whole lot more practical! Here’s what’s changing:
Troubleshooting gets a front seat. Employers value troubleshooting over reciting commands. Every domain will diagnostics and problem resolution. Think of the old TSHOOT CCNP exam, but instead of a separate exam, this is the format of the CCNA now. I’m really excited about this!
Security everywhere. We can no longer afford to think of security only as a separate domain, it needs to be part of everything we do. The new exam reflects that.
AI, AI, AI. You knew it was coming. Whether you like it or not, it is now expected by employers that we know how to use AI. You will need to understand agentic AI in network operations, evaluating output from digital assistants, prompt engineering skills, and troubleshooting workflows.
Practical assessment, not memorization. Expect much more hands-on, scenario-based learning, practical skill assessments to validate applied skill.
The new competency model looks like this:
Note that new training will be launched at Cisco U and that the Cisco Network Academy curriculum will also be updated.
If you want to learn more about the updates to the CCNA, read Ryan Rose’s blog post.
CCIE practical exam AI DOO module
We’ve already seen an AI module for the CCDE, but now the CCIE practical exams are also going to have an AI module, starting with CCIE Data Center. The module is going to be Deploy, Operate, and Optimize (DOO) and be 1 hour in addition to the existing 5 hours of DOO. Wait, doesn’t that make the exam 9 hours? No, DES is going to be 2 hours instead of 3 as can be seen below:
Why is Cisco adding this now? This, just like the CCNA, relates to that AI is expected to be part of everyone’s toolset.
Note that Generative AI client will only be available during this hour, not for the rest of the exam. Depending on the track, there may also be other tools such as:
- Cisco Native AI
- AI Assistants
- AIOps
- AgenticOps
The rollout will follow the timeline below:
For more information, read the blog from Mubasher.
CCIE Automation v1.2
The CCIE Automation is also getting an update, which will be effective March 23, 2027. The key updates include:
Here is a more detailed graphic showing changes to the blueprint:
The candidate workstation is also getting an update:
I think it’s good that Cisco are staying on top of updating their certifications to match expectations.
What do you think of these updates?