Cisco has just announced the biggest changes to the DevNet certification track since it launched. And if you’re into network automation, you’ll find this one interesting!
Here’s the short TL;DR: Basically, the DevNet certifications are being rebranded to match Cisco’s classic certification naming – CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE. So the DevNet Expert will soon be called CCIE Automation. And it’s not just a cosmetic update. With this step Cisco proves that automation will play a big part in the future!
So here’s what’s changing:
DevNet to Automation Rebranding
Cisco is changing the names of its DevNet certifications to show how important automation is becoming in all domains.
With the rebranding from DevNet to Automation, Cisco is giving the automation track the same brand power as its traditional certifications.
This means that the skills and knowledge we’ve built in the DevNet certifications now benefit from the broader CCIE recognition Cisco has built over decades.
One thing that hasn’t been clarified yet is what happens to our DevNet Expert IDs. Mine is #20230004. DevNet IDs are based on year and serial, so something like 2023xxxx, while CCIE numbers are an incremental ID. I don’t have a CCIE number, so do I just get a new ID? No official information is out yet, but I’m curious to see how Cisco handles it.
No DevNet Expert Blueprint Changes
The good news is that the DevNet Expert lab (or soon to be CCIE Automation) exam isn’t changing. Only the name is. So, if you’re already preparing for the lab exam or using my DevNet Expert / CCIE Automation e-learning platform, you’re still on track!
However, there are going to be some changes to the other the DevNet/Automation certification blueprints, especially at the Professional levels:
DevNet Associate Exam Updates
- The 200-901 DEVASC exam will be renamed to CCNA Automation (200-901 CCNAAUTO) — no blueprint changes.
DevNet Professional Core and Concentration Exam Updates
- The 350-901 DEVCOR will become AUTOCOR — new name, with a new blueprint coming in July 2025, effective February 3, 2026.
- ENAUTO and DCAUTO will get v2.0 blueprints
- Blueprint changes will be available in July 2025
- First date to test is February 3, 2026
- SAUTO, SPAUTO, CLAUTO, and DEVOPS will be retired
- Last date to test is February 2, 2026
I’m really curious to see what the new blueprints will include, especially with Cisco mentioning a focus on AI. So do we just need to learn some AI basics, like what are LLMs? Or do we actively have to integrate AI into our automation solutions? I’m pretty excited to find out when they announce the updates in July.
CCIE Brand Recognition and Credibility
The DevNet Expert exam has always been tough. We’re already halfway through the year, and as far as I know, only three people have passed it in 2025 (and two of them are DevNet Academy students 😎).
But to be honest, I don’t think everyone knows what a “DevNet Expert” is. The CCIE brand, on the other hand, has been around for over 30 years. Hiring managers, recruiters, and even people outside of networking know what it is. The DevNet Expert cert is still pretty new and in its own niche, so it hasn’t got much attention.
So, here’s a quick story.
When I first went to Cisco Live, I was really looking forward to the CCIE party. A whole evening with other CCIEs sounds pretty awesome, so I really wanted to go there. I passed the DevNet Expert, so I figured that’d count, right? But when I got to the entrance, the person checking badges looked at mine and said: “I’m sorry, this is only for CCIEs.” I still got in, but first I had to explain what that certification is…
With the rebrand to CCIE Automation, moments like that will never happen again. CCIE Automation now stands alongside all other CCIE certification tracks, backed by the brand recognition and credibility that comes with it.
And What About AI?
Cisco mentioned “Building on the success of our DevNet certification program, the Automation certification track is designed for networking professionals ready to lead in a world shaped by AI and intelligent automation infrastructure.”
I’m generally open to new things, but I’m not yet fully convinced by this one. When people talk about AI, they often mean large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. They’re great for certain use cases, don’t get me wrong. However, I often see people using them to generate code without understanding what it actually does, and simply running it. If there’s an error, they copy the error message, paste it into ChatGPT and let it attempt to fix the issue.
In the end they may get a working script, but no one understands what it’s doing. So if they have to look at their code again in 6 months from now, they have no clue. So they either paste the code into ChatGPT again, or they simply start from scratch. It’s great to get started quickly, but you end up with bloated, unmaintainable code. Generally not something you want to run against your network in production…
I’m really curious to see what ends up in the blueprints and how they integrate AI!
Final Thoughts
The DevNet Expert certification isn’t going away, it’s just being rebranded to CCIE Automation.
If you’re already studying for the DevNet Expert, just keep going. You’re not behind, you’re ahead of a lot of other people in terms of network programmability. And with the CCIE Automation name, your skills are weighted by 30+ years of CCIE brand recognition.
Although the DevNet Expert or CCIE Automation is still the newest member of the CCIE family, it offers something no other certification does. It puts the focus on writing software to manage your network. Making changes manually is often simple enough. But how do you automate those changes across hundreds or even thousands of devices? That’s an entirely different challenge.
That said… no matter how many times you’ve tested your script, there’s always that little thrill when you hit “enter” and run it in production. Will it work? Or are you about to do something very interesting in your prod network?
Welcome to the world of network automation!
If you’re already on the DevNet Expert or CCIE Automation track, now is a great time to keep going! And if you have any questions or just want to talk about network automation, I’m always happy to connect.
Want to see how these changes affect your exam preparation? I explain all the topics in my CCIE Automation course!
