Networking Blog

Cisco ACI’s standalone architecture is being absorbed into the broader NX-OS VXLAN EVPN ecosystem. While Cisco hasn’t issued a formal end-of-life notice, their Nexus One strategy, aggressive EVPN feature additions to NX-OS, and industry feedback all point to the same conclusion: CCIE Data Center candidates should be investing the majority of their study time in EVPN fabric skills, not ACI-specific knowledge. Key Takeaway: Cisco’s Nexus One initiative is converging ACI and NX-OS under unified VXLAN/EVPN standards — if you’re preparing for CCIE DC or planning your next data center refresh, EVPN fabric expertise is the skill with the longest career runway. ...

The CCIE Service Provider track is not dying — it’s evolving. In 2026, SP engineers who combine deep telco expertise with cloud networking skills are earning $180K-$220K, outpacing both pure telco and pure cloud specialists. The real career question isn’t “telco or cloud?” — it’s “how do I become the engineer who bridges both worlds?” Key Takeaway: Don’t abandon your SP skills for a cloud pivot. The highest-value network engineers in 2026 are hybrid architects who understand both carrier-grade MPLS/Segment Routing infrastructure and cloud overlay networking — and the market is paying a premium for that combination. ...

Cisco ISE combined with TrustSec is the most widely deployed zero trust network segmentation solution in enterprise environments today. It uses Scalable Group Tags (SGTs) to enforce identity-based access policies across switches, routers, and firewalls — replacing thousands of IP-based ACLs with a centralized policy matrix that follows users and devices wherever they connect. Key Takeaway: TrustSec SGT-based segmentation is the practical implementation of zero trust that enterprises are actually deploying in 2026, and mastering it is essential for both production network engineers and CCIE Security candidates. ...

Marvell Technology just projected fiscal 2028 revenue near $15 billion, blowing past Wall Street estimates on the back of explosive AI data center demand. For network engineers, this isn’t just a stock market story — Marvell silicon sits inside the switches, optics, and DPUs you configure every day. Understanding what’s driving this growth tells you exactly where data center networking is headed. Key Takeaway: AI workloads are fundamentally reshaping data center network architecture, and the silicon providers like Marvell building custom ASICs, 800G/1.6T optics, and DPUs are the clearest signal of where your career should be pointing. ...

AT&T just showed network engineers what the future of carrier networks looks like — and it’s not just about moving packets. At MWC 2026, AT&T launched Connected AI for Manufacturing, a platform built with Nvidia, Microsoft, and MicroAI that pushes AI inference from the cloud to the factory floor over 5G. For network engineers, this is the clearest signal yet that telcos are evolving from connectivity providers into AI infrastructure platforms. ...

Broadcom’s AI chip business is on track to surpass $100 billion in annual revenue by 2027, according to CEO Hock Tan’s March 2026 earnings call. For network engineers, this isn’t just a semiconductor headline — it’s a signal that demand for high-speed data center fabric expertise is about to explode. Every dollar spent on AI silicon requires corresponding investment in 800G switching, lossless Ethernet fabrics, and EVPN-VXLAN overlays to connect those chips. ...

CCIE Service Provider holders earn a median salary of $157,000 in 2026, with top earners in major metros clearing $200,000 or more. According to ZipRecruiter (March 2026), the national salary range for CCIE-certified professionals spans $135,000 to $250,000, and SP track holders with segment routing expertise command a clear premium as 5G backhaul demand surges. Key Takeaway: Despite the “SP is dying” narrative, the job market tells a different story — 483 CCIE SP jobs on LinkedIn, 60+ segment routing roles on ZipRecruiter, and median pay that’s competitive with every other CCIE track. ...

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) tracked 90 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild in 2025, with 43 of them — nearly half — targeting enterprise networking and security infrastructure. This represents an all-time high for enterprise-focused zero-days and a clear signal that the devices network engineers manage daily are now the primary attack surface. Key Takeaway: Network appliances like firewalls, VPN concentrators, and SD-WAN controllers have replaced endpoints as the top zero-day target. If you manage Cisco ASA, FTD, or any edge device, this report is your wake-up call. ...

Building a functional Cisco SD-WAN lab on EVE-NG requires 64GB+ RAM, controller images at version 20.15+, and roughly 3–4 hours of setup time — but it gives you hands-on access to every SD-WAN component tested on the CCIE EI v1.1 lab exam. This is the single most important lab you can build for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure preparation in 2026. Key Takeaway: SD-WAN covers five full subsections of the CCIE EI v1.1 blueprint (2.2.a through 2.2.e). A properly built EVE-NG lab with vManage, vBond, vSmart, and cEdge devices lets you practice every orchestration, control plane, and data plane scenario the exam throws at you. ...

Network automation engineers earn $113,000 on average in 2026, with senior roles reaching $160,000–$180,000 and CCIE Automation holders commanding $170,000+ as staff architects. The career path from writing your first Python script to holding a CCIE Automation is the fastest-growing trajectory in network engineering — and the February 2026 DevNet-to-CCIE Automation rebrand just made it significantly more credible on resumes. Key Takeaway: The strongest automation engineers aren’t developers who learned networking — they’re network engineers who learned to code. The career path from NOC engineer to CCIE Automation architect pays $80,000 to $170,000+ and typically takes 5–8 years of deliberate skill-building. ...