DevNet

Agentic AI is the next stage of network operations, but it is not a permission slip to let a chatbot push configs into production. In 2026, the practical model is AI agents that triage, validate, and optimize from live telemetry while humans keep control of guardrails, approvals, and blast radius. According to Gartner via PagerDuty (2025), 70% of enterprises will deploy agentic AI agents to operate infrastructure by 2029, and according to Cisco (2026), Agentic Workflows already executed more than 165,000 times in the last 30 days. ...

Terraform automates Cisco ACI by letting you declare tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, EPGs, and contracts in HCL code files that are version-controlled, peer-reviewed, and applied through a repeatable init → plan → apply workflow. According to HashiCorp benchmarks, teams using Terraform for ACI provisioning see 5x faster deployment times and 80% fewer configuration errors compared to manual APIC GUI workflows. For CCIE Automation candidates, this is not optional knowledge — section 2.0 of the exam blueprint dedicates 30% to Infrastructure as Code. ...

Only 18% of network automation initiatives fully succeed. That’s not pessimism — it’s data from Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) surveying 354 IT professionals about their automation strategies. Another 54% report partial success, and 28% say their projects have stalled or failed outright. If you’re planning or executing a network automation initiative, understanding why most fail is the difference between joining the 18% or the 82%. Key Takeaway: Network automation projects fail primarily because of underfunding, integration complexity, and lack of architectural planning — not because the tools don’t work. Engineers with CCIE Automation skills succeed because they architect the system, not just the scripts. ...

“It will never be as recognized as the CCIE. That’s just a fact.” That was the top-voted comment on the Cisco Learning Network when someone asked whether DevNet Expert felt as accomplished as earning a CCIE. On February 3, 2026, Cisco made that comment obsolete — DevNet Expert officially became CCIE Automation. But does changing the name on a certificate actually change how employers, recruiters, and the industry perceive automation engineers? ...

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. ...

Building your first CCIE Automation practice lab with Python and NETCONF on Cisco CML takes about 30-60 minutes and gives you a hands-on environment that directly mirrors the exam. The CCIE Automation lab exam (formerly DevNet Expert) is an 8-hour test where you write real code against real devices — and the only way to prepare is by writing real code against real devices. Key Takeaway: The fastest path to CCIE Automation lab readiness starts with a CML topology, three IOS-XE routers with NETCONF enabled, and a single Python ncclient script. Master that foundation first, then expand to RESTCONF, Ansible, and Terraform. ...

CCIE Automation holders earn $155,000–$170,000 on average in 2026, with top performers clearing $225,000. That’s a 40–60% premium over non-certified network automation engineers, who average $96,000–$129,000 depending on the source. The February 2026 rebrand from DevNet Expert to CCIE Automation has strengthened the credential’s market recognition, and demand for engineers who can bridge networking and code is at an all-time high. Key Takeaway: The CCIE Automation salary premium isn’t just about the certification — it’s about being the rare engineer who can troubleshoot OSPF adjacencies AND write Ansible playbooks to prevent them from breaking in the first place. ...

If you’ve been tracking Cisco’s certification ecosystem, you already know something big dropped in February 2026: DevNet Expert is now CCIE Automation. This isn’t just a name change — it’s a strategic signal from Cisco that automation has earned its place at the expert-level table alongside Enterprise Infrastructure, Security, Data Center, and Service Provider. Let’s break down exactly what changed, what stayed the same, who should care, and how to position yourself for this new track. ...