Effectively, it appears that evidently we’ve arrived in a brand new period of networking, and boy, did it come up on us rapidly. Wasn’t it simply 5 years in the past we had been navigating the “Programmability Age?” Community automation, cloud, and NetDevOps had been all the craze, and we had been celebrating the launch of the Cisco DevNet Certifications. Community engineers world wide had been studying the enjoyment of Python, APIs, and Ansible…
Wait… it was simply 5 years in the past… February 24, 2020, to be actual. What a 5 years it has been…
However that is not a weblog publish about previous success tales. It’s not a stroll down reminiscence lane about how, as CCIEs, we navigated main transitions in networking. Although we should always give ourselves some credit score, we actually have finished a bang-up job in previous transitions.
No… this can be a weblog publish at the beginning of the following main transition in networking. Okay, perhaps this isn’t THE begin… and AI is definitely not only a transition in networking, however there’s undoubtedly a highway in entrance of us all, and I’m strolling this highway with each certainly one of you. So seize your knapsack, and let’s go!
For these of you who may not know me, my identify is Hank Preston, and I’m a proud Cisco Licensed Internetwork Skilled (CCIE). I earned my CCIE in Routing and Switching on February 25, 2013, and later turned the primary Cisco Licensed DevNet Skilled on Could 2, 2022.
After I assume again on my journey to turn out to be “an skilled,” it was my ardour for understanding how issues work, diving deep below the covers of complicated methods to comply with the packet (or code) circulation, having fun with the artistry of a debug output… Scratch that final one. 🙂
The journey to turning into an skilled is all about what my boss, David Mallory, CCIE #1933, describes as “deliberate observe.” By the point you might be “an skilled,” you’ve designed, constructed, and operated a whole bunch of various networks. You could have made so many errors—after which mounted them. You could have earned the information and talent via focus and time.
And whenever you turn out to be “an skilled,” you recognize that nobody actually is “an skilled.” There’s all the time extra highway in entrance of us, new challenges, and new issues to study. Which brings us again to at the moment’s matter: How will we navigate the AI period as a CCIE?
Navigating the AI period as a CCIE
Little doubt you’ve heard claims that “synthetic intelligence means we received’t want CCIEs anymore.” Nonetheless, this chorus is one we’ve heard time and time once more.
Cloud was going to be the top of the CCIE.
Software program Outlined Networking was going to be the top of the CCIE.
Programmability was going to be the top of the CCIE.
These are simply examples from the final 15 years. Little doubt there have been claims that TCP/IP was going to be the top of the CCIE again when AppleTalk, ATM, DecNet, and many others., had been all the craze. So, no. AI will not be going to be the top of CCIEs. At the very least it’s not until AI is the top of every little thing… however I’m making an attempt to be an AI optimist nowadays.
CCIEs, AI, and Cisco Stay Amsterdam 2025
I not too long ago returned from Cisco Stay EMEA 2025, which happened in Amsterdam. Whereas it received’t be a shock to anybody studying this that AI was a central focus throughout the present flooring, what is perhaps a shock to these of you who weren’t there was that technical experience—and particularly CCIEs—was additionally a spotlight throughout the week.
In the course of the opening keynote, Oliver Tuszik, President of Cisco EMEA, took time to acknowledge the worth CCIEs must each Cisco and our clients and companions. He even took time to speak to 2 CCIEs, Michael, who earned his CCIE in 1993, and Esar, who earned his CCIE just some months in the past in 2024.
Michael was one of many first CCIEs ever. When Oliver requested him why he continues to worth and stay a CCIE over 30 years later, I cherished his reply:
“[Cisco] by no means stopped instructing me about new rising applied sciences and maintaining me within the entrance line of know-how.”
Thanks, Michael. I couldn’t have mentioned it higher myself.
There’s yet one more CCIE-specific spotlight from Cisco Stay that I need to spotlight. For the primary time at Cisco Stay EMEA, CCIEs who had been additionally NetVets had been invited to an unique Ask Me Something (AMA) Session with a bunch of Cisco Executives, together with Chintan Patel (CTO EMEA), Tim Carnes (SVP International SEs), Matt Gillies (Fellow and Chief Architect), Phil Wolfenden (VP CX International TAC), and Oliver Tuszik (President EMEA). An analogous AMA session has lengthy been held at Cisco Stay within the US. Oliver particularly reached out to the Studying & Certifications and Cisco Stay EMEA groups to arrange the occasion for CCIEs in EMEA.
These periods actually are “ask me something,” and the CCIEs in attendance didn’t maintain again. A CCIE requested Phil how he and the Cisco Technical Help Middle (TAC) group had been getting ready for the AI transition. Did they nonetheless see a necessity for CCIEs on their very own crew? The session isn’t recorded, so I can’t give Phil’s actual reply, however the gist was emphatic:
“CCIEs are completely nonetheless wanted. Like automation, AI is turning into superb at tackling routine, frequent points and issues. However by the character of how AI is skilled, issues which are new, distinctive, or complicated require human experience, creativity, and ingenuity. There’s and all the time be an enormous worth positioned on CCIEs throughout the Cisco TAC and CX group.”
I completely agree with Phil right here.
On the AI highway with Studying & Certifications
For 32 years, the Studying & Certifications crew has been strolling the highway of community evolution with each certainly one of us. And as new applied sciences are born, the CCIE program and sources for CCIEs have developed alongside the best way. As a member of the Studying & Certifications crew, I can inform you we’ve all fingers on deck to assist and navigate our entrance into the AI period proper alongside you.
I received’t inform you that we’ve all of the solutions or that we all know what obstacles we’ll face alongside the journey. That wouldn’t be sincere. Issues are altering quick, and I haven’t obtained a crystal ball. However like we very not too long ago did with community automation and programmability, as a neighborhood, we are going to dive into AI, constructing our experience on a stable basis of deliberate observe, technical studying, sharing with one another, and fixing so many errors and errors. There is perhaps just a few debugs alongside the best way as effectively.
The largest place you may see how we’re taking AI severely throughout the CCIE program is the addition of AI Infrastructure as a brand new space of experience within the CCDE certification. Designing the infrastructure required to assist GenAI workloads and knowledge facilities entails distinctive community, safety, and compute concerns. Organizations in each geography and vertical are investing in AI, and having specialists able to serving to them quickly design and make this funding is a crucial hurdle. The certification crew moved quick to grasp these challenges and produce them to the CCDE and the neighborhood.
However how do you “study” these abilities? Our technical coaching crew has been working simply as laborious and quick to assist there as effectively, and the brand new Cisco U. Studying Path AI Options on Cisco Infrastructure Necessities (DCAIE) has been launched. Even higher, the DCAIE Studying Path is offered FOR FREE till March 24, 2025, as a part of our ongoing Rev As much as Recert program. Benefit from this brand-new AI studying and earn 34 Persevering with Training credit when you are at it!
Rev As much as Recert: AI
AI Options on Cisco Infrastructure Necessities | DCAIE
Study and earn 34 CE credit (in 34 hours) without spending a dime, February 7 – March 24, 2025
Along with the brand new DCAIE Studying Path, there are a lot of free AI tutorials and different content material out there on Cisco U.
Yet another nice (and free) possibility out there to get began with Synthetic Intelligence is the Introduction to Trendy AI course from Cisco Networking Academy. Don’t let the “NetAcad” location make you overlook this useful resource. This course gives a superb introduction, with hands-on workouts to study key AI ideas and create some primary AI-enabled functions. Construct confidence in just some hours—and have enjoyable when you are at it.
There shall be far more to return within the close to future from myself and the Studying & Certifications crew. I’m personally trying ahead to the following 12 months as I return to high school myself, studying and absorbing every little thing I can about AI. And you’ll make sure I’ll be round in additional blogs, movies, dwell streams, and conferences, sharing with each certainly one of you. Let’s benefit from the highway collectively!
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