Effectively, evidently we’ve arrived in a brand new period of networking, and boy, did it come up on us shortly. 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 fad, and we had been celebrating the launch of the Cisco DevNet Certifications. Community engineers all over the world 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 submit about previous success tales. It’s not a stroll down reminiscence lane about how, as CCIEs, we navigated main transitions in networking. Although we must always give ourselves some credit score, we actually have finished a bang-up job in previous transitions.
No… this can be a weblog submit at the beginning of the following main transition in networking. Okay, possibly this isn’t THE begin… and AI is definitely not only a transition in networking, however there may be undoubtedly a highway in entrance of us all, and I’m strolling this highway with every certainly one of you. So seize your knapsack, and let’s go!
For these of you who won’t know me, my title is Hank Preston, and I’m a proud Cisco Licensed Internetwork Professional (CCIE). I earned my CCIE in Routing and Switching on February 25, 2013, and later grew to become the primary Cisco Licensed DevNet Professional on Could 2, 2022.
Once I suppose again on my journey to grow to be “an skilled,” it was my ardour for understanding how issues work, diving deep beneath the covers of advanced programs to observe the packet (or code) circulation, having fun with the artistry of a debug output… Scratch that final one. 🙂
The journey to changing into an skilled is all about what my boss, David Mallory, CCIE #1933, describes as “deliberate follow.” By the point you might be “an skilled,” you may have designed, constructed, and operated tons of of various networks. You could have made so many errors—after which mounted them. You could have earned the information and talent by way of focus and time.
And while you grow to be “an skilled,” you already know that nobody actually is “an skilled.” There may be at all times extra highway in entrance of us, new challenges, and new issues to be taught. Which brings us again to right now’s subject: How can we navigate the AI period as a CCIE?
Navigating the AI period as a CCIE
Little question you’ve heard claims that “synthetic intelligence means we received’t want CCIEs anymore.” Nevertheless, 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 question there have been claims that TCP/IP was going to be the top of the CCIE again when AppleTalk, ATM, DecNet, and so on., had been all the fad. So, no. AI is just not going to be the top of CCIEs. Not less than it’s not until AI is the top of all the pieces… however I’m making an attempt to be an AI optimist today.
CCIEs, AI, and Cisco Reside Amsterdam 2025
I lately returned from Cisco Reside EMEA 2025, which befell in Amsterdam. Whereas it received’t be a shock to anybody studying this that AI was a central focus throughout the present ground, what is perhaps a shock to these of you who weren’t there was that technical experience—and particularly CCIEs—was additionally a spotlight in the course of the week.
Throughout the opening keynote, Oliver Tuszik, President of Cisco EMEA, took time to acknowledge the worth CCIEs should each Cisco and our prospects and companions. He even took time to speak to 2 CCIEs, Michael, who earned his CCIE in 1993, and Esar, who earned his CCIE only a few 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 beloved his reply:
“[Cisco] by no means stopped instructing me about new rising applied sciences and holding me within the entrance line of expertise.”
Thanks, Michael. I couldn’t have stated it higher myself.
There may be another CCIE-specific spotlight from Cisco Reside that I wish to spotlight. For the primary time at Cisco Reside EMEA, CCIEs who had been additionally NetVets had been invited to an unique Ask Me Something (AMA) Session with a gaggle of Cisco Executives, together with Chintan Patel (CTO EMEA), Tim Carnes (SVP World SEs), Matt Gillies (Fellow and Chief Architect), Phil Wolfenden (VP CX World TAC), and Oliver Tuszik (President EMEA). The same AMA session has lengthy been held at Cisco Reside within the US. Oliver particularly reached out to the Studying & Certifications and Cisco Reside EMEA groups to prepare the occasion for CCIEs in EMEA.
These classes 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 making 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 changing into superb at tackling routine, frequent points and issues. However by the character of how AI is educated, issues which are new, distinctive, or advanced require human experience, creativity, and ingenuity. There may be and at all times be an enormous worth positioned on CCIEs inside 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 every certainly one of us. And as new applied sciences are born, the CCIE program and assets for CCIEs have developed alongside the way in which. As a member of the Studying & Certifications crew, I can let you know we’ve all arms on deck to assist and navigate our entrance into the AI period proper alongside you.
I received’t let you know that we’ve all of the solutions or that we all know what obstacles we’ll face alongside the journey. That wouldn’t be trustworthy. Issues are altering quick, and I haven’t acquired a crystal ball. However like we very lately did with community automation and programmability, as a neighborhood, we’ll dive into AI, constructing our experience on a stable basis of deliberate follow, technical studying, sharing with one another, and fixing so many errors and errors. There is perhaps just a few debugs alongside the way in which as effectively.
The largest place you’ll be able to see how we’re taking AI severely inside 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 includes distinctive community, safety, and compute issues. Organizations in each geography and vertical are investing in AI, and having consultants able to serving to them quickly design and make this funding is a important hurdle. The certification crew moved quick to grasp these challenges and convey them to the CCDE and the neighborhood.
However how do you “be taught” 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 out there 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 Schooling credit while you’re 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 many free AI tutorials and different content material out there on Cisco U.
Another nice (and free) possibility out there to get began with Synthetic Intelligence is the Introduction to Fashionable AI course from Cisco Networking Academy. Don’t let the “NetAcad” location make you overlook this useful resource. This course offers a wonderful introduction, with hands-on workouts to be taught key AI ideas and create some primary AI-enabled purposes. Construct confidence in only a few hours—and have enjoyable while you’re at it.
There will likely be way 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 highschool myself, studying and absorbing all the pieces I can about AI. And you’ll make certain I’ll be round in additional blogs, movies, dwell streams, and conferences, sharing with every certainly one of you. Let’s benefit from the highway collectively!
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