CCNA 2026: security, automation, hybrid networking
Recent CCNA guides and practice updates reported that the 2026 exam now emphasizes deeper security, automation (Python/Ansible), and hybrid cloud networking — shifting expectations from rote CLI skills to programmable, cloud‑aware engineering. That raises the bar for candidates and pushes hiring managers to expect automation projects on resumes.
Cisco rebranded the DevNet track into an Automation track effective February 3, 2026. (learningnetwork.cisco.com) The updated CCNA Automation core exam is titled Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms (200‑901 CCNAAUTO) v1.1 and is a 120‑minute test. (learningcontent.cisco.com) The official exam topics enumerate hands‑on skills such as Python scripting, REST API calls, and Git operations (JSON/XML/YAML parsing and Git clone/merge), plus platform‑level APIs for Meraki, Cisco Catalyst Center, ACI, Cisco SD‑WAN and NSO. (learningcontent.cisco.com) Infrastructure and automation coverage explicitly lists IaC and orchestration tooling (Ansible, Terraform) alongside application deployment and security integrations (XDR, Firepower, Secure Endpoint) in the v1.1 blueprint. (cbtnuggets.com) Cisco’s own 2025 networking research surveyed 8,065 senior IT and business leaders and concluded AI‑driven workloads are pushing architectures toward more dynamic, programmable, cloud‑aware networks. (newsroom.cisco.com) Marketplace evidence shows the hiring side following suit: Indeed currently surfaces ~2,940 “Network Engineer Python Ansible” listings, while specialized job boards (Dice/Jooble) continue to list large numbers of Ansible and network‑automation roles. (indeed.com) Cisco confirmed that active DevNet certification holders were automatically migrated to the corresponding CCNA/CCNP/CCIE Automation credentials and can retrieve updated badges via CertMetrics as of February 3, 2026. (learningnetwork.cisco.com)
