- The CCNA is getting its first major change since 2019, built around four pillars: network infrastructure, troubleshooting and problem-solving, a security-first mindset, and understanding the role of AI in network management and operations.
- The updated CCNA will emphasize hands-on, experiential learning, with more labs and practical skills assessed on the exam to validate day-one job readiness in hybrid, AI-driven environments.
- At the expert level, Cisco is introducing a CCIE AI Deploy, Operate, and Optimize module that embeds an AI assistant into the practical exam to help with configuration, troubleshooting, and code creation.
- Cisco is also releasing no-cost “human skills” tutorials on Cisco U. focused on critical thinking and business communication to help engineers become better strategic advisors, not just technical operators.
The timelines are deliberately staged: New CCNA exam topics became available on May 20, 2026, and the refreshed exam is going live on February 3, 2027, while the AI module for CCIE Data Center is slated to go live in 2027, following phased blueprint and lab releases at Cisco Live events.
Why AI makes the network more critical than ever
Every serious AI initiative, whether it is LLM-based applications, computer vision, or real-time analytics, ultimately runs on top of a network. Training clusters, GPU fabrics, data pipelines, and inference endpoints are all connected through the underlying infrastructure, and any weakness in that infrastructure manifests as latency, jitter, or outright failure in AI-driven services.
- AI workloads are bandwidth and latency sensitive, and often distributed across data centers, campuses, branches, and clouds.
- The telemetry needed to monitor, troubleshoot, and govern AI services is itself a massive data stream that the network must carry and make observable.
- Security for AI systems, such as protecting data, models, and APIs, relies heavily on network visibility, segmentation, and policy enforcement.
Cisco’s messaging around “operator to orchestrator” captures the shift: Instead of logging into boxes and typing commands, network engineers are now expected to design and run platforms that use automation and AI to keep increasingly complex environments stable, secure, and high performing. If AI is the new engine of the business, the network is the digital supply chain that keeps that engine fueled and safe.
The CCNA: AI-aware foundation for modern networking
The modernized CCNA blueprint is Cisco’s attempt to hardwire AI-era expectations into the first rung of the career ladder. While the certification still anchors on core networking, it does so with a recognition that AI and automation are now part of foundational skills.
