Given my role in supporting technical education over the last 10 years, I’m often asked one question: “What should I be learning?”

My answer: Follow the “A” technologies: APIs, automation, applications, and now artificial intelligence (AI).

Given the recent emergence of observability as a capability for employability, the “A” I recommend to network engineers, DevOps practitioners, and IT professionals is assurance.  

What is network assurance?

For those new to assurance, its power lies in its ability to detect network anomalies and provide insights on remediation before those anomalies escalate into serious problems. This capability drives the demand for assurance—most importantly, how and when engineers can use this new data and insights to make decisions. 

As modern network infrastructure grows increasingly complex, demands on the network change and become more challenging. As such, the ability to look at the network stack — from the top down and the bottom up — is a requirement for high-performing networks and applications. That’s why network assurance has emerged as a critical skill. Network assurance is the practice of predictively addressing potential issues, optimizing network operations, and aligning network performance with business objectives. Cisco has tools that support this function, including Cisco ThousandEyes. 

Rev Up to Recert: Network Assurance

The criticality of these skills and the value they present to organizations across the globe are the reasons we’ve announced our new Enterprise Network Assurance Specialist certification (launching May 20, 2024) and selected the Leveraging Cisco Intent-based Networking DNA Assurance | DNAAS Learning Path for our new Rev Up to Recert free training offer. Rev Up to Recert is a program where you can access premium learning for a limited time, with active Cisco Certification holders gaining the added benefit of accumulating Cisco Continuing Education (CE) credits for free.

For those who want to learn how to leverage monitoring tools, automate operations, improve security, and increase the overall efficiency of the network and network teams, this is a fantastic opportunity:

Rev Up to Recert: Network Assurance gives you free access to the Leveraging Cisco Intent-based Networking DNA Assurance | DNAAS Learning Path in Cisco U. from April 1  to May 6, 2024. And, if you are actively Cisco Certified, the DNAAS Learning Path is eligible for 16 CE credits you can apply towards completing your recertification requirements.

Cisco DNA Assurance (now called Cisco Catalyst Assurance) exemplifies this next frontier in network management skills, making the DNAAS Learning Path an excellent primer for the new Enterprise Network Assurance certification.

What you’ll learn

In the DNAAS Learning Path, you’ll be putting theory into practice, learning how advanced AI/ML features within Cisco Catalyst Assurance enable engineers to isolate the root cause of a problem and take appropriate actions to quickly resolve the issue. In addition to building fundamental assurance skills, you’ll also build skills to use monitoring, insights, and data to streamline network operations.  

These days, given the rapid pace of innovation and invention, the need to continue learning is as omnipresent as it is overwhelming; knowing what to learn can be a skill in and of itself. And knowledge isn’t just power — it’s a survival tool in the tech jungle. As we wade through the alphabet soup of “A” technologies, I hope assurance rises to the top of your list for learning.

Here’s to transforming a challenge into an opportunity, one “A” at a time. Hope to see you revving up your learning and recertification journey this month during Rev Up to Recert: Network Assurance! Leave me a comment below if you’ll be revving up this month with the Cisco learning community. And if you are currently Cisco Certified, let me know which certification you’re revving up to recertify. Thanks for reading!

Rev Up to Recert: Network Assurance

Get free access to the Leveraging Cisco Intent-based Networking DNA Assurance | DNAAS Learning Path.

Available April 1 – May 6, 2024. Get started now

Meet ENNA, the New Cisco Enterprise Network Assurance (ENNA) Specialist Certification

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