This article draws on reporting originally published at devops.com and covers announcements from Cisco Systems and CompTIA regarding updates to their training and certification programmes.
The Push for Real-World Relevance in Certification
For years, technology certifications were criticised for testing rote memorisation rather than practical competence. Two major industry players—Cisco Systems and CompTIA—have independently moved to change that, redesigning their programmes around performance-based testing and real-world scenarios. For hiring managers and team leads building DevOps practices, this shift matters: certifications are increasingly becoming a more reliable signal of on-the-job capability.
Cisco’s DevNet Certifications: Bridging Networking and Software Development
Cisco announced a significant restructuring of its training and certification portfolio, introducing a dedicated DevNet Certification track. The goal is to validate an individual’s ability to apply software skills to modern network technologies—a combination that has historically been scarce in the industry.
Susie Wee, then Senior Vice President and CTO of DevNet at Cisco, framed the rationale clearly:
“Advances in network technologies have enabled new applications and business models—converged IP networks enabled voice over IP, 3G networks enabled mobile applications and 4G networks enabled mobile video. DevOps has become a key factor for bringing those new networked applications to life. Training and certifications for network professionals and software developers have become a must.”
Susie Wee, SVP & CTO of DevNet, Cisco Systems
The DevNet Certifications are structured to help network engineers learn software development practices, and to help application developers understand how to exploit network capabilities fully. According to Wee, this is essential because the only way to leverage modern network infrastructure effectively is to build DevOps teams that possess both networking and software skills—skills needed to navigate both software-defined networking (SDN) and traditional physical network solutions.
CompTIA’s Approach: Performance-Based Testing and Certification Pathways
CompTIA undertook a parallel revamp of its certification programmes. A notable example is the CompTIA Linux+ certification, which was redesigned to validate competencies expected of early-career IT professionals who support Linux environments.
James Stanger, CompTIA’s Chief Technology Evangelist, described the philosophy behind the change:
“For certifications to have real value today, people must immerse themselves in the technology. The new Linux+ certification uses performance-based testing that presents candidates with real-world scenarios, meaning that achieving certification demonstrates the ability to function in the real world.”
James Stanger, Chief Technology Evangelist, CompTIA
Stanger also outlined the broader skill set that DevOps team members need, going beyond a single specialisation:
- Project management methodologies — both Agile and Waterfall
- Operating system proficiency — deep familiarity with both Windows and Linux environments
- Database knowledge — covering relational databases and object-oriented databases
- Breadth with depth — the ability to specialise in one area while maintaining enough cross-functional understanding to collaborate effectively
CompTIA’s certification pathways are designed with team-building in mind, allowing organisations to map individual certifications to the collective skill requirements of a DevOps team rather than treating each certificate in isolation.
Cisco DevNet: Building a Community Around Network Automation
Beyond certifications, Cisco has invested in DevNet, a developer community and resource hub created to help network engineers and application developers adapt to rapidly changing network technologies. One of its flagship initiatives is the DevNet Automation Exchange—a community-based developer centre focused on network automation.
Cisco describes the Automation Exchange as helping practitioners progress through three stages of network automation maturity:
Walk: Visibility and Read-Only Insights
At the foundational level, teams gain visibility into their network infrastructure in a read-only capacity. Practical use cases include gathering telemetry data from running networks and conducting audits to verify ongoing security posture—valuable starting points for teams new to automation.
Run: Policy Activation Across Network Domains
At the intermediate level, teams can activate policy and intent across different network domains. This supports use cases such as self-service network operations that enforce security policies and comply with operational guidelines—reducing manual toil without requiring full automation maturity.
Fly: Full DevOps Workflow Integration
At the advanced level, teams proactively manage applications, users and devices using DevOps workflows. Key use cases include deploying applications through CI/CD pipelines while automatically configuring the network to conform to new application policies—representing true infrastructure-as-code practice at the network layer.
The Automation Exchange was seeded with more than 50 code repositories, many contributed by Cisco’s own engineering teams and systems engineers. Cisco has since opened the platform for community contributions, inviting DevNet members to submit code that addresses their specific use cases.
What This Means for DevOps Team Building
The moves by Cisco and CompTIA signal a broader industry maturation in how technical skills are validated. For DevOps practitioners and engineering managers, there are several practical takeaways:
- Certifications are becoming more meaningful. Performance-based testing and scenario-driven assessments make it easier to use certifications as a reliable hiring and skills-gap signal.
- Networking and software skills are converging. Teams that lack network automation skills are increasingly at a disadvantage as infrastructure becomes more programmable.
- Pathways matter as much as individual certifications. Mapping certification tracks to team roles—rather than requiring every team member to hold the same credential—allows for more efficient skills development.
- Community resources supplement formal training. Platforms like DevNet Automation Exchange provide hands-on code examples that bridge the gap between classroom learning and production implementation.
As organisations continue to automate infrastructure and adopt CI/CD practices, the demand for professionals who hold both deep and broad technical skills will only grow. Updated certification programmes that prioritise real-world competency are a step in the right direction for the industry.