Embracing the AI Revolution with Cisco’s New Certification
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a big part of our daily lives. From the way we use our smartphones to how businesses operate, AI is everywhere. It’s in the apps that recommend what we should watch next, the smart home devices that control our lights and thermostats, and even in the systems that help doctors diagnose diseases. AI is changing everything, making our lives easier and our work more efficient.
As AI continues to grow and becomes more integrated into our everyday lives and businesses, it needs a strong and smart network. Consequently, there is a growing need for professionals who understand how to build and maintain the infrastructure that supports it. They need to design networks that can handle the demands of AI, ensuring everything runs smoothly and securely. Recognizing this need, Cisco, a global leader in networking technology, has launched a new certification: the Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) – AI Infrastructure certification. This certification is designed to help IT professionals learn how to build and maintain the advanced networks needed for AI and machine learning.
This certification arrives at the perfect moment. As AI’s reach expands and the demand for experts to design its supporting systems grows rapidly, the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification addresses this need by equipping professionals with the right expertise and tools to handle these complex networks.
Let’s dive deeper into what this new certification is all about and why it matters.
AI Needs Superhighways: Building Networks for the Future
Traditionally, networks were built to support everyday tasks and applications. But AI has different needs. It requires high-speed, reliable connections and the ability to manage huge amounts of data. In today’s fast-changing tech world, keeping your skills up to date is very important. This is especially true for AI, which is changing how we design networks. Old methods don’t work well for AI, so new approaches are necessary.
Cisco’s new CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification meets this need by teaching professionals how to create networks specifically for AI. This certification is vendor-agnostic, meaning it’s not tied to any one company’s products. This makes it useful for IT professionals in various settings, allowing them to use their skills with different technologies and platforms.
Breaking Down the CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification for IT Professionals
At Cisco Live 2024 in Las Vegas, Cisco introduced the latest addition to its prestigious certification programs: the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification. Cisco Live is an annual event where IT professionals, partners, and customers gather to learn about the latest technology trends, attend training sessions, and network with industry experts. This year, the spotlight was on the new CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification, which focuses on designing AI infrastructure, from optimizing GPUs to building high-performance AI network fabrics.
Earning the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification will teach you a lot of valuable skills, including:
– Designing Network Architectures for AI: Create networks that meet the special needs of AI applications, ensuring they work smoothly and efficiently.
– GPU Optimization: Get the best performance out of GPUs for AI tasks, making them run faster and more effectively.
– Building High-Performance AI Networks: Develop network fabrics that support powerful AI systems, ensuring they operate seamlessly.
– Ensuring Security and Compliance: Incorporate security measures and follow compliance standards in AI networks, keeping data safe and meeting legal requirements.
– Cost and Power Trade-offs: Balance costs and power needs for AI infrastructure, making smart decisions that optimize performance without overspending.
These skills are highly sought after. According to Cisco’s AI Readiness Index, 90% of organizations are investing to close the skills gap in AI, showing just how important trained professionals are in this field.
Core Focus Areas of the CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification
The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification covers four main domains, each with its own important concepts and skills:
– AI/Machine Learning, Compliance, and Governance domain focuses on understanding different AI uses and their impact on network design. It also includes rules for handling data, managing energy use, and implementing cost-saving strategies.
– Network domain is all about the network itself. It involves learning about the network’s properties, different connection methods, and ensuring there is enough bandwidth for AI applications.
– Security is essential in any network design. This domain covers creating secure networks, protecting AI applications, and using AI tools to analyze and manage logs.
– Hardware and Environment domain requires knowledge of the specific hardware needed for AI, including storage options and AI tools for log analysis. It also covers how to use these tools effectively to achieve the best performance.
The New CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification Exam: What We Know So Far
Cisco is developing an exciting new CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification, but some details might change before its official launch in February 2025. Here’s the current information:
Cisco is still working out the details, so expect some changes before the introduction. In the meantime, the best way to understand what to expect is by looking at the existing CCDE certification information. There are no official prerequisites for the exam, but it’s not for beginners. A strong understanding of Cisco technologies and general networking, along with some Cisco training, is highly recommended.
To earn the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification, you’ll need to pass both a written and a practical exam. The new v3.1 versions will be ready for testing starting on February 9, 2025, at the Cisco Live event in Amsterdam. Mark your calendars — this will be the first chance to take the new CCDE with its innovative AI focus!
The written exam is a two-hour multiple-choice test, while the practical exam is an eight-hour scenario-based assessment. These will cover various topics, including business strategy design, network design, service and security design, reflecting the CCDE (400-007) exam v3.1.
During the practical exam, you’ll have the option to choose the “AI-Infrastructure” area as your specialty, which will affect the final part of the assessment. The first three modules will always cover core enterprise technologies and topologies.
Cisco will provide specific knowledge bases and technology lists you’ll need to study for the AI-Infrastructure exam, likely covering AI infrastructure, large networks, cloud services, and mobile workforces.
The estimated cost for the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification exam is expected to be the same as the existing CCDE, which is around $450 for the written test and $1,600 for the practical exam, though this is not yet confirmed.
Preparing for Success: Cisco’s Tools for the CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification
The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification is new, and there are still some details being figured out. To prepare, you’ll need to use the resources that are already available and maybe do some studying on your own.
The best place to start is with Cisco training. Even if you are familiar with networking, taking a course that focuses on network design or enterprise networks will be a big help in preparing for the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification exam.
The good news is that Cisco is here to help with free resources to get you started! They offer a free AI study plan and plenty of training and learning materials. Since February 2024, Cisco has been providing free AI-related content on Cisco U. This includes topics that support their CCIE Data Center and CCNA exam blueprints.
Cisco U. offers AI training for all skill levels, from beginners to experts, to help you build next-generation skills. Here are some free AI training resources already available on Cisco U.:
– Leveling Up Your Network Engineering GPT Prompts: This tutorial helps you master the art of creating network configurations using ChatGPT with zero-shot and few-shot prompting techniques.
– A Practical Guide to Networking Prompt Templating: Explains how to use error handling, conditionals, and variables in GPT prompt templating with networking examples.
– Troubleshooting PC Connectivity: Shows how to use ChatGPT to troubleshoot simple networking issues.
– Exploring the ChatGPT API: Demonstrates how to use the ChatGPT API and experiment with temperature and top_p settings using networking examples.
– Generating Documentation from Technical Sources: Teaches how to describe and document Python scripts, GUI screenshots, and more.
– Building Infrastructure as Code: Covers various ChatGPT features like managing CSV files, using the Assistants API, and advanced prompting techniques.
– Cisco pyATS and Genie: Guides you in building a network configuration assistant using pyATS, Genie, and the OpenAI Assistants API.
– A Coding Guide for Network Engineers Uncomfortable with Python: Provides tips on evaluating scripts that network operators might use.
By taking advantage of these free resources, you can get a head start on preparing for the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification exam.
Why Earning the CCDE-AI Infrastructure Certification is a Smart Career Move
The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification is a brand-new credential for network designers. It shows you are an expert at building networks for advanced AI technology. Here’s why obtaining this certification is a smart move for your career:
First of all, this certification is unique, proving that you are ahead of the game. You’ll be able to design networks that can handle the heavy demands of AI, something many people don’t understand yet.
Moreover, more and more companies want to use AI. This certification shows employers that you have the skills they desperately need.
Additionally, earning this certification demonstrates that you can build networks that are reliable, adaptable, and efficient – perfect for meeting the intense needs of AI.
Furthermore, by getting certified, you’ll show that you know how to integrate AI into networks, allowing them to run faster and manage massive amounts of data. This capability is exactly what businesses are looking for.
Many companies see the potential of AI and want to use it but are struggling to achieve their AI goals. Because of this, the demand for skilled AI network designers is growing rapidly. Now is the ideal time to get the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification. It will position you for a successful and rewarding career in the exciting world of AI!
The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification is a brand-new credential for network designers. It shows you are an expert at building networks for advanced AI technology. Here’s why obtaining this certification is a smart move for your career:
First of all, this certification is unique, proving that you are ahead of the game. You’ll be able to design networks that can handle the heavy demands of AI, something many people don’t understand yet.
Moreover, more and more companies want to use AI. This certification shows employers that you have the skills they desperately need.
Additionally, earning this certification demonstrates that you can build networks that are reliable, adaptable, and efficient – perfect for meeting the intense needs of AI.
Furthermore, by getting certified, you’ll show that you know how to integrate AI into networks, allowing them to run faster and manage massive amounts of data. This capability is exactly what businesses are looking for.
Many companies see the potential of AI and want to use it but are struggling to achieve their AI goals. Because of this, the demand for skilled AI network designers is growing rapidly. Now is the ideal time to get the CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification. It will position you for a successful and rewarding career in the exciting world of AI!
Final Thoughts: A Promising Future with Cisco’s New Certification
The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification is a big step forward in network design and AI. It gives IT professionals the skills they need to build and manage advanced AI systems, helping shape the future of technology.
Whether you are an experienced IT professional wanting to advance your career or a company looking to develop strong AI infrastructure, this certification provides great opportunities. The CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification is becoming an important credential for leaders in AI and network design.
Stay updated and start preparing now to become part of the group of experts leading the way in AI infrastructure.