As networks have changed, so too has the expertise needed to manage them. Leveraging the power of its 600,000-member strong DevNet developer community, Cisco Systems Inc. has introduced two new offerings designed to bring software skills to networking.

The company hopes to better prepare its customers as the advance of technologies, such as 5G and edge computing, generate new applications and create use cases that require different ways of thinking about networking and the role developers will need to play.

“We’re helping people walk, run and fly with network automation,” said Susie Wee (pictured), senior vice president and chief technology officer of Cisco DevNet. “We’re now opening up a code repository — DevNet Automation Exchange — where the community can develop software that actually solves use cases. We’re hoping it will become the industry’s leading network automation code repository to solve these problems.”

Wee spoke with Dave Vellante (@dvellante) and Lisa Martin (@LisaMartinTV), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during Cisco Live in San Diego, California. They discussed new training opportunities for developers and the role of automation as networks become more programmable (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Major change for certifications

In addition to the new automation exchange, Cisco introduced DevNet Certifications, training for network professionals and software developers in writing applications to realize the full benefits of the network infrastructure. The new professional certification program will be part of the Cisco Certified International Expert, or CCIE, program, which was started in 1993.

“The CCIE is the gold standard in certifications,” Wee said. “We’re bringing in software skills along with networking skills so that we have the Cisco certifications and DevNet certifications sitting side by side. It’s the biggest change in 26 years.”

The two announcements reflect Cisco’s realization that its customers will need to tap into a well-trained talent pool of developers to receive the benefits of a fully programmable network. That will require blending software skills with network design and administration.

“It’s become hard; it’s become unmanageable,” said Wee, in assessing network administration today. “Our customers’ biggest problem is actually network automation. Now that it really is a software-based programmable network with all of these capabilities, we want to make sure that the practice of software comes into networking.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Cisco Live 2019 event. (* Disclosure: Cisco Systems Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Cisco nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE