Which Cisco certification first: CCNA, CCNP and the security and automation tracks

By Alexander Shick · Updated November 5, 2026

Cisco credentials we cover, with fees and renewal

No prerequisite does not mean no background. Cisco's official courses recommend TCP/IP and Windows knowledge for CCNA Cybersecurity and SCOR, and Python for CCNA Automation, and CCNP material assumes CCNA-level networking. Passing ENCOR or SCOR alone earns a specialist certification (Enterprise Core or Security Core), so the first CCNP exam gives you something to show.

Where to start with Cisco, from three backgrounds

Before Cisco, if IT is new to you

Our CCNA page advises A+ first, because subnetting and the command line are much harder without any IT background. If you want networking without a vendor, Network+ is the alternative; see CCNA vs Network+.

Cisco from IT support or administration

Take CCNA for network work. For a security operations job, CCNA Cybersecurity is an analyst's exam about alerts, logs and packet captures, not firewall configuration. For scripting, CCNA Automation is a programming exam: 85% of its weight is code, APIs and tooling, 15% network fundamentals.

Cisco after CCNA-level work

Routing and switching engineers go to CCNP Enterprise: ENCOR first, then a concentration such as ENARSI, SD-WAN, design, automation, cloud connectivity or assurance. Engineers who run Cisco Secure Firewall, ISE or Secure Access go to CCNP Security and pick the concentration that matches their product.

Cisco renames and exam versions since late 2025

• February 3, 2026: DevNet Associate became CCNA Automation, with the 200-901 topics unchanged; February 2, 2026 was the last day to earn or recertify under the DevNet name. Cybersecurity Associate, the former CyberOps Associate, became CCNA Cybersecurity, and active holders moved across automatically. At the professional level the tracks became CCNP Automation, which brought major exam updates, and CCNP Cybersecurity.
• August 27, 2026: SCOR v2.0 went live, which Cisco calls the first major revision of the blueprint. SCAZT became SSCA under the same exam number, and SVPN, SESA and SWSA were retired, with no direct replacement for SVPN. A SCOR v1.1 pass still combines with any current concentration.
• February 3, 2027 (announced): CCNA v2.0 replaces v1.1. It drops automation as its own area and adds a 10% area on AI, network operations and management.

The CyberOps exam also moved from 200-201 v1.1 to v1.2, adding AI topics, so course listings still show three names (CyberOps, Cybersecurity Associate and CCNA Cybersecurity) and two acronyms (CBROPS and CCNACBR) for one exam. Match on the number and version.

Free Cisco tools and labs

Cisco Packet Tracer is free and is what our CCNA page builds a self-study plan around. Cisco U. Free includes a network automation learning path, and DevNet Sandbox gives free Cisco environments to call APIs against. The guided learning paths for CCNA Cybersecurity and CCNA Automation sit in Cisco U. Essentials, a paid plan, and Cisco Modeling Labs costs money too. The free full CCNA video course we name, Jeremy's IT Lab, is independent of Cisco.

Costs Cisco adds beyond the exam fee

A retake costs the full fee again after a five-day wait. For the three associate exams, Cisco sells Exam Safeguard Plus at $450, which includes a second attempt within 90 days. Cisco exam vouchers are valid for 365 days from purchase. If your employer buys Cisco equipment, ask whether it holds Cisco Learning Credits: Cisco accepts them for every exam on this page.

Next step

Ask which Cisco track fits your work