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Automating and Programming Cisco Enterprise Solutions
- Categories:
- Infrastructure and Networking Software and DevOps
- Level:
- Intermediate
- Code:
- ENAUTO
- Exam:
- Yes - Available separately
Overview
The Implementing Automation for Cisco Enterprise Solutions (ENAUTO) course equips network engineers with the knowledge and practical skills to automate enterprise network operations using Cisco automation technologies, APIs, and modern development tools. Learners explore the principles of network programmability, software-defined networking, infrastructure automation, and AI-assisted operations while developing practical automation workflows.
Throughout the course, participants gain hands-on experience using Python, Ansible, Cisco Catalyst Center, NETCONF, RESTCONF, streaming telemetry, webhooks, and controller APIs to automate device configuration, software deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting. The course also introduces AI capabilities within network controllers and explores the opportunities and security considerations of AI-assisted network automation.
By combining instructor-led learning with practical labs, learners develop the confidence to automate repetitive operational tasks, improve network consistency, reduce deployment times, and support modern enterprise networking environments.
Prerequisites
To benefit fully from this course, learners should have:
- A solid understanding of enterprise networking concepts and IP networking.
- Experience configuring Cisco enterprise networking devices.
- Familiarity with routing, switching, security, and wireless technologies.
- Basic knowledge of Python programming is recommended but not essential.
- An understanding of APIs and data formats such as JSON is beneficial.
Target audience
This course is designed for:
- Network engineers.
- Network administrators.
- Systems engineers.
- Network automation engineers.
- DevNet professionals.
- Network architects.
- Infrastructure engineers responsible for enterprise network automation.
- Professionals preparing for Cisco automation and enterprise networking certifications.
What's included
Select your preferred way to learn:
What is Virtual?
Live, instructor-led training delivered online
Enables teams or individuals to learn together without travel, maintaining interaction, discussion and practical exercises while minimising time away from the business and supporting scalable training delivery.
Who is it for: Individuals and teams needing flexible, instructor-led learning without time away from the business.
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Join in person or remotely, with the same live instruction, interaction and hands-on experience—wherever you are.
What's included?
5 Days instructor led course
Exam: Yes - Available separately
Pre-coursework
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Dates
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Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the principles of network automation and programmable network architectures.
- Select appropriate automation tools and frameworks for enterprise networking tasks.
- Develop Python scripts to automate command-line interface operations.
- Implement NETCONF and RESTCONF to automate network configuration and management.
- Automate device configuration monitoring and validation.
- Use Ansible playbooks to deploy and manage network infrastructure.
- Configure on-box automation capabilities available on Cisco platforms.
- Provision enterprise networks using Cisco Catalyst Center Day-0 workflows.
- Build and manage reusable configuration templates for large-scale deployments.
- Integrate Ansible with Cisco controllers to automate configuration management.
- Automate security policy deployment and operational tasks.
- Troubleshoot automation workflows across enterprise network controllers.
- Validate automation solutions through testing and operational verification.
- Automate software image management and lifecycle operations.
- Monitor enterprise network health using APIs, streaming telemetry, and webhooks.
- Evaluate AI capabilities within modern network controllers.
- Apply AI-assisted automation responsibly while understanding associated security risks.
- Build automation workflows that integrate with AI agents using Python FastMCP.
Course outline
- Traditional versus software-defined networking
- Network programmability concepts
- Infrastructure as Code principles
- Automation architectures
- Enterprise automation use cases
- Benefits, limitations, and operational considerations
- Python ecosystem
- APIs and SDKs
- Version control fundamentals
- YAML and JSON
- Automation frameworks
- Selecting the right tool for operational requirements
- Learn to automate traditional command-line administration.
- Python fundamentals for networking
- Connecting to Cisco devices
- Executing CLI commands
- Parsing command output
- Error handling
- Building reusable automation scripts
- Understanding NETCONF
- Using RESTCONF APIs
- Data modelling concepts
- YANG models
- Reading and modifying configurations
- Operational data retrieval
- Configuration auditing
- Detecting configuration drift
- Automated backups
- Configuration comparison
- Compliance reporting
- Operational consistency
- Ansible architecture
- Inventory management
- Playbooks and roles
- Cisco automation collections
- Deploying configurations
- Validating automation results
- Embedded automation features
- Event-driven automation
- Local scripting
- Operational monitoring
- Automated responses
- Best practices
- Zero-touch provisioning concepts
- Controller-based onboarding
- Device discovery
- Initial configuration deployment
- Deployment validation
- Operational readiness
- Device onboarding
- Configuration templates
- Policy-based deployment
- Inventory management
- Deployment workflows
- Operational automation
- Template design
- Variables and parameters
- Template validation
- Reusable automation components
- Large-scale deployments
- Template maintenance
- Integrating Ansible with Catalyst Center
- API-driven automation
- Automated policy deployment
- Configuration updates
- Compliance validation
- Operational reporting
- Security policy automation
- Access control deployment
- Security compliance
- Threat response workflows
- Secure automation practices
- Governance considerations
- Workflow validation
- API troubleshooting
- Controller diagnostics
- Log analysis
- Common deployment issues
- Performance optimisation
- Script testing
- Configuration validation
- Change verification
- Rollback planning
- Automated testing approaches
- Operational best practices
- Software image repositories
- Upgrade planning
- Automated deployment
- Version compliance
- Maintenance scheduling
- Post-upgrade validation
- Health monitoring
- Performance metrics
- Event collection
- API integration
- Automated reporting
- Operational dashboards
- Streaming telemetry fundamentals
- Telemetry subscriptions
- Webhook configuration
- Event-driven automation
- Alert integration
- Operational visibility
- AI-driven insights
- Predictive analytics
- Intelligent recommendations
- Performance optimisation
- Operational visibility
- AI-supported troubleshooting
- AI-assisted script generation
- Workflow optimisation
- Intelligent operational recommendations
- Automation acceleration
- Human oversight
- Responsible AI adoption
- Data privacy
- Prompt injection risks
- Model governance
- Secure automation design
- Compliance considerations
- Risk mitigation strategies
- FastMCP fundamentals
- Python implementation
- Building automation services
- Connecting AI agents
- Secure service design
- Practical enterprise use cases
Exams and assessments
Hands-on learning
- Developing Python automation scripts.
- Creating Ansible playbooks.
- Using NETCONF and RESTCONF APIs.
- Managing enterprise networks with Cisco Catalyst Center.
- Deploying automated software upgrades.
- Monitoring network health through APIs and streaming telemetry.
- Exploring AI-assisted automation scenarios.
Good to know
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