Cisco Coaching Bootcamps have been on the scene for a pair years now. One of many issues that makes them so in style is their depth and real-world software. We sat down with Topic Matter Specialists (SMEs) John Capobianco, Bootcamp Developer Advocate, Joe Rinehart, Engineering Chief, and Palmer Pattern, Software program Engineering Technical Chief, to seek out out what makes Cisco Coaching Bootcamps so particular. 

Plus, we bought a sneak peek at what they’ll cowl within the upcoming Cisco Coaching Bootcamp webinar on December 13, 2023, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. 

Why are Cisco Coaching Bootcamps so in style? 

John: I feel it’s the best way they align with market developments. Enterprises around the globe are searching for methods to undertake community automation and get the utmost worth out of their Cisco investments. A Cisco Coaching Bootcamp gives a direct path towards cultural adjustments, serving to organizations undertake automation and programmability. 

Joe: In addition they tackle important enterprise and technical wants like automation and sophisticated product competence. The instructing methodology is well-suited to fast studying and growing expertise that engineers can apply now, not solely sooner or later. Having two studying occasions shut collectively (the Teacher-led Coaching [ILT] lessons and the deep dive labs) amplifies the training at each stage. It’s just like the expression, ‘one-two punch.’

Palmer: I feel individuals like our bootcamps as a result of they reply the query, “Now what?” At the moment’s aggressive enterprise atmosphere requires agile networks that may adapt to mission aims with out impacting stakeholders. As our prospects deploy trendy infrastructure, they discover that the issue is just not that the expertise is just too complicated however that it’s completely different from what we’ve all labored with for therefore many a long time.  

We’ve heard:  

• “We now have deployed Software program-Outlined Entry…” 
• “We’re working ACI however haven’t moved to an application-centric mannequin…” 
• “Our staff must embrace NetDevOps rules and study automation…” 

Now what? 

Cisco Coaching Bootcamps take away complexity and concentrate on what’s vital. Whether or not it’s an Operations and Troubleshooting Bootcamp for Software program-Outlined Campus and Information Heart Options, or an Automation Bootcamp, our prospects go away with the arrogance they should remodel community operations and contribute to their staff’s success. 

You guys are within the excellent place to know what prospects want. What are you listening to from the entrance traces? What automation wants do prospects imagine these Coaching Bootcamps would possibly resolve? 

Joe: Clients want to resolve issues now, which is why the hands-on element of the expertise is so very important. The Bootcamps not solely encourage college students to study ideas and configuration, however additionally they present the crucial for college students to use them instantly of their environments. 

Palmer: Whereas prospects are desirous to automate, they face frequent challenges, reminiscent of guaranteeing their groups can communicate a typical language, which automation expertise they need to select, and maybe most significantly, what they’ll truly do with automation. A Cisco Coaching Bootcamp addresses these challenges with a singular instructing format. The 5-day coaching covers a broad vary of prerequisite data to make sure college students achieve a typical skillset. The true-world use circumstances and deep-dive labs present what prospects can do with community automation. These labs are designed to progress from the fundamentals, reminiscent of studying Git, to in style instruments, together with REST API Purchasers and Python. Lastly, most studying tracks culminate with a CI/CD pipeline. After the Bootcamp, prospects preserve entry to code they’ll instantly use after they return to the workplace. The general expertise requires focus and teamwork, however the buyer response has been overwhelmingly optimistic. 

John: A few of our former college students keep in contact with us for over a 12 months after their Automation Coaching Bootcamp! The dimensions and complexity of the trendy community can now not be operated manually. Automation isn’t just about velocity and shifting quick; it’s about safety, repeatability, testing and validation, and growing CI/CD pipelines as full options. Finally, most prospects are searching for a spot to start out with confidence. Cisco Coaching Bootcamps present them these preliminary stepping stones towards success. 

What are the weather of a Bootcamp that make it so intense? 

John: The labs! Within the 4-day, deep-dive lab portion, 80 % of the category is lab work based mostly on actual conditions and situations. College students truly apply what they’ve realized in the course of the 5-day ILT with precise tools and actual issues to resolve. There are a number of ‘spice ranges’ (issue ranges) to problem even essentially the most superior pupil. As an example, they study issues like version and supply management with Git and Ansible playbooks and automate options with Ansible, Python and Cisco pyATS, and CI/CD pipelines. 

Joe: The Deep Dive Labs (DDLs) are all about utilizing the instruments, writing code, and making issues occur. The labs are action-oriented, and the ratio of lecture versus lab within the DDL is about 20 % lecture, leaving 80 % for labs. 

Palmer: I feel the depth lies in the quantity of content material we cowl in such a brief time frame. Coupled with the labs, which get progressively tougher, it’s loads to study—particularly for college students who’re comparatively new to the expertise monitor they’ve chosen. The excellent news is that they have a devoted staff of instructors to assist their studying expertise. In flip, we’ve seen our lessons typically embrace a staff mindset, serving to one another succeed. Sure, the expertise is intense, nevertheless it’s not not possible! On the finish of the deep-dive lab week, college students are exhausted however impressed to proceed their journey. 

Between the 2 varieties of Cisco Coaching Bootcamps, automation and product (operations and troubleshooting), what are you discovering hottest and helpful?  

John: Each tracks are very talked-about and tackle completely different wants. Some prospects discover the Ops and Troubleshooting Bootcamps extra sensible for his or her present day-to-day wants, whereas others are forward-looking, attempting to remodel these operations into totally automated options.  

Joe: Every has their area of interest, with automation and product Bootcamps typically working across the similar variety of occasions. Whereas we launched the DevNet Automation Bootcamps first, the Operations & Troubleshooting tracks got here alongside later and stay wildly in style. 

Palmer: It relies upon. Some prospects have a devoted staff managing infrastructure, whereas one other focuses on automation. Some prospects are simply deploying a expertise reminiscent of Software program-Outlined Entry. In the meantime, others have realized that automation is right here to remain, so they should upskill. 

The Bootcamps additionally complement one another and supply a path for our prospects to evolve as their necessities change. For instance, a buyer new to ACI would profit from the Operations and Troubleshooting Bootcamp. Then, they’ll develop their data by taking the Cisco DevNet Automation for ACI after they transfer to a NetDevOps mannequin. 

May you inform us extra concerning the new Cisco Coaching Bootcamp for Enterprise Networking (EN)?  

John: I’m actually enthusiastic about this bootcamp! Whereas we do have an SDA Bootcamp for these with Catalyst Heart and a controller-based strategy, the EN Bootcamp will allow these prospects with out SDN to completely embrace automation and programmability. We discover applied sciences like Ansible and Cisco pyATS, and construct towards a full CI/CD pipeline answer that college students construct over the course of the DDL. And did I point out the lab is IPv6-based round OSPFv3?!  

Palmer: The Cisco DevNet Automation Bootcamp for Enterprise Networking, or as we name it, ‘EN-A,’ is within the remaining levels of testing. It’s based mostly on Cisco IOS XE software program, which is current in switches, routers, and wi-fi units and is the spine of our prospects’ enterprise networks. 

After the 5-day instructor-led coaching, college students start the Deep-Dive Lab (DDL) with a topology consisting of Cisco Catalyst 8000V Edge units, that are solely configured with administration interface connectivity. After being launched to NetDevOps and Git, college students will use quite a lot of trendy strategies to incrementally configure the simulated department topology. They achieve hands-on expertise with test-driven automation, Ansible, Python, Cisco’s pyATS automation framework, REST API purchasers, YANG fashions, model-driven programmability, streaming telemetry, and CI/CD pipelines. On the finish of the Bootcamp, the simulated department will likely be totally configured and IPv6-enabled, with OSPFv3 and BGP within the combine for added pleasure. We will’t wait to share the expertise! 

What’s the preferred Coaching Bootcamp up to now? Why? 

Joe: Cisco ACI has emerged as one of the vital in style matter areas. First, the automation bootcamp, adopted by the operations and troubleshooting bootcamp. Naturally, there are fluctuations about which monitor is the preferred, however these two are practically at all times on the prime. 

John: Persons are drawn to ACI and software-defined networking typically, primarily for simplicity, scale, and automation capabilities. ACI was constructed from the bottom up with APIs and programmability in thoughts, however it’s also a departure from basic enterprise networking. There’s a little bit of a studying curve as issues are carried out in another way. 

What’s the benefit of Coaching Bootcamps for people? 

John: I feel it’s the talents they may purchase with real-world examples and the brand new appreciation for a way accessible and simple it’s to get began with community automation. It’s additionally the Cisco Persevering with Training (CE) credit they may obtain upon profitable completion. 

Joe: Many shoppers don’t have 12 engineers devoted to the applied sciences lined in Cisco bootcamps. The Coaching Bootcamps for people gives the flexibleness of accommodating smaller numbers of scholars. As well as, we regularly hear that having your complete staff out for coaching can affect enterprise productiveness, so sending the staff in waves can mitigate that problem. 

And the way is a person Bootcamp completely different from the Cisco Coaching Bootcamps for groups? 

John: The staff Bootcamps (aka closed enrollments) provide a personal setting for staff members from organizations to take the Bootcamp collectively. One of many pure aspect advantages of those enrollments is the staff constructing that goes on over the course of the week. Teammates from organizations develop into nearer as they study these new expertise and applied sciences. They study, battle, fail, and succeed collectively.

Particular person Cisco Coaching Bootcamps have their very own attraction, as a variety of people come collectively to attain the identical objectives. Folks from around the globe study collectively and make pals. It’s fairly exceptional. 

Joe: Bootcamps for Groups are structured on a per-class foundation, from pricing to undertaking administration and tailoring. These Bootcamps can have the content material and labs tailor-made particularly to a single buyer, which we don’t present for the Bootcamps for People, a.ok.a. open enrollment. 

The place do you see Cisco Coaching Bootcamps going within the subsequent 12 months? 

John: I’m very excited concerning the EN providing in addition to the continued curiosity in ACI, NSO, SDA, and Meraki. I hope demand goes up. I hope our staff grows. We’re having a tangible affect on the business, and I feel our days as Cisco’s best-kept secret are numbered. 

Joe: We’re releasing a brand new monitor referred to as Cisco DevNet Automation for Enterprise Networks, which can be a mouthful, nevertheless it addresses the biggest put in base of put in units—particularly, those who run the IOS-XE working system. This has been fairly the endeavor, nevertheless it hits a related space of focus that nearly each buyer wants. Past that, we’re at all times updates and enhancements to present content material and labs and increasing into new content material areas. 

Palmer: It’s going to be a busy 12 months, for certain. I anticipate that the Enterprise Networking Automation Bootcamps will likely be very talked-about, and we now have various returning prospects trying to develop their expertise and prepare new groups. We’ll even be reviewing our present Bootcamps to determine alternatives so as to add new content material and showcase new applied sciences and capabilities. Nothing on this business ever stands nonetheless, and we search for “drive multipliers” to include into the content material so our prospects keep aggressive. Additionally, our staff is incessantly accepted to current at occasions reminiscent of Cisco Stay! That’s an exquisite alternative to fulfill former and future college students in particular person. 

Inform us extra about this upcoming webinar: What can prospects count on in the course of the occasion? 

John: We’ll cowl all six Bootcamps. Clients will get to know us as instructors in the event that they haven’t met us but. They’ll get to know our distinct ‘Edutainer’ kinds. We will likely be protecting every Bootcamp for about 5 minutes every to provide you a way of the fabric lined. You’ll have an opportunity to ask us any questions alongside the best way. 

Palmer: We’ll additionally cowl the Enterprise Networking Automation Bootcamp, which is within the remaining levels of testing. We look ahead to answering questions that come up. 

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