What is Cisco's ENNA Certification and Who is It For?
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that two concentration exams are required for the CCNP Enterprise, when only one concentration exam is required (in addition to the 350-401 ENCOR exam). The article has been updated to reflect that change.
There's a difference between having rules and knowing if they're being followed. Remember what it was like when a substitute teacher came into the classroom? The students know what the classroom rules are — but did the substitute? Or remember having a babysitter? You know when you're supposed to go to bed — but does the new sitter?
In networking, network assurance is the difference between having rules and knowing if they're being followed. Network assurance is how you check on your network traffic, make sure it's going where it's supposed to, and that all the devices on your network are playing by the rules you made for them.
Network assurance includes techniques, tools, and software that help you monitor network traffic, manage and tweak devices, and configure special rules and protocols so that everything runs smoothly.
Until recently, Cisco didn't have any certifications dedicated to network assurance, but as of May 2024, that all changes with the new Designing and Implementing Enterprise Network Assurance (ENNA) v1.0 certification. Anyone who diagnoses network issues or uses and deploys critical monitoring solutions for enterprise networks needs to know about the ENNA.
What is the Cisco ENNA Certification?
ENNA is Cisco's specialist-level enterprise network assurance certification. The new Cisco cert was announced in January 2024 and will be available to exam-takers in May 2024. The full title of the ENNA is Designing and Implementing Enterprise Network Assurance (ENNA) v1.0 and its exam code is 300-445 ENNA.
You can earn Cisco's enterprise network assurance specialist cert by passing the 300-445 ENNA test once it’s available in May 2024. The 300-445 will also become one of the eight concentration exams you can take to qualify for the CCNP Enterprise.
As enterprise networks continue to grow and become more complex and prone to hidden inefficiencies and waste, the need for a network assurance specialist certification becomes clear. Take the babysitter example from earlier: the kids are being left home alone more often, and parents need to make sure their babysitters know the rules and how to enforce them.
Hiring IT professionals with the ENNA Network Assurance Specialist certification will be a priority for organizations whose networks depend on digital experience monitoring, end-to-end visibility, proactive monitoring, and automation solutions. Large-scale networks have high performance, network security, and usability expectations, and the ENNA is designed to prove that a network professional knows how to meet them.
Is the CCNP Enterprise Required to Earn the ENNA?
While earning your ENNA along the way to earning your CCNP Enterprise certification is possible, you won't have to. The ENNA will be a standalone certificate from Cisco. The CCNP Enterprise is designed with one core exam (350-401 ENCOR) and multiple smaller, specialty exams, now also including ENNA. If a career in network assurance and maintaining enterprise network stability interests you, you should probably plan on earning the entire CCNP Enterprise.
Preparing for the CCNP Enterprise is a big undertaking, but having the right training can make all the difference in how prepared you are on test day. CBT Nuggets offers a comprehensive 300-445 ENNA online training course that prepares network engineers to monitor, analyze, troubleshoot, optimize, and secure enterprise networks using Cisco tools. This training is ideal for mastering the skills needed to pass the ENNA exam while ensuring reliable network performance.
Learn the skills needed to earn your CCNP Enterprise with the following CCNP Enterprise trainings, all of which include video explanations and virtual simulations to practice the skills you'll find on the Cisco exams.
Core Exam Required for CCNP Enterprise
Plus One Specialty Exam
CCNP Enterprise (300-445 ENNA)
These CCNP Enterprise courses contain skills created by a talented group of expert trainers with years of real-world IT experience: Keith Barker, Knox Hutchinson, Jeff Kish, and Ben Finkel.
What's On the Cisco ENNA 300-445 Exam?
According to Cisco, the ENNA 300-445 exam will cover four major topics:
Platforms and Architecture
Data Collection Implementation
Data Analysis
Insights and Alerts.
The 300-445 will probably be structured like the other CCNP Enterprise concentration exams, so it's safe to assume it will be a 90-minute exam with 55-65 questions. Typically, those exams have a max grade of 1,000 points and a passing grade of 750-850.
The Platforms and Architecture section of the exam will cover topics related to agent types and locations, monitoring methods, integration, and platform selection. The Data Collection Implementation section will focus on deploying and managing data collection agents and tools like ThousandEyes and Meraki Insights.
The Data Analysis section will challenge your ability to accurately understand network metrics and diagnose which network issues are related to performance and which can be attributed to hostile actions. Last, the Insights and Alerts section will test your ability to define desired network behavior and configure alerts that accurately spot when that behavior changes so your enterprise network assurance is custom and automated.
There’s also a section dedicated to ThousandEyes, and an understanding of that software suite will be necessary to pass the ENNA. Cisco acquired the networking monitoring software company fairly recently, and it makes sense that they'd want to double down on certification-holders knowing how to use the new acquisition.
Who Should Earn the ENNA?
The ENNA specialist certification from Cisco won't be right for every network professional. It's a specialist certification, so it will be best suited for network professionals who already have a few years of experience, particularly in providing end-to-end visibility or proactive monitoring.
There will be a lot of overlap between the ENNA and anyone who has designed automation solutions for Cisco enterprise networks. The ability to deploy monitoring solutions and diagnose network issues on enterprise networks is a more narrowly defined career path than what's covered in Cisco's associate-level certifications like the CCNA.
Cisco says the ENNA will be appropriate for IT professionals in multiple technical roles. Anyone with experience working site reliability in a Network Operations Center (NOC) or Security Operations Center (SOC) will want to consider earning the ENNA.
Network and cloud-monitoring engineers who provide critical monitoring can document their skills with the ENNA. Even support and help desk personnel who manage complex systems and network infrastructure can use the ENNA to advance their careers.
RELATED: Earning Your CCNP Enterprise? Here’s What to Expect
Is Network Assurance Relevant to Non-Cisco Networks?
Yes, network assurance applies to networks no matter which technology they operate on. It doesn't matter what network you're working on. Knowing how to deploy the right agent, configure tests, and analyze collected data is always valuable. However, the ENNA certification from Cisco will be largely dedicated to the tools, technologies, and software that are used to design Cisco enterprise networks.
Unlike a certification from a vendor like CompTIA, Cisco certifications are definitely vendor-specific. Some of the skills related to network assurance design and implementation that are on the 300-445 ENNA exam are generalized and could be carried to different networks. However many of the ENNA's exam topics will be particular to Cisco devices and the Cisco OS.
If you're interested in network assurance, earning a certification can help advance your career even if you don't work on a Cisco network. If your network's vendor doesn’t have a cert dedicated to network assurance, there are plenty of topics on the ENNA exam that are generalizable, including diagnosing network issues or end-device network issues.
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