Preparing for Cisco 8000 Series Routers

There are so many factors that go into creating and maintaining robust, efficient, and secure networks. If you want to stay ahead in the networking game, you need the best experts, cutting-edge tools, and world-class training. It’s this philosophy that has navigated us for years at Cisco. We equip enterprises with cutting-edge tools to keep their networks current and running efficiently. However, because they require individuals with the skills and expertise to fully leverage them, we combine our technology offerings with IT training. After all, technologies are only as effective as the individuals who operate them.

Let’s take a look at the new Cisco 8000 Series Routers Essentials (SP8KE) technology training course, which empowers network professionals to build the skills they need to integrate Cisco 8000 Series routers into their network. By creating technical courses where users can experience our technologies under the guidance of experts, we dramatically increase the ease of on-ramping — for both the technology itself and the person (or team) working on it.  

About the Cisco 8000 Series routers  

The Cisco 8000 Series routers are our new flagship service provider and mass-scale infrastructure routers. They’re based on the Cisco Silicon 1 and are multi-functional; what was once historically covered by different products is now combined into one piece of technology. They’re advanced, exciting, and can do all sorts of interesting things — if they’re in the right hands, of course. That’s why we developed the SP8KE course.

What the SP8KE course covers

As with a lot of advanced technology, the real power is in the expertise of the person controlling it. SP8KE dives into all of the major aspects of the platform, starting with hardware and progressing from there. We’ve designed a roadmap that takes you into the software, then to various implementations with the routers.

From day one, you’re going to take away an understanding of the architecture; the new hardware and forwarding architecture of the entire platform, the way the software is implemented and how it operates, and, importantly, how to perform upgrades. And to get a bit more specific, SP8KE will also go into Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPN services, segment routing, and programmability and their usage with the 8000 Series routers. (Right now, the course covers the 8100 Series, 8200 Series, and 8800 Series routers, and explains the differences between them.)

Over the course of five days, you’ll be led through the ins and outs of the 8000 Series routers and what it takes to effectively integrate them into your network. Five days is a lot of learning time which is why we worked to make sure that the people who take this course can hit the ground as knowledge-hungry experts with the ability to implement their skills on day one and the critical thinking ability to create new solutions. 

SP8KE and Beyond 

Networks are constantly changing- internal and external stresses create a need for proactive action, reaction to specific stresses, and the arms race of technology. These stresses arrive in different forms — new security challenges, new traffic, and new demands. The ability to keep up with these changes is predicated on an enterprise’s ability to address each of those stresses. Trainings are how we strengthen the human element, especially where it interacts with the technological components of a system.

The SP8KE course builds skills and knowledge specific to the Cisco 8000 Series routers, but it also builds broader skills that can be further combined with other training to grow networking expertise. 

What you can do now 

You can extend your learning by diving into network programmability and automation. These skills can help you and your organization to make full use of the hardware you bring in. The ability to keep pace manually is basically gone, so by focusing on the skills to automate and program networks, you can ensure the agility and flexibility needed to operate effectively.   

The Cisco 8000 Series Routers Essentials (SP8KE) course has just been released, which means you can sign up and start building your knowledge now. Additionally, we have learning communities to join, certifications to earn, and other trainings to complete, all of which can help you further your expertise and career. I’ve attached some links below that you can follow to learn a bit more. 

Finally, if you have any questions, I’d love to answer them in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Best, 

Jay Jordan 

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