From Cisco IOS to Open NOS: Why Corporates Must Rethink Network Training

1. Traditional Cisco IOS Training and Its Legacy

For many years, Cisco IOS and its variants (IOS XE, NX-OS, IOS XR) have been at the heart of corporate network infrastructure. Training programs have focused heavily on command-line skills, device-specific configurations, and Cisco certification pathways like CCNA, CCNP, and specialized courses such as Managing Cisco Network Operating Systems (CNIOS). These certifications teach engineers CLI navigation, routing, switching, protocol implementation, and troubleshooting on Cisco devices.

Why this matters:

• Cisco’s IOS family has dominated enterprise and carrier networks for decades.
• Network professionals have traditionally built careers around the Cisco CLI ecosystem and vendor-specific skills.
• Many corporate training programs were designed around proprietary architectures and a fixed vendor stack.

However, the networking landscape is undergoing significant transformation.

2. The Rise of Open Network Operating Systems (Open NOS)

In contrast to proprietary NOS like Cisco IOS, open network operating systems (e.g., SONiC — Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) are gaining traction in enterprise and hyperscale environments. These systems decouple software from hardware, enabling network operators to:

• Deploy software across multiple vendors’ hardware platforms.
• Leverage open-source development models.
• Integrate more seamlessly with automation and cloud workflows.

Open NOS platforms can offer greater flexibility, reduced vendor lock-in, and often more rapid innovation cycles. These benefits make them attractive — especially in large data centers, cloud-native environments, and any organization pursuing disaggregated networking.

3. Why Corporates Must Rethink Network Training

A shift toward open NOS requires a fundamental rethink of how organizations approach network training. Here are the key reasons:

🔹 Broader Skill Sets Needed

Traditional IOS training focuses on proprietary CLI and vendor-specific tools. Open NOS, by contrast:

• Embraces standardized interfaces like Linux tools, APIs (e.g., RESTCONF/gNMI), and automation frameworks.
• Often requires familiarity with containerization, version control, and DevOps practices.
  This means network engineers must learn software development and system automation skills in addition to networking fundamentals.

🔹 Automation and Programmability Are Core

Operating environments today increasingly rely on automated provisioning, monitoring, and orchestration — something Cisco’s newer NOS versions and open NOS platforms support natively. Engineers must be fluent with tools like Ansible, Terraform, or native APIs, not just CLI commands.

🔹 Cultural and Organizational Shift

Open NOS adoption entails a DevOps and cross-functional mindset. Corporates must integrate network engineers with software teams, encourage experimentation, and develop internal labs or partnerships that facilitate hands-on open-source learning.

🔹 Vendor Lock-In Reduction

Training tied solely to a single vendor limits flexibility and increases long-term operating costs. Learning open NOS allows engineering teams to support diverse vendor hardware — critical in multi-cloud, hybrid-edge, and cloud-native environments.

4. What Corporate Training Should Include Going Forward

To equip teams for both traditional and emerging ecosystems, training curriculums should expand to include:

📍 Hybrid NOS Skills

• Core concepts of Cisco IOS and Nexus/NX-OS
• Fundamentals of open NOS platforms like SONiC
• Standard network protocols across environments

📍 Linux & System Fundamentals

Understanding of Linux systems, package management, containerization, and system security.

📍 Automation & APIs

• Ansible, Terraform
• RESTCONF, gNMI, NETCONF
• CI/CD pipelines and version control systems

📍 DevOps & Cloud Integration

• How networking interacts with cloud infrastructure
• Automation pipelines, infrastructure-as-code
• Monitoring and telemetry ingestion workflows

📍 Hands-On Labs

Theoretical knowledge must be complemented by labs and sandbox environments — Cisco Modeling Labs, DevNet sandboxes, and SONiC test beds.

5. Conclusion: Training for the Future

The move from proprietary Cisco IOS to open NOS isn’t just a technical migration — it’s a paradigm shift in network design, deployment, and operation. Corporates that continue to train solely for CLI and vendor-centric tools risk creating skill gaps. By embracing open networking philosophies and broadening training to include automation, Linux foundations, and open NOS principles, organizations can future-proof their teams and infrastructure.

This shift doesn’t mean abandoning Cisco skills — Cisco’s own modern NOS platforms and training paths remain essential — but it does mean preparing engineers for an open, flexible, and software-driven networking world.