Arista Training & Certification

Description

Arista Training & Certification

The Arista Cloud Engineer (ACE) program is the foundation of Arista Training & Certification and is a seven-level certification track that begins with a new person to networking all the way up to expert networking engineers who have demonstrated their skills through rigorous testing. Unlike some vendor programs that stack course after course before a credential actually means anything, each of the first five ACE levels stands on its own: a course, a proctored exam, and a certification, with no requirement to pass several nested courses just to earn a single credential.

Netmate IT manages the Arista Training and Certification process from its base in Bur Dubai, UAE, assessing what is really equivalent to the experience of a given engineer and determining what training takes the form of, and when it takes it, based on the schedule of a given team. The UAE is Arista’s trusted infrastructure partner; our work reaches beyond the region, covering the GCC, Kenya, Nepal, and Africa, for Arista’s internal IT teams developing real in-house expertise.

Key Features of Arista Training & Certification

1. Seven-Level ACE Certification Program

The program spans from the basic level of understanding of getting started with networking at all (Level 1) to the highest level of expertise (Level 7), for engineers who have demonstrated a high level of competence through extensive testing with no coursework required at all. A person who has a lot of prior experience is not required to watch the class from start to finish to get to a specific level that they are at.

2. No Nested Courses, No Forced Progression

Instead, each of the first five levels is stand-alone, meaning that a single exam is associated with a single level as opposed to having to pass two or three exams before a certification is considered legitimate. An engineer may enter the program at whatever level is a true reflection of his/her abilities, rather than at the beginning level.

3. Cumulative Practical Exams

Exams test the material from the specific level being taken plus everything below it, so a Level 3 exam covers Levels 1 through 3 together. This is important because it implies that a certificate is a certification of knowledge, and not just of what was taught in the latest course.

4. Three Weeks of Included Lab Time

Each of the first five courses includes three weeks of hands-on lab exercises, allowing an engineer to configure and troubleshoot real-world scenarios, not just observe slides and memorize command syntax. This practical piece is an impactful part of the difference between a certification that represents actual competence and one that’s about test-taking.

5. Two Training Formats

The Corporate Training Model is a 5-day live instructor-led course, whereas Arista Academy is a self-paced version of the course that is typically more cost-effective because the course is spread out over approximately 8 weeks. A business can choose the format that works best around the team’s current workload, rather than sending all the engineers off the floor for a full week at a time.

6. Yearly Recertification Instead of Full Retesting

Instead of having to take a full exam again every several years, Arista maintains a yearly recertification program that awards at least 100 points per year for continuing activity, instead of a retest. This allows for maintaining a credential while not forcing a significant exam cycle to continually repeat indefinitely.

Supported Products/Platforms

Common Use Cases

A new graduate in Lusail might be starting the ACE program at Level 1, building a foundation in Arista EOS before ever touching a production network. A mid-career network engineer in Abha could jump straight into Level 3 training, skipping lower levels since existing experience already covers that material, with the cumulative exam still testing everything from Level 1 up. An IT team in Riffa might prefer the eight-week Arista Academy track over the five-day corporate format, spreading coursework around existing work schedules instead of losing a full week at once.

A senior engineer in Kitale could be pursuing Level 5 specifically to build automation skills through CloudVision, moving a team away from manual configuration work. A certified engineer in Hetauda might be maintaining their credential through the yearly recertification program, earning points through ongoing activity rather than sitting a full exam again from scratch.

Real World Deployment Scenarios

• A new graduate in Lusail starts the ACE program at Level 1, building a foundation in Arista EOS before ever touching a production network.

• A mid-career network engineer in Abha jumps straight into Level 3 training, skipping lower levels since existing experience already covers that material, with the cumulative exam still testing everything from Level 1 up.

• An IT team in Riffa enrolls in the eight-week Arista Academy track instead of the five-day corporate format, spreading the coursework around existing work schedules.

• A senior engineer in Kitale pursues Level 5 certification specifically to build automation skills using CloudVision, moving the team away from manual configuration.

• A certified engineer in Hetauda maintains their credential through the yearly recertification program, earning points through ongoing activity instead of sitting a full exam again.

• A UAE-based enterprise sends its network team through a WiFi specialty track, building expertise specific to the wireless side of its Arista deployment rather than general routing and switching.

Why Choose Netmate for Arista Training & Certification

Netmate IT coordinates Arista Training and Certification enrollment from its Bur Dubai office, helping clients figure out which ACE level actually matches a given engineer’s experience, rather than defaulting everyone to Level 1 regardless of background, and lining up whichever training format fits around a team’s existing schedule. Getting the entry level wrong wastes time either way: too low and an experienced engineer sits through material they already know, too high and they’re lost from day one.

The UAE is the first market to which Netmate extends its presence, followed by the entire Gulf Cooperation Council, Kenya, Nepal, and Africa, where it helps internal IT teams to establish their own true Arista skills without relying on outsiders to execute repetitive tasks and maintenance. Netmate can help scope and coordinate the path a client should take, whether they require one engineer certified to a single level, or a training program for an entire network team.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to start at Level 1, even if I already have years of networking experience?

No. The ACE program is designed to allow engineers to jump in at any level, so if you are a person with good existing networking skills, you can reasonably begin at Level 3 or 4 and move towards the end. The cumulative exam format still covers the full scope from Level 1 and onwards, so gaps in basic knowledge are still discovered.

2. What’s actually included when I pay for an ACE course?

Each of the first five levels contains the course itself (either instructor-led or self-paced, depending on the course format), access to three weeks of hands-on lab work, and a proctored exam at the end. It’s not an add-on to the base course; it’s a complete package.

3. What’s the difference between the two expert levels, Level 6 and Level 7?

Level 6 and Level 7 do not involve any coursework and are designed to recognize engineers who have already attained a high level of expertise, as demonstrated through extensive testing, rather than through a standard course/class and exam format. The written and practical lab are both included in level 6, as this is the level which has the most depth of knowledge.

4. How does the yearly recertification program actually work?

Instead of taking a full course every few years, certified engineers must earn a minimum of 100 points each year to remain current through a variety of activities, including taking more advanced courses in the certification process, rather than through one examination. This way, a credential stays valid without the need for a significant recurring exam cycle.

5. Is the 8-week Arista Academy format worse than the 5-day corporate course?

Not worse, but rather different. Arista Academy has the same material but takes a longer, more time-on-your-own schedule and is often the more affordable of the two; for teams that can’t afford to take away an engineer for a full week at a time, this might be a better choice. The corporate format is a 5-day intensive program for people who prefer to work hard and then get on with their lives.

6. Are there specialty certifications beyond the core 7 levels?

Yes. In addition to the basic ACE levels, Arista provides specialized training in various areas such as a Wi-Fi specialist certification and coursework specific to various verticals such as Global Financials, Media and Entertainment, and Service Provider environments. These allow an engineer to develop focused job-specific skills that are relevant to the actual network they use.

7. Does our whole IT team need to get certified, or just one or two people?

This will depend on the team’s composition and the level of reliance they wish their business to have on external assistance with day-to-day operations. In a smaller team, at least one or two engineers with a solid certification level (2 or 3) can be beneficial, and a larger network team, with their certifications spread throughout Levels 2 through 4, can provide wider in-house coverage instead of it all being held by one engineer.