Back when the CCIE lab was a two-day affair, and ISP Dial was still a track, I was a young engineer at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center. My title said Support Engineer, Voice and Access Team, but the reality was more like a firefighter. Every shift brought Severity 1 tickets from customers whose voice networks were down, and they needed answers fast. There was no room for guessing. You either knew the technology inside out, or you were the person on the other end of the call who couldn’t help.
That urgency pushed me toward the CCIE. Not for the resume line or the salary bump—though those came later—but because I genuinely needed to be sharper. The TAC didn’t wait for you to finish a chapter before throwing you a real-world scenario. I had to keep up.
I built my own lab rack from scratch. Sourced routers, gateways, and PBX equipment. Spent nights cabling things together, breaking configurations on purpose, and fixing them until the troubleshooting became second nature. When I finally sat for the CCIE ISP Dial lab in February 2001—spread over two grueling days—I walked in knowing I’d done the work. And I passed.
I can’t tell that story without mentioning Kathe Saccenti, the proctor who greeted me at that lab. If you’ve been anywhere near the CCIE program, you’ve heard her name. People called her the CCIE Queen, and the title fit perfectly. Kathe wasn’t just handling lab logistics—she had this remarkable ability to put nervous candidates at ease, making you feel like she genuinely rooted for you. She was a legend in the CCIE community, and everyone who crossed her path remembers the warmth she brought to what is otherwise the most stressful day of your professional life.
We lost Kathe on February 17, 2026, and the CCIE world lost one of its most beloved figures. This blog is, in part, a tribute to her and the countless candidates she supported over the years.
That CCIE ISP Dial number changed my trajectory, but I wasn’t done. As the collaboration world evolved, I set my sights on the CCIE Collaboration certification. And let me be transparent here—I didn’t pass it on my first attempt. I failed it twice before finally passing in May 2005. Those two failures stung, but they taught me more about the technology than any study guide ever could. Each time I walked out of that lab knowing exactly where my gaps were, I went back and filled them. If you’re reading this and you’ve failed an attempt, know that you’re in good company. What matters is that you get back up and try again.
Now, as the CCIE Collaboration Exam Product Manager at Learn with Cisco, I get to shape the very certification that shaped my career. And I can tell you from lived experience: the CCIE is still the single most impactful credential you can earn in this industry.
The collaboration landscape has changed dramatically since my ISP Dial days. Organizations are running hybrid environments—on-premises CUCM clusters sitting alongside Webex Calling in the cloud, with Expressway handling edge services and CUBE bridging the PSTN. Add AI-powered features through the Webex platform, and you’ve got an ecosystem that demands deep, full-stack expertise.
The CCIE Collaboration certification validates exactly that. It proves you can design, deploy, operate, and optimize these complex environments—not in theory, but hands-on, under pressure, against the clock.
Companies are desperate for professionals who understand the full picture. Not just someone who can configure a CUCM cluster, and not just someone who can manage Webex Control Hub—but someone who can architect hybrid calling solutions, integrate AI-driven contact centers, and manage the transition from legacy infrastructure to cloud-native platforms. The roles opening up reflect this shift: Cloud Collaboration Architect, Principal UC Engineer, Multi-Platform Specialist, Digital Workplace Strategist. These didn’t exist ten years ago. Now they’re some of the most sought-after positions in enterprise IT, and the CCIE is the credential that gets you there.
We’ve made significant updates to the lab environment to keep it aligned with where the industry is heading. I walked through all of these changes in detail during a recent webinar—you can watch the full recording on YouTube here: CCIE Collaboration Updates & Practice Lab Launch.
But here’s the summary of what you need to know:
Platform upgrades: CUCM and SME are now on version 15.0.1, Unity Connection on 15.0.1, Expressway C and E on 15.2.1, and the Catalyst 8000V (your CUBE) is running IOS-XE 17.12.4.
IM & Presence is gone. Instant messaging services are now delivered through the Webex cloud platform. This mirrors what’s happening in the real world—organizations are moving their collaboration services to the cloud.
Jabber is out, Webex App is in. The Webex App client has replaced Jabber, connecting directly to the Webex cloud. Again, this reflects the industry shift that’s already well underway.
Webex Calling integration. The new DOO 3.2 form includes Webex Calling scenarios, and we’ve launched new Design forms to match. If you haven’t worked with Webex Calling trunks, Local Gateway registration, or Control Hub administration, now is the time to start.
The thread connecting all these changes is clear: Cisco’s collaboration portfolio is moving toward cloud-native, AI-enhanced platforms. The Webex suite now includes AI-powered meeting summaries, intelligent noise removal, real-time translation, and smart contact center features that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. The exam reflects this reality. If you’re still thinking of CCIE Collaboration as purely an on-prem voice certification, it’s time to update that mental model. Today’s CCIE Collaboration professional needs to be fluent across the entire stack—from traditional CUCM infrastructure to Webex cloud services and the AI capabilities built into them.
The lab exam has two distinct modules that require different preparation strategies.
Think of this module as a design engineer in the PPDIO lifecycle. You’re presented with a customer scenario—complete with emails, requirements documents, and background information—and you need to make architectural decisions.
A few things that trip people up: you cannot go back to previous questions. Once you answer and move forward, that’s it. So read everything carefully. Every design item carries its answer with it—your job is to find it in the context provided.
How to prepare for Design:
This is where documentation becomes your best friend. The resources that will give you the strongest foundation are the Cisco Collaboration Preferred Architecture (PA) guides, Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) documentation, and Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs). These aren’t just study material—they’re the actual engineering references that Cisco uses for real deployments.
The design topics you should focus on include:
I also strongly recommend watching Cisco Live sessions that go deep into design patterns and real-world architectures that directly map to what you’ll see in the exam.
This is the hands-on portion—four hours of configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing a live collaboration environment. This is where your lab time pays off.
The DOO module now includes Webex Calling integration tasks. That means you’ll be working with Webex Control Hub administration, Local Gateway (CUBE) registration to the Webex cloud, trunk configuration, and hybrid call routing. If you’re used to pure on-prem CUCM work, this is a significant shift, and you need hands-on time with these technologies.
Here’s something I wish existed when I was preparing for my CCIE: official practice labs that mirror the actual exam environment. We’ve built exactly that.
The CCIE Collaboration Practice Labs offer a 4-hour session on a topology that replicates the DOO module setup. You get full administrative access to all unified communications devices integrated with the Webex Cloud—CUCM, SME, Unity Connection, Expressway, CUBE, and Webex Control Hub. Basic network connectivity is pre-configured between endpoints, so you can jump straight into building and testing configurations.
This is a Bring Your Own Lab (BYOL) environment. There are no rigid, step-by-step instructions telling you what to configure. Instead, you get the infrastructure, the documentation, and the freedom to design your own call flows, test integration scenarios, and break things on purpose. Optional practice tasks are available if you want structured exercises, but the real value is in the open-ended exploration.
Practical advice:
This wasn’t available even a couple of years ago, and it’s a game-changer for CCIE preparation.
AI assistants can help you study smarter. Use them to break down complex topics, quiz yourself on configuration syntax, or walk through troubleshooting scenarios. Stuck on how CUBE trunk registration works with Webex Calling? Ask your AI assistant to explain the TLS handshake, the SIP REGISTER flow, or the role of the Cisco Trusted Root Bundle. Then go validate what you learned in your practice lab.
I’ve seen candidates use AI to generate practice scenarios, create flashcards for command syntax, and even simulate design discussions where the AI plays the role of a customer with specific requirements. It’s not a replacement for hands-on practice, but it’s an incredibly effective complement—especially for reinforcing concepts between lab sessions.
The combination of AI-assisted study for deep understanding plus practice labs for hands-on execution is, in my experience, the most efficient preparation strategy available today for the DOO module.
I’ve watched hundreds of candidates go through this process, and the ones who pass consistently share a few habits.
For the DOO module:
For the Design module:
And don’t underestimate the physical side. The lab is a marathon. Build your stamina with progressively longer practice sessions. Get proper sleep on the three nights before. Bring water and approved snacks. Eat a real lunch during the break. These things sound trivial until you’re five hours in and your brain starts to fog.
I’ve put together the resources that will give you the strongest preparation. Don’t try to consume everything—be strategic about where you spend your time.
Start here:
For Design preparation:
For DOO preparation:
Stay connected:
One thing I’ve learned over 25 years in this industry: the people who succeed don’t do it in isolation. The CCIE journey is hard enough without trying to figure everything out on your own.
I want to personally encourage you to join the Cisco CCIE Collaboration Community on the Cisco Learning Network. This isn’t just another forum to lurk in—it’s a place where candidates from around the world share what’s working for them, ask questions about tricky topics, and support each other through the preparation process. I’m active there myself, and so are many other certified engineers and exam stakeholders.
But here’s my ask: don’t just consume—contribute. Post about your preparation experience. Share what resources helped you. Ask the questions you think are too basic—chances are, fifty other people have the same question and haven’t asked yet. When you get stuck on a configuration or a design concept, put it out there. And when you’ve figured something out, pay it forward by helping someone else.
The worldwide CCIE Collaboration community gets stronger every time someone shares their knowledge. Whether you’re just starting your preparation or you’re a week away from your lab date, your perspective has value. Join the study group, participate in the discussions, and let’s build this community together.
The exam is different today than it was in my ISP Dial days. It’s evolved with the technology—cloud-native architectures, AI-powered Webex platforms, hybrid calling environments, and intelligent contact centers. But the core of what makes the CCIE valuable hasn’t changed: it proves you can do the work, not just talk about it. And as Cisco continues to push into AI-driven collaboration—think real-time meeting intelligence, automated workflows, predictive analytics for network quality—the professionals who hold this certification will be the ones leading those implementations. This isn’t just a credential for today; it’s a strategic investment in where this industry is heading.
You have resources available to you that I could only dream of when I was preparing. Practice labs that replicate the exam environment. AI tools that can accelerate your learning. A community of candidates and certified engineers who share knowledge freely. The path has never been clearer.
So book that first practice lab session. Pull up the exam blueprint. Start putting in the hours. The CCIE Collaboration certification is waiting for you—and trust me, what’s on the other side is worth every late night and every frustrating lab session.
See you in the CCIE Community.
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