Complete List of Aruba Certifications and What They Cover

In today’s hyper-connected world, networking professionals must stay ahead of the curve with skills that support modern wireless, cloud, and secure networking environments. Aruba Networks, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, offers a robust certification program that validates IT professionals in areas such as wireless LAN, switching, security, mobility, and cloud-managed infrastructure. Whether you’re a beginner exploring networking or a seasoned engineer looking to specialize, aruba certification can help you build and demonstrate your expertise. In this blog, we provide a complete list of Aruba certifications, categorized by level and track, along with a breakdown of what each certification covers.

📘 Aruba Certification Levels Overview

The Aruba certification program is structured into three progressive tiers:

1. Aruba Certified Associate (ACA) – Foundational-level knowledge
2. Aruba Certified Professional (ACP) – Intermediate deployment and configuration skills
3. Aruba Certified Expert (ACE) – Advanced-level design and troubleshooting expertise

Each level spans multiple technology domains such as Switching, WLAN, Security, Design, and ClearPass.

🥇 1. Aruba Certified Associate (ACA)

Best For: Entry-level IT professionals, support engineers, and those new to Aruba solutions.

• ACA – Campus Access
  Focus: Basic wired and wireless networking, VLANs, ACLs, network access.
  Covers: Aruba campus switches, APs, controllers, and Aruba Central interface.
• ACA – Mobility
  Focus: Wireless LAN fundamentals.
  Covers: Controller-based architecture, SSID configuration, user roles, and RF basics.
• ACA – ClearPass
  Focus: Intro to network access control (NAC).
  Covers: Device profiling, guest access, authentication using Aruba ClearPass.

🥈 2. Aruba Certified Professional (ACP)

Best For: Network administrators, deployment engineers, and system integrators working in medium to large environments.

• ACP – Switching
  Focus: Advanced Layer 2/3 switching using ArubaOS-CX.
  Covers: OSPF, BGP, STP, VSX, link aggregation, IP routing.
• ACP – Mobility
  Focus: WLAN deployment with advanced security and QoS.
  Covers: AP provisioning, RF optimization, roaming, firewalls, role-based access.
• ACP – ClearPass
  Focus: Network access security and policy enforcement.
  Covers: 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, posture checks, guest workflows, onboarding.
• ACP – Network Security
  Focus: Implementing secure, role-based access control across wired/wireless.
  Covers: Device fingerprinting, segmentation, encryption, threat protection.
• ACP – Design
  Focus: Network planning and architecture.
  Covers: Site surveys, capacity planning, logical design, RF planning.
• ACP – SD-Branch
  Focus: Software-defined WAN and branch deployment.
  Covers: WAN routing, Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP), cloud security integration.

🥇 3. Aruba Certified Expert (ACE)

Best For: Senior engineers, architects, and consultants responsible for designing and troubleshooting large-scale Aruba environments.

• ACE – Switching
  Focus: Expert-level Layer 2/3 configurations and troubleshooting.
  Covers: VXLAN, EVPN, BGP policies, QoS, high availability, telemetry.
• ACE – Mobility
  Focus: Advanced WLAN design and operations.
  Covers: RF tuning, seamless roaming, WLAN analytics, adaptive radio management.
• ACE – ClearPass
  Focus: Advanced security and authentication services.
  Covers: Multi-factor authentication, complex policy creation, SSO, integration with third-party services.
• ACE – Network Security
  Focus: Security design, segmentation, compliance, and incident response.
  Covers: Threat detection, firewall policy design, secure fabric deployment.
• ACE – Design
  Focus: Enterprise-level design principles.
  Covers: High availability, disaster recovery, scalability, and integration strategies.

🔁 Specializations and Additional Learning Paths

While not all specializations have certifications yet, Aruba is increasingly expanding into areas like:

• Aruba Central & Network Automation
  Focus: Cloud-native network operations, APIs, AI Ops.
• Edge Services Platform (ESP)
  Focus: Converged infrastructure for IoT, mobility, and AI security.

These areas are often addressed through micro-certifications, workshops, and future roadmap credentials.

🧰 How to Start Your Aruba Certification Journey

1. Pick a track that aligns with your current role or future goal (e.g., Switching for campus LAN engineers, ClearPass for security professionals).
2. Start at the Associate level if you’re new to Aruba technologies.
3. Leverage official training from the Aruba Training Portal: 
4. Use hands-on labs to practice configurations and real scenarios.
5. Join the Airheads Community for peer support and discussion.

✅ Final Thoughts

Aruba certifications are increasingly recognized across industries for their focus on wireless innovation, cloud-managed networking, and secure access. Whether you're working in education, healthcare, retail, or enterprise IT, earning Aruba certifications can boost your credibility and expand your career opportunities. From basic connectivity to expert-level network design, the complete Aruba certification path offers the tools to grow and succeed in today’s networking world. Choose your track, invest in hands-on learning, and begin your Aruba journey today.