Networking automation for your IT environment

The current state of networking automation

Even as underlying technologies have evolved, network management has remained largely unchanged for years. Networks are typically built, operated, and maintained manually. The networking automation is crucial for modern network infrastructure.

But the traditional, manual approach to network configuration is often too slow to keep up with the speed of Agile, DevOps, and virtualization-driven environments.

Find out how to automate your network with a simple but powerful IT automation platform so that you can:
• Provide a high level of service your users expect
• Deliver resources to apps and IT operations on demand
• Implement change control and configuration more effectively
• Build a stronger and more self-sufficient NetOps team

Network management has evolved slowly – Networking automation

Although fundamental technologies have evolved, network management has remained largely the same for decades. Networks are typically built, operated, and maintained manually. Network operators (NetOps) log in to routers, switches, load balancers, and firewalls change configurations by hand, then log out. These procedures are largely directed at implementing and maintaining the network policies defined by business processes.

Despite enormous advances in software-defined data center technology and new development techniques, this routine has not changed for a number of reasons:

» NetOps teams often specialize in only a few domains and platforms.
» Network vendors focus on product sales, rather than operational improvements.
» Disparate, cross-departmental teams cannot collaborate effectively to share ideas.
» Legacy, paper-based operational practices are difficult to update and change.
» Reliance on network device command-line interfaces (CLIs) impedes automation.
» Existing monolithic, proprietary platforms lack automation capabilities

Traditional approaches cannot keep up – Networking automation

Network automation can help you accelerate operations

Traditional, manual approaches to network configuration and updates are too slow and error-prone to effectively support the needs of rapidly shifting application and data transfer requirements. These hands-on processes make it difficult to:
» Provide the high level of service users expect.
» Deliver resources to applications and IT operations teams on demand.
» Implement change control and configuration processes.
» Understand and manage inventory effectively.
» Maintain configuration standards across disparate network platforms.
» Build stronger and more self-sufficient NetOps teams.

Programmable, software-based automation technologies can help your team better support your organization’s digital initiatives. Even so, it can be challenging for NetOps teams to implement the same levels of automation as peer IT, teams.

Device-specific tools are often tough to incorporate into automation tooling. Policy-driven network configuration requirements can impede the integration of multivendor environments. Finally, many NetOps professionals feel unprepared or lack the skills to take advantage of automation technologies for specific network integrations.

What is network automation?

Streamline manual processes with programmable logic – Networking automation

Network automation uses programmable logic to manage network resources and services. It allows NetOps teams to rapidly configure, scale, secure, and integrate network infrastructure (layers 1-3) and application services (layers 4-7).

Telecommunications service providers were among the first to adopt network automation to streamline their fast-growing web-scale networks, but all organizations can now benefit from network automation technologies.

With network automation, NetOps teams can quickly respond to ever-changing workload requirements for flexible capacity, application security, load balancing, and multi-cloud integrations. They can implement self-service and on-demand network activities.

As a result, NetOps teams can become as agile and flexible as applications and infrastructure teams to support modern business demands.

Why automate your network?

Benefits for organizations of all sizes, across industries

Reusable, scalable, software-defined automation gives you more control over and visibility into network resources. As a result, you can improve infrastructure availability, staff productivity, network security, and configuration compliance.

Productivity

Improve your team’s ability to respond faster to increased demand for changes.

• Streamline backup and restore functions.
• Test and deploy changes automatically.
• Automate repetitive and unpopular tasks.

Security

Identify vulnerabilities and implement fixes across your entire network.

• Collect information about network devices.
• Build an inventory of those devices.
• Automatically mitigate issues.

Compliance

Ensure continuous compliance with changing regulations.

• View all configurations from a single platform.
• Automatically test changes before committing.
• Validate that changes were made appropriately.

Availability

Increase network availability with more effective testing and management.

• Automate testing to better understand the impact of changes.
• Reduce manual errors with automated change management.

Contact Musato Technologies today to learn more about how we can assist your business to implement networking automation for efficiency and effectiveness.

Author: Gideon E. M

Gideon Ebonde M. is the CEO and Chief Software Architect at Musato Technologies. He is experienced Software developer with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. He has a strong engineering professional skilled in Mobile Application Development, Enterprise Software, AI, Robotics, IoT, Servers, Cloud and business application. He is an accomplished DevOps software engineer and a visionary computer scientist and engineer.