Implementation Strategies for Network Automation

Workflows drive process definition, optimization, and technology integrations. There is always a need for integrations; it is never about one tool. Workflows solve problems, and integrations create solutions. Understanding workflows early accelerates the pace of Network Automation adoption.

In large enterprises, thousands of tasks and processes are candidates for automation. Start small and choose automations that require significant repetitive efforts. Choosing the right ones based on complexity and value is the key to a successful project that maximizes ROI. Certain tasks may not warrant automation, as the development effort surpasses the value returned. Exercise caution and avoid attempts to automate such tasks.

Changing how a network is managed takes substantial resources and a significant amount of time. Initial benefits can emerge within months, but the most transformative impacts are often seen after a year. Therefore, it’s crucial to set aside an appropriate budget for potential infrastructure enhancements and specialized expertise needed to achieve the desired business benefits.

Ensure your Network Automation solution is flexible, portable, and scalable. There needs to be a sliding scale for how much open source software and DevOps methodology is in a given solution. It may be 20% or 80%, but never 0% and rarely 100%. The use of open source is what ensures Network to Code’s clients can continue to move at the pace that their team, stakeholders, and organization all demand.

Version control is a foundational element of most DevOps processes, including NetDevOps. It adds traceability and accountability, enables collaboration, and even improves new engineer ramp-up time by allowing them to see what your other team members have been doing in a very transparent way.

To continually make your deployments more accurate and trusted, it’s important to also automate the testing and validation of everything stored in the network project’s repositories. These tests should be conducted frequently against small modifications, establishing a clearer connection between errors and their root cause. It’s all about testing network changes before they get deployed into production and then testing again after the change to ensure the network is operating as expected.