A network engineer at an enterprise is facing a multitude of challenges, from managing bandwidth for remote work to supporting AI adoption, all while dealing with security vulnerabilities and audits. The recent acquisition by the company has only added to the workload, requiring the engineer to juggle additional network infrastructure and technologies. In order to prioritize these new responsibilities and daily tasks, the engineer realizes the need to revisit network automation.
According to Gartner, automation will play a critical role in the future of network management, with 30% of enterprises expected to automate more than half of their network activities by 2026. Despite the benefits of network automation, many engineers have hesitated to implement it due to common misconceptions and past disappointing experiences.
One common myth is that network automation requires a team of consultants to even get started. Traditionally, bringing all necessary data into an automation platform has been a manual and expensive process. However, modern automation tools can automate the collection and maintenance of device inventory, making it easier for engineers to track backups, configurations, updates, and vulnerabilities.
Another myth is that network engineers must become proficient in programming languages like Python in order to implement automation. In reality, purpose-built automation solutions offer prebuilt libraries and a no-code customization approach, minimizing the need for engineers to learn complex scripting languages.
Moreover, the belief that multivendor environments are too complex for automation is also debunked. While each device vendor may offer its own automation tools, managing devices from multiple vendors can be challenging. Modern automation platforms can automate functions for devices from various manufacturers, simplifying the management of heterogeneous environments resulting from M&A activities.
Additionally, the misconception that automation only applies to greenfield use cases is addressed. Modern solutions support both greenfield and brownfield environments, allowing network teams to automate tasks for new and existing devices.
Finally, concerns about the investment of time and money required for automation initiatives are dispelled. While traditional approaches to automation may be complex and costly, modern platforms offer pre-built automation, multi-vendor support, and API-driven integration, making it easier for engineers to implement automation and improve efficiency.
Despite the challenges and misconceptions surrounding network automation, investing in automation can ultimately provide relief from mundane manual tasks and allow engineers to focus on more strategic initiatives. By prioritizing network automation and embracing modern solutions, network engineers can streamline operations and enhance network management capabilities.