Hi there! As networks get more complex with cloud integrations and distributed infrastructure, manual management just won‘t cut it anymore for ensuring high availability and security. This is where intelligent automation becomes critical.
As a technical architect specializing in enterprise networks for over 12 years, I‘ve researched dozens of network automation tools closely through proof-of-concept deployments. And these top 10 options stand out for helping network teams enhance productivity, compliance, and fault tolerance.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll provide detailed analyses of their capabilities so you can determine which solution aligns closest with your needs around flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. I‘ll also share key pointers on how you can build out an automation roadmap tailored to your environment. Let‘s get started!
Why Network Automation Matters
Before diving into the tools, it‘s important to level-set on why network automation needs to be a priority:
Accelerating Network Provisioning: Manual processes really slow things down when deploying new hardware, reconfiguring devices, or making enterprise-wide changes. Automation brings down these cycle times from weeks to just minutes!
Enforcing Compliance: Validating 100s of routers and switches for policy compliance manually is just not realistic. Automated configuration scans and remediation are essential.
Enhanced Visibility: Instead of relying on tribal knowledge, automation gives you real-time views into network health and performance to quantify capacity more accurately.
Risk Reduction: Automation helps lock down standardized security configurations consistently across the network, minimizing attack surfaces for threats to creep in.
Cost Optimization: By enabling self-operating networks, automation massively reduces dependency on Level 1 engineers for mundane upkeep like device backups.
In fact, according to IDC estimates, 75% of enterprise network operations will be automated by 2024. So if you aren‘t gearing up already, it‘s time to evaluate options that can make this transition smooth for your team.
But with the sea of solutions in the market all promising "intelligent" automation, zeroing in on the right platform can get tricky…
How to Select the Ideal Network Automation Tool
Here are eight key parameters I always analyze when recommending network automation software to clients:
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Hybrid Orchestration: Can the tool seamlessly automate processes spanning cloud infrastructure in addition to your on-premise data centers?
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Multi-Vendor Support: Does it integrate network hardware from Cisco, HPE, Juniper, Arista etc. or is it tailored to devices from specific OEMs only?
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Security Focus: Does it offer real-time monitoring to continually validate compliance and assess risks across the hybrid network?
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Closed-loop Integration: Can you set up closed feedback loops for self-healing automation workflows? e.g. auto-remediating devices drifting from baseline configs.
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Low-code Workflows: Are workflow builder capabilities available for easily customizing playbooks instead of needing complex scripting?
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Agent vs Agentless: Will the software require agents installed on each network device for monitoring and control?
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Scalability: Can the solution easily scale up to automate 10s of thousands of network elements as your infrastructure expands?
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Pricing: How cost-effective is the tool considering capabilities offered and long-term TCO? Freemium tools can get quite pricey at scale.
Now let‘s explore ten robust platforms I‘d recommend based on in-depth testing against the above criteria:
