Network automation solutions are used to automate key network management tasks like device configuration, network provisioning, monitoring, alerting, security updates, troubleshooting, to name a few. Network automation tools help to reduce the complexity of network management, reducing the risk of human error, and, ultimately, lowering costs.
Network automation services are typically software solutions that enable admins to configure policies via a centralized admin console. Modern network management solutions automate key tasks for cloud-native network applications and use machine learning algorithms to continually improve network processes. Network automation tools automate repetitive and time-consuming manual tasks, minimizing the potential for human error, ensuring compliance with regulations, and cutting down costs.
In this article, we’ll cover eight leading network automation solutions, comparing key features including device provisioning and deployment, network troubleshooting and analysis, and update management. For each network automation tool, we’ll identify the type of organization who would benefit most from its implementation.
VMWare is a market leading cloud-services provider and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. VMWare NSX is a comprehensive network virtualization and security platform that enables users to build agile and secure virtual network environments. These can be extended to endpoints within and across clouds networks. This solution reduces network provisioning time, protects applications with network segmentation, enables consistent network management, and enables advanced network threat protection, monitoring, and security policy implementations.
VMWare is a market leader in the network automation space. NSX improves network security by automating security policy implementation and enabling microsegmentation. The platform streamlines multi-cloud operations to improve mobility and enable faster provisioning and deployment of applications. Users rate the service for its strong security management capabilities and comprehensive admin dashboard. For these reasons, we recommend VMWare’s automation suite as a leading option for enterprise organizations with complex network environments looking for an automation solution at scale.
SolarWinds is a leader in the IT management space and is often favored by security, DevOps, and managed service provider teams to monitor and manage cloud and on-premises network environments and IT infrastructures. SolarWinds’ Network Automation Manager solution is an integrated network management and automation solution designed for large and complex environments. Key features include network performance monitoring, analytics, configuration management, end-user monitoring and tracking, performance management, and IP address management.
SolarWinds Network Automation Manager is designed for complex environments, delivering automation and comprehensive management capabilities at scale. The solution provides comprehensive performance monitoring as well as automated configuration and IP management to reduce admin workloads. The solution is also highly customizable, with configurable dashboards and alerts that empower admin to highlight the areas they need to focus on. Users report that the installation process is easy and hassle free. This solution is best suited for organizations with large network environments looking for a customizable network automation and management solution.
Red Hat provides open-source enterprise solutions, including cloud services, application development, network management, and automation solutions. The Red Hat Ansible Automation platform is a single, flexible automation solution that allows you to roll out automation across your entire organization. This includes infrastructure, apps, containers, security systems, public and private clouds, and networks. Red Hat Ansible can be used across network devices and domains to automate entire networks and IT processes. It enables IT managers to apply automation guidelines across individual teams, enabling the deployment of end-to-end automation controls.
Red Hat Ansible can be used to automate configuration management, so teams can quickly enforce configuration policies and can collect data from hundreds or thousands of collected network devices instantly, to measure network performance and stability. The service provides comprehensive logging and auditing with role-based access controls to reduce security risks. Ansible is a highly popular service, praised by users for its intuitive interface and role-based controls for different teams. We recommend this solution as best suited for organizations with multi-cloud network environments looking to improve network automation and speed up deployment across teams.
Micro Focus, acquired by enterprise management provider OpenText in January 2023, is a leading IT management provider, offering a suite of IT operations and service management solutions. Micro Focus Network Automation allows you to automate network configuration, management, and security controls to enforce compliance and reduce costs. Micro Focus offers a managed network automation service, with a specialist team who can help you to understand the scope and benefits of automation, as well define automation strategies and execution.
Micro Focus’ Network Automation solution simplifies network management and scalability, improves troubleshooting, reduces downtime, enhances security controls, and enforces compliance policies. Admins praise the service for its ease of use and self-help offerings. Micro Focus Network Automation is well suited to large complex network environments (including retail organizations with multiple branch offices, technology organizations managing thousands of network devices, and telecommunications providers) for its scalability and integration capabilities.
ManageEngine, a division of Indian technology company Zoho, offers a comprehensive suite of IT network solutions, including identity management, support services, endpoint management, log management, network management and automation, and remote management for MSPs. OPManager is part of ManageEngine’s network and IT operations suite, and provides visibility into the performance of network devices, including routers, switches, firewalls, and devices. The solution is affordable and easy to use, allowing teams to discover and resolve network issues more quickly.
OPManager can be used to automate key network management functions, including device discovery, network mapping, and alerting. Admins can configure workflows to automate configuration, troubleshooting, and provision resources. This reduces admin overheads and limits the risks of human error. Users praise the service for its comprehensive feature-set and reporting capabilities. OPManager is a leading network management and automation service that is used by more than a million users globally. It caters to a diverse range of use cases and can be configured to suit networks of all sizes. Manufacturing, IT service providers, and education organizations needing to minimize network downtime and efficiently measure device performance should consider shortlisting this solution.
Juniper Networks are a market leading intelligent network management and security provider, with customers including the local and federal governments, the top 100 global service providers, the global Fortune 100, and over 30,000 enterprise organizations. Juniper offers a comprehensive suite of IT management, service provider, and security solutions, using innovative AI and ML technology to build smart automation and operational procedures across network environments.
Juniper’s suite of automation solutions is designed to support diverse use cases and a range of workloads, including automating provisioning, planning, and monitoring. Juniper’s services enable teams to simplify operations, reduce configuration errors, and improve end user experience across diverse and complex network environments. AI technologies are used to improve efficiency and speed. Juniper offers solutions for cloud network automation, data center infrastructure management, WAN automation, amongst others. The service is used to support global-scale networks, including global technology companies, telecommunications networks, leading retail chains, and healthcare organizations.
ConnectWise provides remote monitoring and management solutions for the managed service provider (MSP) market. ConnectWise’s solutions cover unified monitoring and management, device control, and cybersecurity management for MSPs to manage their client’s IT environments more effectively. Key features of the service include network asset discovery, endpoint management, patch management, and remote monitoring.
ConnectWise automate allows MSPs to automatically resolve network or security issues on client devices, without disrupting the end user. MSPs can automate key network maintenance tasks, automate reports, password updates, resolve queries, and manage routers, firewalls, and other hardware using pre-built scripts. ConnectWise Automate helps to save MSPs time and cost, with users highlighting how comprehensive the tool is for implementing automation across an MSP’s network. For these reasons, we recommend this solution for MSPs looking to implement network automation into their remote monitoring and management processes.
Cisco’s Crossword Network Automation solution is a comprehensive platform for implementing intelligent and advanced automation processes. This solution is part of Cisco’s market leading suite of network and cloud management tools. These were augmented by Cisco’s acquisition of Sedona Systems in 2021. Crossword Network Automation provides comprehensive network visibility with real-time data and insights into network issues that enables teams to automate planning and implementation of network changes with data driven insights.
Cisco Crosswork Network Automation delivers a comprehensive automation feature-set via an integrated suite of software apps. Cisco are a market leader in the networking space and their solutions use AI and ML technology to drive intelligent, autonomous network management operations. Crosswork Network Automation is highly scalable for organizations with complex network environments. The solution supports SaaS and hybrid workflows, as well as working across multi-vendor and multi-domain networks to reduce complexity and improve customer experience. For this reason, the service is well suited to supporting telecommunications organizations, IT technology providers, and communications companies.
FAQs
What Is Network Automation?
Network automation involves the use of technologies and software to automatically configure, manage, and provision network and security processes. This reduces time spent by network admins on manual tasks, improving speed and consistency of network administration.
The network automation solutions outlined in this list allow network admins to automate network and security management tasks, including network configuration, device provisioning and management, inventory tasks, and more. This helps teams to manage their network environments more effectively and efficiently, ensures compliance regulations are adhered to, reduces the risk of human error, and helps to lower network admin costs.
How Do Network Automation Solutions Work?
Network automation solutions can be used to automate key network tasks, including provisioning, troubleshooting, reporting, and more. These solutions are typically delivered via software installed on your network. This simple step reduces complexity and cost when making changes across your network devices.
Script-based network automation enables admins to program and automate tasks. Many modern network automation solutions are managed via an admin console, with pre-built policy controls to make management easier.
Increasingly, network automation solutions support management for cloud-native applications. Intelligent network management solutions use machine learning algorithms to automate and improve network processes; ensuring automation is adaptive, efficient, and aligned to business goals.
What Are The Key Features Of Network Automation Solutions?
Network automation solutions enable teams to automate management, device provisioning, device inventory, thereby saving time, reducing errors, and lowering costs. Key features of the network automation solutions reviewed on this list include:
- Network planning and policy management
- Device configuration
- Network provisioning
- Network monitoring and alerting
- Network data analysis
- Network updates
- Network troubleshooting and remediation
- Implementation of security tools
- Network inventories
Why Is Network Automation Important?
Network automation is an important way for network admin teams to automate repetitive or time-consuming manual tasks, reduce the risk of human error, ensure compliance regulations are met, and lower costs. Key benefits of implementing a network automation solution include:
- Simplify network management: Implementing a network automation tool helps to simplify network management, ensuring networks are running smoothly and minimizing downtime, while reducing manual hours spent managing policies and devices.
- Reduce network risks: Automation helps to reduce the risk of human error, such as misconfigurations or missed updates.
- Improve security: Network automation solutions automate security patches and updates, ensuring that connected network devices are secure against vulnerabilities and threats.
- Compliance: Network automation solutions can enforce security policies to help ensure compliance regulations are being adhered to.
- Lower Costs: Reducing manual time spent managing network policies and devices mean IT and network admin teams can work more efficiently, reducing business costs.
- Improve network visibility: Network automation tools can improve your view of network traffic and improve troubleshooting capabilities.
- Optimize networks: Intelligent network automation solutions can optimize your network performance at scale, with analytics and diagnostics to help teams more effectively resolve issues.
- Make quicker changes: With automation tools, admins can more quickly and efficiently make changes to network devices and policies, improving scalability. Alerting enables admins to quickly make adjustments when needed.
