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Introduction
Companies in the IT infrastructure management sector are under significant pressure to enhance operational efficiency while also innovating to meet the dynamic needs of their customers. The rapid proliferation of connected devices, the rise of cloud computing, and the increasing demand for real-time data access have transformed how businesses operate. To remain competitive, organizations must maintain robust and secure networks and deliver new services like Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), which allows customers to access network capabilities on demand, much like other cloud services.
This environment demands agility, scalability, and reliability, pushing businesses to seek innovative solutions to streamline their operations. However, traditional network management methods often involve manual processes that are time-consuming, prone to errors, and not easily scalable. As a result, there’s a critical need for automation and integration across various network functions to ensure seamless service delivery and reduce the time it takes to bring new services to market.
To address these challenges, a leading IT solutions and infrastructure management company collaborated with Anuta Networks on a proof of value that demonstrated a transformative approach to network operations through automation. Anuta Networks, known for its expertise in network automation, contributed its ATOM platform, providing a comprehensive solution that integrates seamlessly across multi-vendor and multi-domain environments.
The deployment illustrated how automation can revolutionize network management by streamlining processes, reducing the time to market for new services, and improving service delivery. This collaboration showcased the strategic advantages of leveraging automation for operational efficiency. By adopting an automated approach, the company aimed to eliminate operational silos, enhance the user experience, and accelerate time to value for its customers, setting a new standard in network operations.
Network Operations: A Current Overview
This IT solutions leader has established itself as a prominent player in the industry, operating a robust global network infrastructure. Their network operations employ a combination of advanced tools for automation and monitoring, such as Python, Ansible, Terraform, and Logic Monitor. Despite the effectiveness of these tools, the growing demands for efficiency and new service offerings necessitate a more integrated and automated network operations platform.
Current NetOps Infrastructure Includes:
- Network Monitoring & Alerting: Ensuring real-time visibility into network health.
- Configuration Management & Compliance: Maintaining configurations and adhering to industry standards.
- Software & Vulnerability Compliance: Ensuring security through regular updates and vulnerability management.
- Network Life Cycle Operations: Managing software upgrades, return merchandise authorizations (RMA), and more.
However, the current architecture does not adequately support all the above critical areas.
The Need for Modern Network Automation
To meet the evolving needs of their clients and maintain a competitive edge, the company sought to enhance their NetOps infrastructure. The goal was to achieve a higher level of operational efficiency, reduce silos within network operations, and provide customers with faster and more reliable service delivery. The deployment with Anuta Networks focused on two critical automation scenarios: Day 0 and Day N operations.
Day 0 Operations: Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) Provisioning
The first scenario tackled by the deployment was the deployment of Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), a critical component for securing networks in a scalable and flexible manner.
Objectives:
- Accelerate the deployment and configuration of virtual firewalls.
- Ensure seamless integration with existing IT service management and infrastructure tools.
Process:
- ITSM Integration: Creation of ITSM tickets in ServiceNow to track and manage requests.
- Version Control: Checkout of automation scripts from Git repositories for consistency and traceability.
- IP Management: Reservation of IP addresses using PHP IPAM to ensure accurate resource allocation.
- Network Provisioning: Execution of Layer 2 provisioning using Cisco and Arista switches.
- Firewall Deployment: Automated deployment and configuration of Palo Alto Firewalls, enhancing security posture.
- Error Handling: Implementation of error handling with retry and rollback capabilities to ensure reliability.
- Reporting: Generation of detailed deployment reports for auditing and compliance.
Outcome: The entire onboarding process, including integration with various systems and error management, was successfully completed within approximately four weeks. This efficiency demonstrated the potential for significant time and resource savings in network operations.
Day N Operations: VPN Tunnel Monitoring and Remediation
The second scenario focused on maintaining and optimizing network performance through VPN tunnel monitoring and automated remediation.
Objectives:
- Enhance network reliability by proactively monitoring VPN tunnels.
- Automatically resolve issues to minimize downtime and manual intervention.
Process:
- VPN Monitoring: Continuous surveillance of VPN tunnel status to identify inactive or problematic connections.
- Alerting: Automated alerts triggered for any detected issues, ensuring immediate attention.
- Remediation: Automatic disablement or enablement of inactive tunnels to restore connectivity and maintain service levels.
Outcome: This use case was developed and implemented in just 2.5 days, underscoring the speed and effectiveness of Anuta’s automation platform in managing complex network tasks.
The Role of Anuta’s ATOM Platform
Central to the success of the deployment was Anuta Networks’ ATOM platform, an advanced automation solution designed to manage multi-vendor, multi-domain networks from a single pane of glass. By eliminating operational silos, ATOM enhances the user experience and accelerates time to value for customers.
Key Features of ATOM:
- AI-Powered Automation: Leverages artificial intelligence to streamline and optimize network operations, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual intervention.
- Custom Reporting & Dashboards: Provides tailored insights and visibility into network performance, allowing for data-driven decision-making.
- Error Handling & Rollback: Ensures reliable deployments with robust error management features, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuity.
- Multi-Vendor Support: Integrates seamlessly with various hardware and software vendors, offering flexibility and scalability across diverse environments.
- Low-Code Workflows: Enables users to create and modify automation processes with minimal coding, accelerating deployment and simplifying management.
- Closed-Loop Automation: Facilitates continuous feedback and automatic adjustments in network operations, ensuring optimal performance and self-healing capabilities.
Achieving Strategic Goals
The collaboration with Anuta Networks in this deployment highlighted several strategic advantages, including:
- Reduced Time to Market: Faster deployment and configuration of network services.
- Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes reduce the need for manual intervention and oversight.
- Improved Customer Experience: Faster, more reliable service delivery enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
By employing a unified, automated approach to network operations, this company is well-prepared to meet the increasing demands of their clients and continue delivering innovative solutions.
Conclusion
This successful deployment with Anuta Networks is a compelling example of how modern automation technologies can revolutionize network operations. As businesses navigate an ever-changing digital landscape, the integration of AI-powered automation platforms like ATOM will be critical in achieving operational excellence and delivering cutting-edge services.
As the industry continues to evolve, the company’s commitment to innovation and efficiency positions them as a leader in the field, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s network environments.
Visit Anuta Networks today to learn more about how ATOM can transform your network operations, or contact us for a live demo and see the power of AI-driven network management in action.
