Network automation pops up often on our podcast. But—you know what's under-discussed? The HR aspect of upskilling IT workers and/or acquiring the right talent to make this transformation and manage it going forward.
To get into it, Greg welcomes Michael Martin, Senior Expert of Networking and Network Security at McKinsey & Co. The pair covers the basics of network automation, getting engineers/network architects up to speed in this area, and attracting the right new talent for these network transformations.
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Key Takeaways
Distinguishing Network Automation from Network Orchestration is Key
The sources emphasize the importance of understanding the difference between network automation and network orchestration.
Network automation is primarily a task-oriented function, focused on eliminating errors, making better products, delivering faster, and enabling capabilities. It often involves automating repetitive functions and can be thought of as the configuration of a device.
Network orchestration, on the other hand, is described as an event-driven shift. It involves taking a collection of tasks to build processes like an assembly line or pipeline, resulting in a product or desired outcome. Orchestration deals with the provisioning of an environment or an event, which might involve racking hardware, deploying virtualized network appliances, or managing a software-defined networking environment on top of hardware.
Achieving Network Automation and Orchestration Requires Investments and a Shift in Thinking
Simply learning new tools or writing scripts is not enough. The journey toward network automation and orchestration necessitates substantial investment. This includes establishing and managing "sources of truth" or large inventory systems to track data components and resources like VLANs, IP addresses, and inventory across devices, servers, cloud instances, and more.
Further, it requires defining problems systematically, structuring automation and orchestration tasks within defined frameworks, and designing business processes and workflows.
Network engineers need to shift their mindset from being focused solely on individual tasks to embracing a more structural, systematic approach that considers component pieces and context, similar to how systems or software people think about building environments. This transformation is not just a technical problem but also a process problem.
The Transformation to Automated Networks is a Continuous Journey, Not a Destination
The process of upskilling and transforming networks for automation and orchestration is not a one-time project with a definitive end point. The environment is constantly shifting due to new demands from the business side, the emergence of Shadow IT, and changes in technology and the marketplace.
Even companies that pioneered early network automation tools are now finding external solutions that are better, faster, and cheaper, requiring further transformation. The job itself is arguably transforming forever.
This continuous evolution, however, is beneficial as it drives economies of scale, cost reduction, agility, and the ability to deliver greater value. Embracing this ongoing transformation, rather than resisting it, is key for network professionals. Effectively communicating the business value and required investments to non-technical leadership is also critical for navigating this continuous journey.
Greg Bryan
Greg is Senior Manager, Enterprise Research at TeleGeography. He's spent the last decade and a half at TeleGeography developing many of our pricing products and reports about enterprise networks. He is a frequent speaker at conferences about corporate wide area networks and enterprise telecom services. He also hosts our podcast, TeleGeography Explains the Internet.
