The Network Automation Imperative

For years, IT departments have spent their days–and nights–driving successful deployment of applications and tools designed to help automate finance, sales, marketing and engineering functions in the enterprise.

Unfortunately, IT’s daily infrastructure management tasks represent one of the last frontiers for automation. 

The analogy isn’t much different than the accountant who’s too busy to manage their own checkbook or the construction GM who has completed multiple home remodels throughout the year, but similar projects in his own house are left for months unfinished, in disarray or with haphazard workarounds.

The time has come to pick up the pieces, stop sweeping the disarray under the carpet and spend a little well deserved time and attention on improving IT processes with network automation.  Not only because most IT departments are already overworked, and could use some relief with more efficient processes and intelligent tools, but also because significant expansion of IT team resources in the foreseeable future doesn’t seem likely. 

In fact, in a recent study by Enterprise Management Associates, 85% of respondents indicated only flat to slight team growth, and only a small group of 6% expect more than 25% growth over the next 12-24 months.  As if the lack of resources isn’t enough, the IT team is now at a crossroads where the efficiencies they are attempting to realize with virtualization and private cloud initiatives will hit a wall unless more automation is built into the network infrastructure processes. 

Growing Network Complexity Drives Need for Automation

The highly dynamic nature of virtualization and private cloud initiatives is increasing network infrastructure complexity and requirements for real-time changes. If you are one of the lucky few in the 6% category expecting a significant increase in staff, you can try to apply more human resources to addressing dynamism in the network, but that won’t scale in the end.

The bottom line:  As organizations begin to tackle the challenge of rolling out highly dynamic virtualization and private cloud initiatives, most of their “blueprints” are missing essential infrastructure automation elements which can result in catastrophic outages and ultimate failure of their virtualization initiatives.   

Without the necessary network automation, the cracks in the foundation can manifest instability of the network due to more frequent re-configurations, business continuity and DR risks, and an IT staff that is too overwhelmed with manual tasks.

Business continuity, cost savings and efficiencies designed to be gained from private cloud and virtualization initiatives can be compromised without the necessary automation and control mechanisms built into the infrastructure. 

Steve Garrison is vice president of marketing at Infoblox. With more than 20 years in the networking industry, he has held a variety of marketing roles developing and implementing multi-level global strategies. Prior to joining Infoblox, Steve helped distinguish Force10 Networks among many competitive switching and network infrastructure companies by clearly articulating the company's contribution to network automation efforts. He received a B.S. in Ceramic Science from Alfred University and an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT. Steve also holds four patents and was a founder of the Ethernet Alliance.