What is network automation?

Network automation uses programmable logic to manage network resources and services. Network automation allows network operations (NetOps) teams to configure, scale, protect, and integrate network infrastructure and application services more quickly than when performed manually by users.

Network automation removes the manual steps necessary to manage networks—such as logging into routers, switches, load balancers, and firewalls to change configurations by hand before logging out. Network automation relies on chained scripts programmed at the command-line interface (CLI) level of an operating system (OS) or prepackaged automation software.

Even as underlying technologies have evolved, network management has remained largely the same for decades. Networks are typically built, operated, and maintained by hand. However, traditional, manual approaches to network configuration and updates are too slow and error-prone to effectively support the needs of rapidly shifting workload requirements. Automating network resource and service management allows network operations teams to become more agile and flexible and effectively support modern business demands.

There are a lot of ways to automate a network, and there are a lot of network components that can be automated. Most network automation solutions exist between 2 extremes: command line automation and automation software.

At the most basic level, you can automate network components using standard CLI commands and arguments. For example, Linux® operating system administrators can use Bash operators to chain events based on previous commands’ successes (&&) or failures (||). Or, users could compile command lists into text files—known as shell scripts—that can be repeatedly carried out all at once with a single execution command.

Automation software products can consolidate network tasks into prepackaged programs that can be selected, scheduled, and executed from the app’s front end. For example, Red Hat® Ansible® Automation Platform can be used to automate network permissions and networks by packaging application programming interfaces (APIs), plug-ins, inventories, and modules into playbooks that users can browse, select, and run to automate network configuration, security, orchestration, provisioning, and more across service providers like AWS, Microsoft, and Cisco.

While telecommunications service providers were among the first to adopt network automation to improve digital networks, companies in every industry can benefit from network automation.

Because our automation solutions follow a development model that takes the best aspects of open source software—innovation and collaboration—and packages them into enterprise open source products.

But even after they’re tested, packaged, and released, the source code behind each Red Hat product remains open. So you can modify any aspect of our tools. And the playbooks behind our automation platform are always evolving as we help users improve (and add) playbooks in real time.

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is a subscription product that includes all the tools needed to implement enterprise-wide automation, including playbooks, a visual dashboard, an event-driven solution, and analytics. You’ll get certified content from our robust partner ecosystem, access to hosted management services, life cycle technical support, and expert knowledge gained from our success with thousands of customers.

Red Hat offers interactive labs in a preconfigured Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform environment. You can use these labs to experiment, practice, and learn how to create, manage, and scale network and IT practices efficiently—from rapid development and deployment, to simplified operations and analytics, to consistent end-to-end user experiences.