Total read time: 9 min
Achieve new levels of agility and network capability
The network automation market is projected to reach USD 16.9 billion by 2022.1
The rise of network automation
2 min read
The network automation market is projected to reach USD 16.9 billion by 2022.1
Hybrid, multicloud environments demand more speed, bandwidth and connectivity. That’s why leading companies are modernizing their networks and using network automation to manage cloud applications across LAN, WAN and data centers. Also, they’re embracing open technologies to simplify complex tasks, achieve interoperability and prevent vendor lock-in.
The world of cloud computing requires a new network approach,” said Aleksas Vitenas, Global Strategy Leader, Network Services, IBM. “By transforming existing models with automated, cognitive platforms and services, a business can operate anywhere and quickly adapt to changes.”
How network automation adds value to your business:
- – Orchestration introduced in your network provides a well-defined order for tasks that span multiple devices.
- – Enhanced network performance supports distributed workloads across clouds.
- – Red Hat® open-source technology standardizes network deployment and management.
- – An intelligent network, powered by cognitive capabilities, reduces downtime.
Key considerations for network automation
As you build a strategy to automate your network, it’s helpful to consider the following:
- – Infrastructure. Assess your existing infrastructure to understand network readiness for current use cases and future business needs.
- – The right automation solutions. Determine the best fit for your enterprise, including open-source automation solutions available to you.
- – In-house expertise. Understand the personnel roles and skill sets needed to tackle and deliver successful automation initiatives.
- – Service integrator. Collaborate with an experienced technology provider with a consulting-led approach to accelerate your automation journey.
Citations:
1 Network Automation Market by SD-WAN, Network Automation Tool, Intent-Based Networking, Network Infrastructure (Physical, Virtual, and Hybrid Network Configuration, and Automation), Service, Deployment, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022. Markets and Markets, December 2017.
Network automation with the Red Hat Ansible® Automation Platform improves network planning and management by 21%, network security management by 44%, and productivity by 31%.2
Automation use cases in action
3 min read
Network automation with the Red Hat Ansible® Automation Platform improves network planning and management by 21%, network security management by 44%, and productivity by 31%.2
Let’s take a closer look at network challenges and how to drive business results using network automation.
Client story: Blue NAP Americas
Challenge To expand its data center offerings to include cloud services, Blue NAP Americas needed a more secure, scalable and flexible cloud platform.
Solution: The company turned to IBM Services to design, source, install and support an end-to-end turnkey cloud solution, with VersaStack technology as its foundation.
Results: Blue NAP Americas was able to reduce time from days to minutes to deploy a virtual machine. They can make hardware upgrades to the cloud platform with 0% customer downtime. The new cloud converged infrastructure also generates up to 40% of company business.
The full story: Blue NAP Americas revamped its network to make it ready for cloud
Use case: Reduce provisioning time and costs
Challenge Network complexity, bandwidth saturation and staff shortages drive longer provisioning time and higher network operating costs.
Solution: Automated provisioning of virtual network functions shrinks provisioning time. Here’s what is achieved: A network administrator performs the task in roughly half the time using Red Hat Ansible.2
Results: Improved device provisioning time and less manually triggered outages enhance application usability and reduce network operation costs.
Use case: Improve application consumption
Challenge Slow device onboarding and manual configuration errors delay application consumption.
Solution: Automation and one-touch provisioning on an SD-WAN management platform speeds onboarding.
Results: Less onboarding time leads to smoother network connectivity, effective application consumption and configuration accuracy.
Use case: Fortify firewall protection
Challenge Increased security incidents compromise network integrity.
Solution: Automation adds new firewall rules to an existing virtual network function deployment.
Results: Faster change implementation and automatic change tracking provide network stability.
Use case: Increase network efficiency
Challenge An inconsistent VPN process creates network complexity when adding a new VPN to the network host.
Solution: AStandardized VPN configuration and deployment minimizes complexity.
Results: Self-service templates and automatic change verification augment network agility and scalability.
Citations:
2 Red Hat Ansible Automation Improves IT Agility and Time to Market. (PDF, 824 KB)
IDC White Paper, sponsored by Red Hat, Document #US45090419, June 2019.
“Because Red Hat Ansible Automation is freeing up time, our employees are able to spend more time on business-oriented activities, which has led to more sales...”2
Network automation and open-source technology
2 min read
“Because Red Hat Ansible Automation is freeing up time, our employees are able to spend more time on business-oriented activities, which has led to more sales...”2
By updating your network architecture, you can take advantage of open-source technologies in hybrid cloud environments. Besides greater scalability, you can get more visibility into cost and performance while maintaining interoperability.
Open-source technologies like Red Hat Ansible provide you with infrastructure flexibility and room for future innovation. An IDC study shows that enterprises achieve 68% faster deployment of new storage resources, a key IT infrastructure task, using Red Hat Ansible.2 The same study found that enterprises achieve a 53% reduction in unplanned downtime.2
“Red Hat Ansible provides an excellent method to drive automation into a network environment. With an ecosystem of over 570 network modules that work across more than 40 networking platforms, Red Hat Ansible can create an immediate impact.” – Brian O’Connell, Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor, IBM Services.
Using IBM Services combined with Red Hat Ansible, you can reduce implementation costs and protect your business environment with resilient architecture. Also, having an automation workhorse helps you meet bandwidth demands and shorten customer response times.
Flexible enough for the cloud
An open, automated platform gives your team the tools they need to increase business agility:
- – Build and operate modular services across your enterprise
- – Manage provisioning, retirement and logging with a service catalog.
- – Scale quickly using a cloud-based, integrated automation approach.
Red Hat provides the critical building blocks for IBM® Telco Network Cloud Manager using the Red Hat integrated software stack, OpenStack and Red Hat OpenShift®. This integration delivers the scalability, deployment ability, high availability, performance and security-rich solutions that communications service providers (CSPs) need for a reliable and effective 5G network function virtualization (NFV) infrastructure implementation.
Citations:
2Red Hat Ansible Automation Improves IT Agility and Time to Market. (PDF, 824 KB)
IDC White Paper, sponsored by Red Hat, Document #US45090419, June 2019.
IBM Services helps manage your complex network architectures, providing greater access to cloud technologies.
The right vendor to maximize success
1 min read
IBM Services helps manage your complex network architectures, providing greater access to cloud technologies.
As cloud and network demands continue to increase, we work with you to design a comprehensive strategy and prepare your network for the future. IBM has been named as a leader in network consulting services by the IDC MarketScape.3
We bring together cloud and network expertise to help the world’s leading companies reimagine their business strategies and technology infrastructure. And we build smarter business for you through technology.
Learn more about our network automation approach
What makes us different
At IBM, we share your passion for innovation and progress. IBM Services can provide support at every step in your journey to cloud, whether you’re just starting out, or already orchestrating and managing multicloud environments, and every stage in-between.
We recognize the importance of the network, not only within the enterprise, but over the WAN, as clients begin to transform and shift to more cloud-based business models. To assist our clients with moving to cloud through software-defined networks, we offer IBM Garage™ methodology and network innovation centers around the world.
Related webinar: Network as a programmable service
Citations:
3IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Network Consulting Services 2019 Vendor Assessment,
Document #US44532219, IDC, July 2019.