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NetDevOps: How Enterprises Are Automating Network Operations
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A growing number of organizations are embracing NetDevOps – a methodology focused on applying DevOps principles to network automation – but adoption rates vary considerably. While most begin with small-scale automation, a minority are achieving full CI/CD-style workflows, fundamentally reshaping network operations.
Most enterprises are taking a measured approach to NetDevOps, initially automating repetitive, lower-level tasks.Nearly 70% of companies pursuing infrastructure automation begin with task-level scripting instead of thorough, end-to-end automation, according to research presented at theCUBE Research’s AppDev Done Right Summit. This frequently enough involves leveraging tools like Ansible or Python scripts to streamline processes such as device provisioning, configuration changes, and other routine updates.
From Scripting to Golden Configurations
As teams mature in their NetDevOps journey, they increasingly adopt more sophisticated practices. One analyst noted that more advanced teams implement Git for version control, meticulously define “golden configurations” – standardized, pre-approved network setups – and apply validation checks both before and after any changes are implemented. This approach minimizes errors and ensures consistency across the network infrastructure.
However,full-scale automation remains elusive for many. Less than 25% of enterprises have successfully implemented complete CI/CD-style workflows with consistent testing, staged deployments, and automated verification, according to theCUBE. These capabilities are typically concentrated in specific areas, such as data center fabric or cloud networking.
Organizational Structure and NetDevOps adoption
The placement of NetDevOps initiatives within an association also influences success. Typically, NetDevOps exists as a dedicated automation or platform subgroup within the network organization. A majority – over 60% of enterprises – anchor these initiatives within conventional infrastructure teams, rather than application or platform engineering groups.
“In larger enterprises, NetDevOps capabilities are increasingly centralized within shared infrastructure or platform teams that provide tooling, pipelines, and guardrails across compute, storage, and networking,” one analyst stated.”In more advanced or cloud-native environments, network specialists may be embedded within application, site reliability engineering (SRE), or platform teams, especially where networking directly impacts application performance.”
A Shift in Operating Models
Ultimately, NetDevOps represents more than just a change in job titles for network engineers. It’s a essential shift in workflows, behaviors,
