Juniper Networks, a global leader in networking has recently released the 2019 State of Network Automation Report (SoNAR) summarizing the current state of network automation. Juniper with this report aims to help businesses prepare for more automated future by identifying the key trends and challenges in the network automation. “The networking industry has seen a lot of progress in the technology and tools that enable automation but despite becoming increasingly business critical, adoption continues to be a challenge. We know that broad automation adoption will require enterprises to embark on transformational journeys that go beyond products and technology. Through resources like SoNAR, EngNet and NRE Labs we aim to provide the guidance enterprises need to succeed in this journey,” said Sumeet Singh, VP of Engineering at Juniper Networks.                   

The research that was based on a survey of 400 North American independent IT decision makers shows that almost 96% of enterprises are taking a few steps toward network automation in which only 8% of the enterprises have been automating for more than four years and rest at the beginning stages.  Here are some of the major factors driving the adoption of automation in the network operations:

Improves Security and Business Agility

Businesses see automation as an opportunity to reduce resources and cost, but the report cites security as a major driver for automation. As per the report, agility is another top business driver and also one of the most improved factors due to automation. The report shows that automation is an important aspect for achieving business objectives by improving safety and business agility rather than just saving the costs.   

Enhancing Employee Satisfaction

There has been a misconception that automation will gradually eliminate the network engineers by replacing them in the network operations.  However, the report shows that higher degrees of automation will only improve the employee satisfaction levels, providing benefits that go well beyond just the infrastructure to unlock the potential of IT teams, eventually leading to better business outcome.   

A Need to Re-skill

The key challenge for beginners in the automation is lack of skills related to the network automation, becoming an obstacle for enterprises in their automation journey. Juniper’s NRE Labs help network engineers develop the skills required to drive the adoption of automation within their organizations and unlock the business opportunities that network automation offers. Juniper intends to help enterprises that are looking to integrate automation in their network operations through its flagship products and services.