In case you might get 98%+ implementation and alter success 5x quicker, what number of modifications would you make to your community?
Cisco Providers as Code can assist you expedite community automation – and get you prepared for the AI period.
Right here’s what you should know – in brief.
*This weblog relies on a Cisco Stay session delivered by Jesse Reed, VP of Buyer Expertise Product Administration, and Michael Kaemper, CTO of Buyer Expertise EMEA. You possibly can watch the complete session right here.
#1
What’s the state of networks at present?
- Roughly 80% of community issues are resulting from improper configuration and points with change administration[1], which are sometimes a results of human error.
- IT leaders are transferring away from handbook automation to API-driven environments to arrange for AI.
- Infrastructure as Code is established because the de facto methodology with the worldwide market projected to develop at a CAGR of >24% from 2025 to 2027[2].
#2
What do you should change to get AI-ready?
The AI period requires sure modifications:
- Digitize change; Go from ClickOps to DevOps: Transfer from human workflow to digital workflow. As a repeatable methodology, you’ll be able to go from one structure to the following utilizing the identical toolkit.
- Leverage digital intelligence and expertise inside DevOps: Guarantee finest practices are utilized, validated designs are adopted, and all modifications are examined and documented with model management. Making use of open requirements like Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, and Relaxation-APIs allow you to handle your surroundings in a common and absolutely digital vogue.
Operating your infrastructure digitally is the important thing to harvesting AI capabilities – which has nonetheless to point out its full potential.
#3
What’s Cisco Providers as Code?
This can be a large transformation in the way in which you use your surroundings. Cisco can assist you with Cisco Providers as Code, enabling you with these three digital capabilities:
- Infrastructure as Code: All of Cisco’s finest practices, data, and capabilities, so you’ll be able to keep away from errors when defining and executing configurations.
- Enterprise Course of and Analytics: We guarantee an built-in enterprise course of is integrated. We provide observability and analytics so you’ll be able to mirror on how your modifications have an effect on your person expertise or your software efficiency.
- DevOps Toolchain: Cisco equips you with a toolchain or use yours the place accessible. It’s all open supply to work on your heterogeneous environments, not simply Cisco applied sciences.
#4
How will you put together the workforce for change? (AI brokers)
Engineers can now have interaction with the Cisco Providers as code by means of an AI Assistant to get assist all through your complete course of:
- “Assist me perceive the configuration”: The engineer comes into an advanced topology and wishes to know the configuration state.
- “Assist me change the configuration”: The engineer will get assist altering the configuration and creating documentation.
- “Assist me troubleshoot”: The engineer executes a pipeline with validation earlier than the change goes into manufacturing. If an error happens, the assistant creates an alternate configuration and helps establish and perceive the basis explanation for that challenge.
*Now accessible for ACI. Quickly accessible for SD-WAN and NDFC.
#5
How will you obtain cross-architecture automation?
Community as Code API lets you automate totally different architectures in the identical method in addition to combine your corporation course of together with your ITSM, providers catalog, and many others. After getting one structure applied within the toolchain, you need to use the identical toolkit for different architectures.
Many architectures can be found at present, together with ACI, NDFC, SD-WAN, ISE, Firewall, Meraki, and Catalyst Heart.
#6
What do prospects say?
“We have now been speaking about community automation for 10 to fifteen years however hadn’t seen the enhance we anticipated. For us, it was the adoption of the general public cloud that opened our eyes, and we actually noticed the chance. Infrastructure as Code can have a big influence on the way in which we function and preserve the community.”
-Jose Manuel Postigo Aguilar, Lead Community Architect, BBVA
[1] Gartner, Hype Cycle for Enterprise Networking 2024, June 2024
[2] International Market Insights, Infrastructure as Code Market Dimension, December 2024
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