Impact on IT

The impact of automation on IT should not be underestimated. It involves a lot of changes and learning. It is not just the tools or new file types or data formats. The very mindset of IT itself, not just the tools and new file types or data formats, can be very hard to change. The acceptance of innovation is often opposed by risk adversity and natural resistance to change. Network automation will absolutely lead to changes in core processes for change management and network operations. For example, the automation of network maintenance could mean some restructuring or refocusing of staff.

Manual intervention is the only thing that can break network automation. Manual changes are in direct contrast with intent-based networks and will be overwritten by the automation solutions. Therefore, it is essential that everyone involved with the network fully understands and agrees with the new direction and processes. With that said, it is important to strike a balance. In an emergency, the CLI can never be replaced. However, organizations must be sure to track all out-of-band changes applied to fix the issue. These changes should be included in the code repository as an out-of-band emergency branch. Similarly, all the manual emergency changes should be captured and incorporated into the repository.