Network automation: Get started the right way with Cisco CX

Automation is priority 1

NetOps teams consistently tell me they are overwhelmed by the growing complexity of the networks they’re required to manage and struggle to keep pace with rapid release cycles.

Automation is the key to making sure that network changes are configured flawlessly and new services activated seamlessly across diverse IT environments.

Without automation, NetOps teams are stuck with manual and unpredictable deployments that are error-prone. The errors induce chaos, costly firefighting, and depletion of resources which otherwise could be deployed to meet strategic business objectives.

Watch out for the pitfalls

While infrastructure automation is clearly the way forward, it’s no easy answer and no quick fix.

Like any significant transformation effort, automation must be grounded in a robust strategy.

You must plan for deep changes to many of the processes involved in operating your networks: from code development and testing/QA through to network management activities like provisioning, upgrades, and patching.

You’ll have to address issues ranging from team skillsets, org structures and cultural behaviors, through to complex system integrations with all the security and availability considerations that entails.

In other words, automation isn’t easy. But it’s key to achieving the level of agility and responsiveness that ops teams need for businesses to thrive in the digital era.1:

We can help

No matter where you are in your network automation journey, or how aggressive your automation goals, Cisco Customer Experience Automation services can help.

We provide:

Full lifecycle services

We provide complete end-to-end lifecycle services, from Advisory, Implementation, Optimization and Quick Start Services to 24/7 centralized Solution Support to ensure your success.

In many cases, we start with advanced services to help you define your automation strategy. We ensure that your technical vision aligns to your business priorities, evaluating and selecting use cases, and defining a roadmap for success. We also have the technical depth and breadth to successfully implement the strategy and then transition the use case to your IT organization for management.

Solution Support

Recognizing that automation journeys are multivendor, Cisco CX provides complete support for automation solutions in the same global 24×7 manner as our other software and hardware solutions.

We can quickly resolve issues with your multivendor (including open source) deployments and can also help you optimize your investment using analytics and insights.

Advanced capabilities: multivendor, multi-architecture approaches

We offer end-to-end consulting and support services for process and workflow automation and orchestration through Business Process Automation Services. Through best practices and proven techniques, we help you automate complicated Methods and Operating Procedures (MOPs) and enable seamless integration of the underlying network orchestrators to business processes and applications.

Automation service packs, built on standardized best practices and Cisco intellectual capital, help you speed deployment of a wide variety of network automation use cases. OS upgrades and zero-touch provisioning, among other use cases, are available within the Cisco Automation Service Packs for Network Services Orchestrator (NSO).

Our Continuous Deployment and Automation Framework provides a complete CI/CD software lifecycle automation platform, from development to testing and certification, through to deployment. It’s been specifically engineered with enterprise and service-provider network applications in mind, designed for complex multi-vendor network stacks, today’s agile development practices, and extensive use of AI/ML for managing releases.

As-a-service options

Some organizations prefer to approach their automation initiatives as a full client relationship, meaning they rely on Cisco CX to deliver the desired automation outcome as a service — eliminating the upfront cost while offering ongoing innovation possibilities.

Skills training

Cisco CX also offers training to help you develop an IT team for the future. We provide contextual learning options to expand your workforce’s skill set and capacity to achieve business outcomes faster and more efficiently. CX supports your current and future success with training for engineers, architects, and software developers.

Why choose Cisco CX?

Cisco is on the leading edge of network automation, and my team has implemented transformational automation programs for hundreds of customers worldwide. Our clients range from global banking institutions to large-scale service provider and retail organizations. We’ve been instrumental in strategizing and implementing end-to-end automation capabilities that deliver real business outcomes.

“Cisco and Rakuten engineers have deployed this industry-first, 5G-ready CICD solution in our R&D and Product Certification Lab. This has helped deliver improved code quality, accelerate multivendor co-development, and speed up innovation. We are looking forward to seeing higher cost savings in testing and certification without compromising quality.” –Tareq Amin CTO, Rakuten Mobile Network

Start today

Learn more about Cisco Customer Experience (CX) Automation capabilities and look out for my next blog where I’ll share some best practices for how you can approach your own automation projects, based on the hundreds of customer engagements we’ve completed.

[1] Cisco, Connected Futures: Transforming IT Operations