Even as network and IT infrastructure technologies have evolved rapidly over the past several years, network management has not changed at the same pace. Networks are often built, operated, and maintained using mostly manual processes. Network operators (NetOps) often log in to network components—including routers, switches, load balancers, and network firewalls, and web application firewalls (WAF)—change configurations by hand, then log out. These procedures are typically directed at implementing and maintaining the network policies defined by business processes and security operations (SecOps) teams.
Despite enormous advances in software-defined datacenter technology and new development techniques, this routine has been slow to change for many reasons:
NetOps and SecOps teams often specialize in highly isolated domains and platforms.
Disparate, cross-departmental teams cannot collaborate effectively.
Existing paper-based operational practices are difficult to update and change.
Reliance on network device command-line interfaces (CLIs) impedes automation.
