Heavy Networking 692: Implementing Practical Network Automation – With Tony Bourke

If you’ve been staring down the barrel of network automation and wonder what the proper approach might be, today’s episode is for you. I’m chatting with Tony Bourke about what network automation tools and techniques have become the default standard. Now that we’ve got a few years of network automation behind us, what are the key approaches most people take? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not one size fits all. It never is. “It depends” applies to network automation just as much as with any other technical domain. But there’s enough predictability in what most folks are doing to get you pointed in the right direction. Tony and I touch on when you need to consider network automation, the stages of network automation (how deep into it you’re getting), the concepts of continuous integration and continuous delivery, open source and vendor-specific automation tools, and how to prepare your network–and your organization–for automation. We discuss: * The current state of network automation * What’s driving network automation * Common tools being used * Whether you need a CI/CD pipeline * Training * More Sponsor: Paessler You probably don’t think about infrastructure monitoring often, but it’s one of your most important decisions as an IT professional. Get your monitoring hosted in the cloud with Paessler PRTG Hosted Monitor, now with 50% off monthly subscriptions for new customers for the first three months. Go to Prtg.com and use the promo code “packetpushers.” Show Links: @tbourke – Tony Bourke on Twitter Tony Bourke on YouTube Data Center Overlords – Tony’s blog Ansible 101 Course With Jeff Geerling – YouTube Ansible For Network Automation – Packet Pushers YouTube