Itential adds new network automation tool to portfolio
Automation Gateway is a new stand-alone application within the Itential Automation Platform architecture. It aims to integrate existing automation and transform scripts into APIs.
Itential has launched Automation Gateway, a new product designed to increase enterprise network automation and network programmability.
The product enables network teams to integrate existing automation efforts and transform scripts into APIs for end-to-end network automation workflows.
Other capabilities within the platform include the following:
- support for all types of scripts from Python, C, Bash, Perl and Ansible playbooks;
- discovery of scripts to provide an integrated and centralized view of automation efforts for use within the platform; and
- enhancement of scripts to enforce consistent schema definitions and normalize them for standardized API consumption.
Automation Gateway also includes event-driven automation capabilities for performing closed-loop activities. According to Itential, this triggers automation tasks based on notifications from event systems, such as Kafka or NETCONF. This is to ensure constant network configuration, assurance and compliance. Additionally, Itential claims it automatically fixes known issues without manual interaction. The goal of the closed-loop automation capabilities is to simplify network troubleshooting and eliminate common manual errors.
Automation Gateway is a stand-alone application within the Itential Automation Platform architecture. It uses existing investments and expands on automation by providing standardized APIs as a front end to existing scripts.
Itential's Automation Platform aims to provide a network that is programmable first, is cloud-native, embraces physical, is application- and service-focused, and is open and standardized. Itential uses a drag-and-drop interface in an effort to enable users to design, build and run repeatable automation workflows.
The network automation market continues to evolve, as technology such as AI becomes part of the conversation. AI integration with network automation has been identified as useful for network operations, visibility and security analytics and capacity planning.
