configuration and deployment tasks manually in their
networks. The survey also found that 70% of TAC cases
created are related to misconfigurations. This means that
typos or improperly used commands are the culprits in a
majority of issues in the network environment. Dealing
with such issues is where automation shines. Automation
makes it possible to signify the intent of a change that
needs to be made, such as deploying quality of service
across the network, and then having the network
configure it properly and automatically. Automation can
configure services or features with great speed and is a
tremendous value to a business. Simplifying operations
while reducing human error can ultimately reduce risk
and potentially lower complexity.
As a simple analogy, think of an automobile. The reason
most people use an automobile is to meet a specific
desired outcome: to get from point A to point B. An
automobile is operated as a holistic system, not as a
collection of parts that make up that system. For
example, the dashboard provides the user all the
necessary information about how the vehicle is operating
and the current state of the vehicle. To use an
automobile, a driver must take certain operational steps,
such as putting it in gear and then using the system to
get from point A to point B. Figure 1-1 illustrates this
analogy.
Figure 1-1 Automobile as a System
We can think of networks as systems much as we think of
automobiles as systems. For over 30 years, the industry
has thought of a network as a collection of devices such
as routers, switches, and wireless components. The shift
in mindset to look at a network as a holistic system is a