BackBox made a public announcement this week about the inclusion of network configuration management (NCM) features in its main Network Automation Platform. The company claims these additions will aid network operations teams in enhancing security, boosting performance, and expediting the resolution of incidents.
Incorporating automation of configuration management into its NetOps workflows, the updated BackBox NCM also includes a searchable repository and ServiceNow integration. These NCM capabilities can be utilized by various organizations to keep their network and security devices functioning optimally. Moreover, this technology aids in maintaining secure configurations that agree with the regulations of the company or other related policies.
Josh Stephens, CTO emeritus and board advisor at BackBox, emphasizes the appeal of BackBox NCM’s no-code automation. According to him, “engineers are not required to also be developers.” The API-first approach means that any sort of automation can be combined seamlessly into a NetOps workflow.
Configuration drift, a common occurrence in larger enterprise networks wherein configuration alterations occur due to different events or changes, can be quite challenging to manually track and monitor across numerous devices. Additionally, the task of storing accurate configuration data becomes a daunting task for network operations. Any changes in device configuration can make an environment susceptible to security vulnerabilities or result in performance-related issues. Firms like Gartner have classified configuration management capabilities as a standard for network automation platforms.
“More than 65% of enterprise networking activities are performed manually,” according to Gartner’s Market Guide for Network Automation Platforms. “Network automation platforms that support multiple vendors help organizations scale the level of network automation and create workflows that bridge the gap between disparate automation tools.”
The recent report by Enterprise Management Associates, Enterprise Network Automation: Emerging From the Dark Ages and Reaching Toward NetDevOps, states that “Security policy management, configuration compliance management, and network validation/assurance are the more crucial features organizations are looking for” in network automation tools. Nearly 27% of the 354 IT professionals surveyed for the report specified that configuration compliance monitoring/alerting/enforcement features were of utmost importance to their organization, following closely behind nearly 32% of respondents who identified security policy design/implementation/audit as a critical capability.
“A range of tool categories are surfacing in the world of network automation, each addressing very specific challenges around network automation, such as task orchestration, configuration management, data management (e.g., network sources of truth), and network validation (network modeling and digital twins),” added the EMA report.
BackBox incorporated NCM into its automation platform, providing the following benefits:
The revamped automation platform now offers integration with ServiceNow. This development enhances device discovery as the BackBox Automation Platform can seamlessly connect with the ServiceNow configuration management database (CMDB) to import devices. The company also boasts of enabling network operators to automate the entire trouble-ticketing process. This process includes the power to open and close tickets, input technical specifications into a ticket, and expedite problem investigation.
The BackBox Network Automation Platform operates as a virtual appliance which can be executed either on-premises, in a data center, or availed via software-as-a-service (SaaS) model provided by BackBox. The software extends support to network and security devices from over 180 manufacturers, leveraging an API-first strategy for seamless integration with other applications within the network operations center. The platform comes with 3,000 pre-loaded automations which can be customized to suit specific customer needs.