Low Code Automation

Low CodeAutomationWorkflow and Closed-loop for even the mostcomplex use cases like OS upgradewww.anutanetworks.com

What isLow Code AutomationSimply put, Low-Code Automation is a visual development ofautomation use-cases. Traditional methods of designingautomation use-cases involve heavy scripting. Low codeautomation simplifies the entire process by providing an easyand intuitive drag-and-drop interface.Programmable networks are essential for a comprehensiveautomation platform. They bring in much needed agility andwww.anutanetworks.comflexibility in the automation framework to cater touse-cases specific to the business.It makes it very easy for non-technical operators todesign and develop complex workflows by abstractingcomplicated and tedious application and infrastructureprogramming. Low-code automation helps administratorscreate new use-cases and modify existing use-cases in afraction of time that it otherwise takes with traditionalprogramming methods.02

Improve productivityThe drag-and-drop functionality of low-code automation frameworkenables administrators to rapidly create and modify use-cases andrespond to changing environments without any latency orprocess-halts.Why Low-Code isgaining popularity?Enhance Security and ComplianceLow-code automation provides an easy and intuitive interface to defineand update security and compliance policies such as HIPAA, SOX, PCIand other organisational policies. It allows administrators to implementchanges rapidly to be well prepared to address any threats.Elevate Customer ExperienceLow-code automation frameworks help in monitoring and enforcingbaseline network behaviour and SLA requirements. By abstracting theunderlying complexity, this automation enables administrators toadapt to a lot of dynamic network needs. It helps to reduce networkerrors and MTTR considerably.www.anutanetworks.com03

Why Low-Code isgaining popularity?View network as a single entityNetwork process frequently interact with business processes. Fore.g. opening a ticket in ServiceNow may trigger some networkoperation. Low code automation makes integrations across entirenetwork easy. It allows administrators to focus on use case ratheron network operations.Chop operating costsLow-code automation enables network architects and operators tocreate and deploy new use-cases easily. It reduces time to configureand accelerates application deployment. Administrators can quicklymodify compliance policies and harden security rapidly. Low code isessential to reduce operating costs.www.anutanetworks.com04

Low CodeAutomation inAnuta ATOMPlatformwww.anutanetworks.com05

BPMN Basedworkflow automationATOM leverages BPMN 2.0 for low code automation and simplifiesthe design of self-service workflows with a GUI. Create simple andcomplex workflows easily with drag and drop interface.The ATOM workflow Automation engine consists of manycomponents including Configuration Management, InventoryManagement, Stateful Model Driven & Stateless CLI basedProvisioning engine, Exec-Show command engine, and PerformanceInventory.The ATOM Workflow Automation engine has open APIs and integrateswith OSS, NMS, SDN Controllers, CMDB, IPAM, Syslog / NetFlowCollectors and many others.www.anutanetworks.com06

ATOM Workflow -The real low codeframeworkwww.anutanetworks.comCustomizable TemplatesATOM provides tens of default templates for most common networkoperations and troubleshooting activities. These templates areextremely customizable and can be easily modified to suit yourrequirements. The templates cover a wide spectrum of use cases - fromsimple use cases such as L2/L3 provisioning to complicated ones likean OS upgrade. (Use cases are covered in following slides).Reusable LibrariesATOM workflow automation provides an extensible and modular lowcode framework. It enables administrators to break down complicatedworkflows in smaller simpler subroutines or libraries. The libraries areindependent low code blocks. Any workflow can include these librariesand incorporate their functionality.07

Low Code Compliance andTroubleshootingCompliance policy builderDefine Parameterized baseline or expected configuration. Defineremediation actions during violationsRun compliance audits and view detailed report on all compliantand non-compliant services and devices. Generate customreports to suit your needs.Automatically Remediate compliance violations by insertingpredefined commandsStandardize configurations and provide 24x7 compliance toHIPAA, PCI, SOX or any other compliance policies.www.anutanetworks.comClosed-loop automation designerTroubleshoot known network issues automatically usingATOM’s closed loop automation. Define networkbaseline behaviour and actions to take in case OW or even to automaticallyremediate pushing relevant08

BPMNstandardBenefits of Anuta ATOMLow Code Automationwww.anutanetworks.comConnect toNEDs,servicemodels ordevicemodels inATOMIntegrateanalytics withworkflowRunworkflows forautomatedtroubleshootingIntegrate withticketingbilling ITSMsolutions09

Easily customize defaultworkflowsUse ATOM workflow builder to extend or modifypre built workflowsCustomize workflows to suit your specificenvironmentwww.anutanetworks.com10

AnalyticsEnable Closed-LoopautomationATOM workflow automation integrates with ATOMCLA to provide end-to-end automationClosed LoopAutomationEnable feedback loops to monitor baseline behaviourand run workflow automatically on works.com11

EssentialLow Code Use Caseswww.anutanetworks.com12

WorkflowAutomationwww.anutanetworks.com13

1. Prechecks - disk space check, os versionDeviceOS UpgradeThis workflow runs OS upgrade procedure for IOS XR.Similar workflows can be created for any platform.Workflow performswww.anutanetworks.com2. Approval - Integrates with serviceNow and waits for userapproval before progressing3. Form inputs - devices, location of binaries4. Nested Workflows - Disk space checks5. Upgrade6. Post -checks7. Rollback14

1. User inputs - ipv6 configuration parametersDeviceOS UpgradeOften organisations need to run a 1 time project. Consider ascenario where a organisation want to transition to IPV6from IPV4. The above workflow converts IPV4 addresses toIPV6 for multi-vendor devices. It performs the followingwww.anutanetworks.com2. Pre-checks - device status, interface status3. Transform ipv4 to ipv64. Post checks - Validate changes & Rollback on any errors5. Display modified commands and wait for administratorapproval6. On approval, commit changes15

SNMPStandardizationDevices are configured different and thushave non-uniform SNMP Strings. UniformSNMP strings are essential for consistentmonitoring. This workflow standardizesSNMP strings and corrects strings that donot match criteriaWorkflow performs1. Form inputs - list of devices, SNMP string2. Check to see if SNMP string has to be updated or replaced3. Run appropriate workflowwww.anutanetworks.com16

RMARMA allows businesses to monitor, track,exchange and upgrade existing devices.Automating this periodic activity savessignificant troubleshooting hours.www.anutanetworks.comWorkflow performs1. Receive inputs on the device type, details and other information2. Check connectivity and access and perform diagnostics3. Push startup configs and fix connectivity if required4. Run post checks and receive new serial number17

Execute AnsiblePlaybooksMany organisations have some pointed and siloedautomation using ansible. ATOM’s workflow automationintegrates with ansible and enables reuse of existingansible playbooks.In this workflow1. ATOM requests user to enter ansible playbook details2. Workflow then runs the ansible playbook3. Checks for ansible playbook completion and displays the output4. In case of failure, ATOM retries playbook executionwww.anutanetworks.com18

L2 & L3 VPNDeploymentDeploying L2 and L3 VPN services is a typical andtedious requirement for any service provider. It oftentakes several days and weeks to plan, deploy and validatewww.anutanetworks.comthe services across multi vendor networks. Workflow simplifiesthis process by automating the entire method of procedure (MOP).This workflow receives essential inputs from user. It then runspre-checks to verify device status and port operational status. Anyfailure is logged and alerted. Workflow then provisions L2 and L3VPN. Post checks are run next and any errors trigger a rollbackprocedure. Workflow also integrates with ServiceNow to performbusiness processes.19

NetworkTroubleshootingwww.anutanetworks.com20

ConfigurationComplianceCompliance to various industry, regulatory andorganisational policies require consistentconfigurations, continuous checks and instantremediations.Low code compliance enforcement with ATOM1. Define standard configurations to be present2. Define corrective actions on violation3. Schedule periodic compliance checkswww.anutanetworks.com21

BGP FlapRemediationLow code can be used for complex troubleshootingscenarios as well. Using ATOM DSLWe can define complex baseline behaviours. Such asidentify and remediate bgp flaps1. Customize out-of-box workflows to shutdown neighbors tosuit your network. Out of box “shutdown neighbor,” workflowperforms 2 actions.1.If there are more than 5 flaps in 1 hour, then ATOM notifiesadministrators through ATOM dashboards/ServiceNow/BMCRemedy or any other ITSM solution2.If there are more than 10 flaps in 1 hour, then ATOM notonly notifies administrators but also shuts down theneighbor on approval from the administrator.2. Define CLA Policywww.anutanetworks.com22

BGP FlapRemediationA. Condition: Using ATOM DSL, define a condition to checkif BGP state changes to anything other than establishedmore than 5 times in 1 hourB. Action on violation: Run “shutdown neighbor” workflow3.Configure SNMP to receive the BGP peer state. The data is analyzedevery 1 minute for a sliding window of 15-minute data to avoid spikes.4.CLA engine checks every hour for the number of changes to BGP peer state5.Based on the number of BGP flaps, an appropriate workflow is triggered.www.anutanetworks.com23

StatefulflowsLimits of Low CodeWorkflowAutomationwww.anutanetworks.comATOM workflow automation is excellent in performing statelesstasks. However, networks often require stateful flows. For e.g.while adding a new VLAN, automation engine has to verify if it’s anupdate procedure to an already existing VLAN or a completely newVLAN. Both network operations have different syntax. It’simportant to know the previous state of network operation.AtomicTransactionsConsider a scenario where you are configuring more than 1 networkdevice. Say a loadbalancer, firewall and router for application delivery.If any one device configuration fails, the remaining devices are leftwith stale configurations. To enforce atomic transactions, i.e. eitherall are configured or none is configured, automation requires morethan mere workflow automation.RollbackOften while configuring more than one transactions or more than 1device simultaneously, some transactions may fail. This leads tostale entries in the network. Low code workflow automation cannotprovide flexible rollback methods to rollback to original networkstate in case of failures.24

ATOM ServiceYang ModelingModels to RescueATOM provides, stateful, atomic and transactional flows with the helpof service models. Using IETF Yang language, administrators cancreate powerful, extensible and flexible service templates. The servicemodels can be utilized to order services for a multi-vendor andmulti-domain network. ATOM SDK provides all the essential tools tocreate, verify and deploy service models. / Sample use cases1. Application delivery - configure a 3 tier application delivery model2. Firewall automation - create and deploy uniform multi-vendor firewall policies3. Day0 configuration - Define model day0 configuration to be applied to anydevice that newly plugs in to the networkwww.anutanetworks.com25