Cloud providers’ DIY data center network automation: key motivations, challenges and true costs of in house built automation

This perspective was commissioned by Juniper Networks. Usage is subject to the terms and conditions in our copyright notice. Analysys Mason does not endorse any of the vendor’s products or services.

Data center network automation is a strategic imperative for every digital organization. This is driven by the need to run business-critical applications in a more reliable and efficient manner and to accelerate digital transformation activities. However, progress in automating data center networks has been limited to-date. The use of a fragmented set of in-house-built tools and solutions is prevalent, and this current DIY-based approach to automation is not delivering the desired results.

Juniper Networks partnered with Analysys Mason to gain a deeper understanding of DIY data center network automation activities within communications service providers (CSPs), enterprises and cloud providers. We identified the key motivations and challenges of the DIY approach, examined overall data center automation strategies and benchmarked the level of utomation across key operational processes.

This report focuses on the results from the cloud provider segment. These players are typically small-to-medium-sized and regionally focused; we exclude major public cloud providers such as AWS, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle. This report showcases the key findings from an online survey of 29 cloud providers and complementary deep-dive interviews with senior decision makers and data center network operations staff.

The report for communications service providers is available here.

The report for enterprises is available here.