Juniper Networks

Anuta ATOM and Juniper Paragon Automation powers the WAN

Eslam Eid Hassan
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Eslam Eid Hassan , Network Solutions Architect , Nomios Germany

5 min. read
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Juniper Networks

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In my previous blog, I explained how the cloud-native automation portfolio works together from plan – orchestrate – assure – correlate and then optimise, and how it will transform the operational experience and end-user experience.

The Juniper Paragon Automation portfolio is a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications that work together to deliver closed-loop automation and translate business intent into service performance.

Placeholder for Scalable IP service fabricScalable IP service fabric

In the orchestrate stage, Anuta Atom orchestrates and monitors the network devices and services. It eliminates costly deployment errors by automating operational workflows for service management.

What is Anuta ATOM

ATOM stands for Automation, Telemetry, Orchestration, Multi-vendor.

Anuta ATOM from Anuta Networks delivers a modular, extensible, scalable and cloud-native software platform that enables enterprises and service providers to rapidly design and provision network services, collect real-time telemetry, develop deep network analytics, ensure compliance and provide service assurance for multi-vendor infrastructure.

The multi-vendor configuration and compliance management, service orchestration, workflow and closed-loop automation accelerate operations, reduce errors and improve customer experience.

How can Anuta ATOM help?

Anuta ATOM can help organisations in several ways. Below I give the six of the most important features and benefits:

1. Horizontally scalable microservices architecture

Scale the breadth of your network and execute network automation at ease with ATOM’s microservices powered automation framework. Be it the services or database, ATOM can scale manually or based on KPIs to ensure service uptime.

2. Unified and integrated platform for multi-vendor & multi-domain networks

Multi-vendor or multi-domain, use ATOM to ensure unified policy. ATOM acts as a single source of truth for configuration, inventory, and network automation ensuring end-to-end automation across the infrastructure.

3. Unified network monitoring and service assurance to meet SLAs

Tired of handling open-ended tools for network monitoring with no service assurance? Use ATOM’s network monitoring to get deep insights and closed-loop automation to ensure network uptime.

4. Single-pane-of-glass for legacy and SD-WAN infrastructure

Use ATOM to define unified policies & network monitoring capabilities across the network including multi-vendor automation across legacy and modern infrastructure including multi-vendor SD-WAN.

5. Open APIs - Integration to NB portals such as ServiceNow

Forget the hassles of learning a new tool. Integrate your favourite self-service portals such as ServiceNow into ATOM and start using the services.

6. Out-of-box multi-vendor workflows for OS upgrades

Imagine performing a software or patch upgrade across hundreds or thousands of devices. Use ATOM that offers out-of-box multi-vendor OS upgrade workflows to upgrade at scale with pre-checks and post-checks.

Anuta ATOM use cases

The key capabilities of ATOM can be organised into four different categories.

1. Automated device onboarding and management

Anuta ATOM supports device management for a library of over 150 platforms from 45 different vendors. Its model-driven approach enables network operators to add additional devices and vendors as their needs require. Once defined, ATOM automates the deployment or onboarding of the devices and manages them throughout their lifespan in the network.

2. Configuration and compliance

ATOM provides configuration and compliance. It enforces device and service-level compliance across the multi-vendor infrastructure. Examples of this would be, ensuring that every device on the network has an 8-digit password with specific character types. These compliance rules greatly simplify the process of detecting and identifying devices that are out of compliance, especially for operators who are doing this manually today.

ATOM automates the process of identifying when a device is running the incorrect version of the software or worse, when a service may not have been completely removed from the network. When an out of compliance device is identified, ATOM can take remedial action by pushing the desired configuration back to the device.

ATOM provides a library of configuration and compliance rules out of the box, which network operators can leverage as-is or customise to meet their unique network requirements. They can also create new rules of their own.

3. Workflow automation

ATOM provides workflow-based automation using a technology that the industry refers to as low code. The automated workflow capabilities of ATOM enable network operators to simplify the management and execution of various types of network methods of procedures or MOPs.

ATOM’s GUI design tool simplifies workflow design and management. Network operators simply drag and drop decision or logic-based modules onto the screen and integrate them together to define a method of procedure or MOP.

Procedures could be very simple, like I want to change the passwords on a router, or very advanced, like upgrading the software on an MX router. Like the compliance rules, ATOM provides multiple “out of box” workflows, which can be leveraged as-is or customised to the network operators’ unique requirements.

Placeholder for Atom workflowsAtom workflows
Placeholder for ATOM AnutaATOM Anuta

Closed-loop automation:

ATOM can leverage its workflow capability to provide closed-loop automation. ATOM can be configured to monitor for alerts that come from within ATOM itself or from outside applications like Paragon Insights. These alerts can be configured to trigger workflows, like the ones we just described. This implementation of ATOM provides closed-loop remediation to an issue or event that has occurred in the network leveraging an if/then approach, if this happens then run that workflow.

Using ATOM in this context delivers closed-loop automation for network and service management, which simplifies network operators, eliminates the potential for manual errors and streamlines troubleshooting and issue resolution.

Lastly, ATOM is deployed in docker containers, so it is cloud-ready and can be deployed on-premise or in public clouds like AWS and Azure.

Anuta ATOM detailed features list

Device lifecycle management

  • Automating FCAPS and MOPs
  • Zero-touch deployment, provisioning
  • Software management
  • Configuration management, compliance
  • Stateless workflows

Service lifecycle management

  • Resource modelling/planning
  • Design and deployment
  • Service mapping
  • Service update operations
  • Service monitoring

Network health assurance

  • Device health + SLA/SLO monitoring
  • ML/AI-driven anomaly detection and prediction, correlation, root cause analysis
  • Automated remediation/closed loop
  • Security compliance
  • Incident management

Transport management

  • Capacity planning with scenario analysis
  • Topology management
  • Transport resource management
  • Traffic engineering and optimisation
  • Multilayer (packet & optical) management
  • WAN Controller: Segment Routing, MPLS

Supported platforms

Anuta ATOM is validated with 150+ platforms from 45+ vendors. The Juniper supported platforms are MX-series, EX-series, QFX-series and SRX-series. See the full list of vendors.

Anuta ATOM summary

  • Anuta Networks ATOM delivers closed-loop automation, providing network operators the ability to remediate issues while eliminating the potential for human error, increasing overall operational efficiency and network reliability.
  • ATOM leverages an open, standards-compliant, model-driven approach that allows for customisation and extensibility.
  • The versatility of ATOM enables it to support over 45 vendors, 150 device platforms and deliver a broad portfolio of network workflows and services out of the box, which can be customised to meet the unique requirements of each network operator.

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