Optical network automation

Optical network automation lets you combine domain-specific software and technologies to model and automate manual operational processes, so you can configure, manage, and monitor network equipment and assure connectivity services to simplify day-to-day operational tasks. You can extend network automation to other stages of network operations, such as planning, to analyzing, troubleshooting and optimizing the network traffic and infrastructure to ensure adherence to SLAs.

Telecommunication providers are adopting optical network automation to make their network infrastructure more efficient and scalable to improve service agility and rollout. They can use automation to quickly reoptimize their resources to adapt the network to new customer SLA requirements. Telecommunication providers use network automation to improve resource utilization and reduce device misconfiguration to reduce operational costs. Network automation is also being used with standardization to stitch services across multivendor networks.  Automation can also predict, detect, analyze and react to any issues in the network to reduce the time needed for repairs.

The top challenges to adopting optical network automation include:

• Difficulty integrating automation tools with existing network environments
• The potential to affect existing operations, particularly relating to orchestration, scalability and robustness.
• Cost, as deploying optical network automation often requires additional investments in software, hardware and workforce training.
• Lack of clear use cases. Prioritizing which network operation or process to automate can slow progress, drive additional costs and limit your revenue potential.
• Slower progression of open standards in both northbound OSS/BSS systems, or southbound open line systems to cover all the various use cases required in currently deployed networks.

You can overcome these obstacles with careful planning, investment, collaboration with vendors, such as Nokia, who take leading roles in standards forums and by committing to a long-term vision for optical network automation that spans your entire organization.

Optical network automation is a complex and strategic process that requires careful consideration of multiple factors. Here are four key things to keep in mind:

1. Identify your business objectives, such as improving network efficiency, reducing operational costs or monetizing your network assets faster.
2. Assess your network configuration, management and equipment software capabilities to fully understand its architecture, interfaces, or open standard model capabilities, as well as its limitations. Focus on the areas where automation could be implemented provide the most value.
3. Assess your organizational skill set to better understand if you possess the specific skills and knowledge to design, implement and maintain automated systems.  Consider seeking support from vendors if the lack skills prevents you from taking full advantage of automation.
4. Define the scope of automation based on your business objectives, decide which aspects of your optical network should be automated. 

A well-thought-out and comprehensive plan will smooth your transition to an automated optical network environment, maximize the benefits of automation and minimize potential challenges and disruptions.