Network Automation Tools: 5 Platforms and 4 Open-Source Libraries for Config, Compliance and Change

Network automation covers configuration changes, backups, compliance checks, provisioning and incident response. Instead of logging into each switch or router, engineers describe the desired state or a runbook once and let a tool apply it, test it and record the result.

Two standards shape the tooling. The IETF NETCONF protocol (RFC 6241) gives programmatic access to device configuration, and NIST SP 800-128 describes security-focused configuration management that automation should enforce. This guide pairs five platforms from the IT Automation Software category with four open-source building blocks. The one external vendor link goes to Ansible.

What Network Automation Tools Actually Do

Network automation tools execute changes on devices from a central workflow, using SSH, APIs or protocols such as NETCONF. They add scheduling, inventory, approvals and logging so changes are consistent and auditable.

A mature setup usually includes four layers: an inventory of devices, a source of truth for intended configuration, an execution engine and a verification step. Most outages caused by changes happen when one of those layers is missing, for example when a change is pushed without a pre-check or rollback plan.

• Configuration management: push templates, back up configs and detect drift.
• Compliance: check devices against baselines such as hardening standards.
• Provisioning: bring new switches, VLANs and firewall rules online from templates.
• Remediation: trigger fixes when monitoring raises an alert.

Rundeck

Rundeck, now part of PagerDuty Runbook Automation, turns operational procedures into self-service jobs with access control and audit logs. It suits teams that want to give help desk or NOC staff safe, pre-approved actions.

SaaSPodium lists Rundeck as a paid cloud product focused on self-service IT operations. Network teams use it to wrap scripts and playbooks in a controlled interface.

• Architecture: job scheduler and runner with node inventory; see Rundeck.
• Strength: role-based access, approvals and audit trails around scripts.
• Integrations: commonly paired with incident and chat tooling.

TrueSight Automation

BMC TrueSight Automation automates server and infrastructure operations at enterprise scale. It is most relevant for organizations already invested in BMC service management and operations tooling.

SaaSPodium lists pricing as custom. Expect a sales-led evaluation, which is typical for large estates with compliance and patch requirements.

• Architecture: enterprise platform; see TrueSight Automation.
• Strength: breadth across operations tasks in large environments.
• Consider: implementation effort and licensing scope.

Resolve Systems

Resolve Systems focuses on automating incident response and IT workflows so repetitive diagnostics and fixes run without a human. It suits teams trying to reduce alert fatigue and mean time to resolution.

SaaSPodium lists Resolve as a custom-priced cloud product. Network use cases include automated diagnostics when a link or device alert fires.

• Architecture: workflow and automation engine; see Resolve Systems.
• Strength: ties alerts to automated investigation and remediation.
• Consider: design runbooks carefully before enabling auto-remediation.

UiPath IT Automation

UiPath extends its robotic process automation platform to IT operations. It fits organizations that already use UiPath for business workflows and want one automation standard across IT and the business.

SaaSPodium lists UiPath as custom-priced and cloud delivered. It is less network-native than the open-source libraries but can orchestrate cross-system tasks.

• Architecture: orchestrator with bots and connectors; see UiPath IT Automation.
• Strength: bridges IT tasks and business processes in one platform.
• Consider: may need custom activities for device-level work.

Automic Automation

Broadcom Automic Automation orchestrates workloads and jobs across applications, clouds and infrastructure. It is built for large enterprises that need dependable scheduling, cross-system dependencies and centralized control.

SaaSPodium lists it as custom-priced. Network teams use it when device changes must be sequenced with application and data jobs.

• Architecture: central engine with agents; see Automic Automation.
• Strength: enterprise job orchestration and dependency management.
• Consider: it is a broad workload platform, not a network-only tool.

Open-Source Building Blocks

Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM and Nornir are the most widely used open-source tools for scripting network changes. They cost nothing to license and give engineers precise control, but they require Python or YAML skills and your own governance.

• Ansible: agentless automation using YAML playbooks and vendor modules, widely used for multi-vendor configuration.
• Netmiko: a Python library that simplifies SSH sessions and command execution on network devices.
• NAPALM: a Python library that offers a common interface for retrieving state and applying configuration across vendors.
• Nornir: a Python automation framework for building inventory-driven tasks in pure Python.

Pair these with a version-controlled source of truth and a CI pipeline, and you get a change process that is reviewable and testable. Read the related IT automation tools guide for the wider landscape.

Security and Governance Requirements

Network automation concentrates privilege, so secure the tooling before you scale it. Store credentials in a vault, restrict who can run which jobs and log every change with the requester, approver and result.

• Credentials: use a secrets manager or the platform vault, never plain-text inventory files.
• Least privilege: give automation accounts only the commands a job needs.
• Change control: tie jobs to tickets and require approvals for production devices.
• Auditability: keep immutable logs and diff output for every configuration change.
• Testing: validate templates in a lab or with a dry-run mode before rollout.

Map these controls to your compliance framework, whether that is ISO 27001, SOC 2 or an internal baseline, and review them each quarter as the automation scope grows. Pair automation with network monitoring software so every pushed change is followed by an automatic health check.

How to Choose and Start Small

Choose by team skills and risk. Engineering-led teams usually start with Ansible or Python libraries, while operations-led teams get faster results from platforms with approvals and self-service. Start with read-only tasks such as backups before enabling changes.

A safe rollout plan

• Automate configuration backups and inventory first.
• Add compliance checks that report only.
• Introduce templated changes with peer review and a rollback step.
• Enable remediation for low-risk, well-understood alerts.

Use the formula to compare options. Tasks per month and minutes saved come from your ticket data, hourly cost is the loaded engineer rate, and tool cost includes licenses and maintenance time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which network automation tool is best for beginners?
Ansible is usually the easiest start because playbooks are readable YAML and need no agents on devices. Platforms like Rundeck are also approachable when you mainly want safe, self-service jobs.

How much do network automation tools cost?
Open-source tools such as Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM and Nornir have no license fee. The enterprise platforms listed here are custom-priced on SaaSPodium, so request quotes based on device and job volume.

Is network automation safe for production changes?
It can be safer than manual work if you use peer review, pre-checks, staged rollouts and rollbacks. Start with backups and compliance reports, then automate low-risk changes before touching core devices.