Network automation does not an automated network make. Today’s network engineers are frequently guilty of two indulgences. First, random acts of automation hacking. Second, pursuing aspirational visions of networking grandeur — complete with their literary adornments like “self-driving” and “intent-driven” — without a plan or a healthy automation practice to take them there.

Can a Middle Way be found, enabling engineers to set achievable goals, while attaining the broader vision of automated networks as code? Taking some inspiration from our software engineering brethren doing DevOps, I believe so.

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