Top 10 Network Automation Use Cases in the Financial Services Industry

The Network Automation Journey

When financial services companies begin their enterprise network automation journeys, top of mind is enhancing network security, increasing agility and ensuring business continuity. No matter what path they are on as they move from manual and scripted network management to code-free, error-free automation, they share some common ground on what urgent challenges to tackle first.

This collection of network automation use-cases is designed to help financial services companies learn from each other about the common challenges they face, the key learnings they gain along the way, and the benefits they experience as a result of putting intelligent network automation to work on some of their most pressing network challenges.

The Gluware^® Intelligent Network Automation software suite delivers the features, simplicity and reliability financial services companies seek today to discover, automate and orchestrate their complex, multi-vendor, multi-domain, multi-cloud network environments. To prevent network outages, ransomware attacks, data breaches, manual errors and security issues, many global enterprises use the Gluware platform for an intent-based and declarative approach to automating their mission-critical networks.

As you explore these top network automation use cases and the IT challenges they present to financial services companies today, you will learn more about the ways that Gluware is solving these problems for customers today.

Understanding the current status of the network, including vendors,operating systems, OS versions and vendor supportability, is critical to the network automation journey. The inventory should be complete and accurate. If a device or devices are not tracked, it could allow access to the network. In addition to deeply understanding the composition of the network, intent-based network automation allows rogue devices to be identified including unauthorized network hardware, firmware or software, as well as wireless access points and switches under desks. As many network executives, architects and operations teams know, such intrusions can be real-world vectors for enabling dangerous cyber-attacks or data theft. The process of conducting network inventory consists of several steps, typically performed by different systems including device discovery, hardware and software inventory and using the inventory data to drive best practices.

Challenges

No accurate source of truth
Lack of standards enforcement
Keeping up with vendors
Overlooked fundamental step

Gluware Solution

Run on-demand discovery
Import or discover devices
Get to a known state
Plan OS upgrades to enable features and prevent network risk
3rd party API calls for Cisco SmartNet, EOS / EOL, PSIRTs (Cisco), and NIST API integration for multi-vendor CVE’s
Audit for config statements related to known vulnerabilities

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Discover devices on your network with Gluware

Assess EoX, SmartNet status and vulnerabilities (PSIRTs) with Gluware

Use OS Manager to automate FW / SW updates with Gluware

Monitor network devices for config drift and identify exactly what changed with Gluware

Perform audits of network configurations with Gluware

Ensuring network security is paramount for network automation. Intent-based and declarative automation works on many levels to ensure security for the network. Intent-based network automation solutions identify potential security and configuration issues with drift, compliance and audit detection and can remediate configuration changes and accelerate OS upgrades, downgrades and patching. When automating a network, it is important to work with a solution that can actively interrogate the network to find violations and make changes using each vendor’s unique CLI with common policy enforcement for features like authentication, access control lists, SNMP, password management, and more.

Challenges

Avoid costly downtime
Decrease vendor vulnerabilities
Improve configuration integrity
Upgrade and patch at scale for rapid response
Address compliance

Gluware Solution

Auto-discovery of the network and device configurations for inventory management
Assess the operating systems running on network devices including integration with Cisco support APIs for knowledge of vulnerabilities (PSIRTs issued), and NIST API integration for multi-vendor CVE’s
Automate OS upgrades, patches and downgrades to ensure that only stable, reliable and approved software are running
Automate network configuration related to security including authentication, password management, ACL policies, etc.
Deploy new security features like Network Admission Control (NAC) on switch ports
Real-time visibility of manual configuration changes through Syslog messages
View progress towards compliance with dashboards

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Discover devices on your network with Gluware

Assess EoX, SmartNet status and vulnerabilities (PSIRTs) with Gluware

Automate OS management (upgrades, patches, downgrades) with Gluware

Automate Network Admissions Control (NAC) deployment with Gluware

Analysts state that approximately 70% of all network outages are traced to human error and Network Operations spends 80%+ of their time trouble-shooting these issues. This is because networks are built over many years and most have significant technical debt, including aging, end-of-life equipment and unnecessarily bloated configurations. Since most network changes are still performed manually or through template pushes, companies are increasingly vulnerable and more prone to costly network outages. Any downtime for a financial services company can have a significant economic impact. Research shows that ransomware attacks on banks increased 1318% in 2021 and that the average loss per incident was $5.72 million (Nasdaq 2022). Implementing network automation to inventory, audit, update, and enforce consistent configuration policies can eliminate errors and reduce outages by 90+%.

Challenges

Outages caused by manual errors
Unauthorized changes
Manual configuration changes
Time-consuming troubleshooting
Manual processes including outdated scripts

Gluware Solution

Standardize the operating systems running on network devices, ensuring only approved software images are running
Continually monitor network for configuration changes and notify when, and exactly what changes have been detected
Perform initial audit for ‘out of policy’ configurations
Automate network policies by feature to ensure approved configurations
Preview automated changes before applying
Automate troubleshooting processes
Convert manual procedures and processes to automated workflows
Data model managed configuration features deployed with a declarative and intent-based engine at scale

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Automate OS management (upgrades, patches, downgrades) with Gluware

Monitor network devices for config drift and identify exactly what changed with Gluware

Perform audits of network configurations with Gluware

Automate network troubleshooting with Gluware

Automate repeated processes and procedures with Gluware

Compliance and regulatory requirements to meet OCC, SOX, GLBA, PCI DSS, and FDIC mandates are critical to financial services companies, as is achieving ISO certification to comply with data regulation laws. Implementing the ability to audit and ensure compliance is an integral component to satisfy 3rd party auditors to meet requirements.

Challenges

Paper policies and standards not implemented on the network
Requirement for 3rd party compliance (OCC, SOX, GLBA, PCI DSS, and FDIC mandates)
Need for ad-hoc audits related to vulnerabilities
Ability to audit hardware inventory and operating systems running as well as the configuration components running on each device

Gluware Solution

Use Gluware Topology to generate site documentation
Audit the hardware inventory and current operating systems
Easy to create CLI and RegEx based rules
Internal, 3rd-party and ad-hoc audits
Automate ongoing configuration audits
Automated ongoing monitoring of configuration changes
Implement standards-based configurations
Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) to implement correct configurations from the start
Automate changes across the network
Remediate devices that fail audits
Real-time visibility of manual configuration changes through Syslog messages
View dashboards showing progress toward compliance (configuration / policy changes, OS upgrades)

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Audit your network inventory with Gluware

Perform audits of network configurations with Gluware

Monitor network devices for config drift and identify exactly what changed with Gluware

Implement standard network configurations with Gluware

Automate OS management (upgrades, patches, downgrades) with Gluware

Automate multi-cloud infrastructure with Gluware

Financial services companies are accelerating “cloud-first” strategies, consuming Software as a Service (SaaS) and moving workloads to the cloud via Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). SaaS and public cloud infrastructures have proven to drive agility, scalability, availability and align cost with consumption. Enabling a financial services company to move from on-premises services, like mail servers and storage, to SaaS based services, like Microsoft 365, can mean significant changes to network traffic patterns. This will require a network re-architecture, or at least a reconfiguration, and most likely an iterative reconfiguration process to improve end-user performance.

Challenges

Time to market
Direct impact on network
Change in traffic patterns
Internet breakout
Distributed security
Managing network policy as it extends into public cloud infrastructures

Gluware Solution

Perform a network inventory
Network-wide QoS policy automation for critical apps at scale
Iterate on QoS changes as traffic patterns change
Get to a known good configuration state
Plan OS upgrades to enable features
Automate OS upgrades / downgrades
Automate with Gluware Config Modeling:
- Network-wide QoS for backhaul
- SNMP and NetFlow for monitoring
- Local-breakout for Internet
- Distributed firewall rules and device access lists
- Public multi-cloud network infrastructure

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Perform a network inventory with Gluware

Automate configurations and get to a known good state with Gluware

Automate OS management (upgrades, patches, downgrades) with Gluware

Automate configuration policy like QoS to enable your move to the cloud with Gluware

Automate multi-cloud infrastructure with Gluware

Network technical debt is the accumulation or acquisition through consolidation / M&A of aging devices, old operating systems, unnecessary or partial configurations, and variances in deployments. This technical debt increases the cost of maintaining and operating the network. In some cases, technical debt decreases productivity across the entire organization, which can be expensive. Often financial services companies are forced into unnecessary hardware upgrades to achieve automation, which is another financial impact of technical debt. Automating is a critical step to optimizing the network by inventorying all the devices running on the network, standardizing platforms and operating systems, and minimizing configuration complexity while enforcing standards.

Challenges

Consolidation and M&A
Ongoing inventory of all devices on the current and growing network, resulting from consolidation
Change in traffic requiring configuration change
Internet reachability and policy
Distributed security

Gluware Solution

Build Gluware Network RPA workflows to accelerate discovery, inventory, and audit phase of M&A
Inventory and assess the network
Implement configuration standards
Plan OS upgrades to enable features
Automate OS upgrades / downgrades
Automate configuration management
Automate network-wide QoS
Automate SNMP and NetFlow for monitoring
Automate local-breakout and related configuration for internet access
Automate distributed firewall rules

LEARN
MORE

Perform a network inventory with Gluware

Automate configurations and get to a known good state with Gluware

Automate OS management (upgrades, patches, downgrades) with Gluware

Automate configuration policy like QoS to enable your move to the cloud with Gluware

Financial services requirements are constantly changing, and IT organizations must have the ability to be responsive to not just common and standard change requests, but to unplanned changes as well. Network changes implemented manually or that require the development and testing of scripts will significantly impede the agility of an organization. Outsourcing network changes also comes with significant delays and cost. Enabling the network team with advanced networking automation technology that does not require all the manual building and skill set development will accelerate changes, enabling agility to meet business needs.

Challenges

Days, weeks or months to complete broad network changes
Manual and reactive processes
Siloed expertise, serial workflows
Delays due to outsourcing
Delays due to script development, testing and maintenance

Gluware Solution

Build automation policy from current configurations using interrogative modeling tools
Rapidly automate reference features
Native CLI support for config standards
Quickly transition from test to production
Automate configuration management
Automate network-wide changes
Preview changes before writing to network
Automate repeated tasks with workflows
Customized stepwise execution of common tasks

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Intelligent network automation and dynamic creation of policy with Gluware

Automate standard network configurations with Gluware

Automate repeated processes and procedures with Gluware

Network automation is sometimes thought of only in the context of an initial configuration or a limited, scripted day 2 change. Automation should be thought of in the context of full lifecycle management of each network device and the services running on top of the network. The most challenging task is automating the currently deployed “brownfield” network and getting to a known, good state. Lifecycle management involves automating the initial deployment along with all related moves / adds / changes the business requires. This ranges from low-level policy changes to new end-to-end service deployments. Network automation is the key enabler to lifecycle management.

Challenges

Initial provisioning of devices
Management of devices resulting from consolidation / M&A
Staging of OS
Ongoing moves, adds and changes
Upgrade / swap of devices
New site deployment
Site refreshes

Gluware Solution

Automate network configuration management
ZTP or “advanced” provisioning
Model entire configuration, or start small
Centralized control of policy
Version control
Ability to automate vendor / device swap
Automate OS upgrades
Advanced network-wide updates
Build no-code drag and drop process automation with Gluware Network RPA
Customized stepwise execution of common tasks

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Automate network configuration management with Gluware

Automate OS upgrades with Gluware

Automate repeated processes and procedures with Gluware

Upgrading network device firmware / software is a complex and challenging task for IT operations, given that it introduces change— and therefore risk. It requires a highly coordinated effort to minimize downtime, especially when dealing with complex, multi-vendor, multi-operating system, and multi-domain networks. For example, IT organizations may try to limit firmware / software changes such as OS upgrades on their network equipment to once a year, or security patching on an as-needed basis only. Security vulnerabilities are the most urgent requirement and are the top priority for IT leadership because of the current high-profile hacks that are negatively impacting financial services companies operationally, financially and publicly. This drives the requirement for network management teams to automate network OS changes and security patching at scale much more frequently to minimize risks.

Challenges

Vendor vulnerabilities
Upgrading equipment to use new features
OS going EOS / EOL
Risky and complex manual processes for upgrades that differ on a vendor and a platform basis

Gluware Solution

Device management to inventory and assess
Automate operating system updates and security patches quickly and at scale
Centralized organization and control
Elimination of manual, error-prone processes
Pre-checks and post-checks performed
Integrate drift snapshots and state assessment
Track progress using OS upgrade dashboard view

LEARN
MORE

Use Device Manager to inventory and assess your network devices with Gluware

Use OS Manager to automate FW / SW updates with Gluware

Monitor network devices for config drift and identify exactly what changed with Gluware

There is no shortage of tools and systems for NetOps teams to use when performing network management. This is a significant part of the challenge when managing networks, since there are so many fragmented solutions for specific vendors or purposes including commercial legacy / vendor tools and home-grown solutions that have been built over years. These existing legacy tools and processes often impede the ability to implement change when it comes to network automation. With the current demand on IT operations, it is time to consolidate and modernize network management and automation. Modern technologies like intent-based networking, data-modeling and API integrations must be embraced to meet business needs for agility and security with stability.

Challenges

Too many multiple legacy tools that don’t meet current needs
Too many manual processes
Home-grown scripts
Management systems to integrate

Gluware Solution

Multi-vendor, multi-platform
Unify management across vendors
Ability to co-exist
Automate as much, or as little as needed to get started
API integrations with products like Ansible
Ability to rapidly integrate 3rd party API (for example with IPAM or ticketing systems)
Published APIs so 3rd party systems can interact programmatically
Automate third party open-source integrations through Gluware Service Connectors (GSCs) and external integrations with StackStorm

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Leverage the GluAPI to automate your network programmatically with Gluware

Understanding and using the Gluware API

Automating with Ansible and leveraging API integration with Gluware

Gluware Solutions for the Financial Services Industry

STARTING THE JOURNEY

When your team is ready to begin it’s network automation journey towards code-free, error-free security and agility, Gluware^® Intelligent Network Automation delivers the capability many of our financial services customers require:

Flexible Automation: On-premises or cloud-delivered; One app or more
Expanded Vendor Support: Growing list of more than 40 platforms
Inclusive Environments: Multi-vendor | Multi-domain | Multi-cloud
Quality User Experience: Enterprise-class features and dashboards
Multiple Payment Offerings: Get started your way

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Top 10 Network Automation Use Cases in the Financial Services Industry

The Network Automation Journey

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Gluware Solutions for the Financial Services Industry

STARTING THE JOURNEY

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