Mitigating human error in the SP

Wed Feb 3 22:57:55 UTC 2010

> 3) Automation interfaces are largely unsupported:

CLI is an automation interface. Combine that with a management server
from which telnet sessions to the router can be managed, and you have
probably the lowest risk automation interface possible. This may force
you into building your own tools, but if you really want low risk, that's
the price you pay.

> I'm sure we'll continue to build automated policy and configuration
> tools.  I'm just not convinced it's the panacea that everyone thinks.
> Unless you're one of the biggest, it puts your network at someone
> else's mercy - and that someone else doesn't care about your
> operational expenses.

That is not a risk of automation. That is a risk of buy versus build.

More and more businesses of all sorts are beginning to take a new
look at their software and automated systems with a view towards
building and owning and maintaining the parts that really are business
critical for their unique business. In this brave new world, only the
non-essential stuff will be bought in as packages.

--Michael Dillon