How Intent-Based Networking Helps Build Autonomous Networks

Managing networks today is as challenging and critical to your business’ success as it has ever been.

The lack of focus on its health and growth has caused a lot of businesses to suffer. While networking topologies have evolved over the years, network complexity has increased at an alarming rate. 

Intent-based networking (IBN) is a new way of building and maintaining networks. This network architecture gives enterprises the ability to design a flexible and scalable network while also using network automation software to accelerate performance. It's designed for modern IT needs, including cloud adoption, DevOps, Internet of Things (IoT), security, and more.

Networks today are set up for predictable workloads. However, the reality is that we live in a world of on-demand cloud services and unpredictable device use. IBN network help address this by making sure that your network can scale with whatever comes next.

The goal of IBN is to simplify establishing, maintaining, and implementing network policies and eliminate unnecessary labor associated with traditional network configuration management.

Intent-based networking is one of the hottest methodologies making waves in both voice and data networking spaces. Although IBN has been around for a while, adoption has been slow. This is because proponents and vendors of the technology have had different views of what IBN means to them, with varying levels of implementation.

Intent-based networking systems (IBNS) are like self-driving cars. The intent would be to arrive at the desired destination. A user enters this intent into the system as the destination address. From there, the car will identify the subsequent tasks required to reach the destination, such as traffic handling and GPS tracking.

Similarly, an intent-based system would automatically respond to the changes in the entire network without human intervention.

It’s the next generation of network automation. The approach is rooted in application modernization and virtualization that has already redefined IT management. But intent-based networking takes it one step further. IBN radically transforms network operations into a service that enables companies to accelerate performance, agility, and innovation across their business. For this reason, more enterprises are adopting IBN as an integral part of their digital transformation.

Why do businesses need intent-based networking?

Businesses are growing more sophisticated in how they approach automation. Customers expect better service, which requires more systems and technologies to help deliver on those expectations and reduce the time to market for services. Add to this the pressure of shrinking margins due to the cost of running network services, and companies are desperate to reduce costs. 

The vast majority of current network topologies are still maintained manually. Traditional networking depends on network engineers writing programming language scripts that describe everything needed to complete a specific task via a command-line interface (CLI). This is done to configure rules for network devices from different vendors. Because each vendor's product has a distinct interface and syntax, network engineers must understand the CLI syntax for each vendor's device to fulfill the network's business outcomes. 

This is a time-intensive task that can introduce vulnerabilities to the networking infrastructure due to human errors.

This is where intent-based networking comes in.

With intent-based networking, the intent is automatically translated to multiple devices, eliminating the need for engineers to manually modify each device on a network. Admins can send the input to an intent-based networking system via a graphical user interface (GUI) or through application programming interfaces (APIs).

Besides automating tedious activities and providing real-time insights into network activity to validate a particular purpose, IBNS may also detect possible deviations and prescribe the necessary measures to secure that intent. This increased intelligence makes the network quicker and more agile, and also lowers mistakes in the network's communications.

Intent-based networking reduces mistakes and risks while increasing operational efficiencies in various ways:

• The networking architecture validates the intent objects before assigning them to the infrastructure. Intent objects are higher-level depictions of the qualities or goals that the network is supposed to achieve. The validation process is syntactic and incorporates semantic evaluations against network-wide policy.
• Through a well-defined policy, the effect and extent of failures during the deployment of new intent are limited.
• Roll-back or roll-forward is instantaneous. Network engineers apply the relevant versioned intent object to return to a consistent state if a problem occurs during deployment.
• Fallback is dependent on intent. Since the architecture is aware of the expected objectives for a given configuration, it may preserve those objectives even in the face of interruptions or device failures by re-configuring other network components or employing different techniques to accomplish the same goals.

What is intent-based networking not about?

Intent-based networking can solve a lot of problems, but before deciding on shifting to an intent-based infrastructure, businesses should clearly understand what intent-based networking isn't.

Characteristics of intent-based networking

Intent-based networking is a major paradigm shift in network design and operations that transforms the conventional network architect and engineer into an intent-based network operator. The intent-based paradigm of automation and intelligence is being applied to all networking areas, aiming to simplify and streamline workflows and improve efficiency. 

It also reduces human error, increases uptime, and builds customer satisfaction while lowering expenses for the network operation center (NOC).

How does intent-based networking work?

Intent-based networking is a product that brings IT-style lifecycle management into the operation of networks. It works by analyzing your current open network and providing you with a solution. The recommendation provided by the software will also include a proposal of how the IT team should integrate the underlying components. 

As such, it aims to drive automation in an often repetitive process and give you the opportunity for “rule-based planning” in an ever-changing industry. It enables network engineers to avoid specifying their intended results via arcane device-specific command lines and instead communicate their “intent” using simple English or a graphical interface.

Let us consider the necessity for private communication between two networks. An intent here would declare that a secure channel is required between network A and network B. A network administrator would then specify which traffic should use the channel and any additional channel features needed. The administrator wouldn’t define how the channel would be built, such as the number of devices to be utilized or which particular features and parameters should be enabled.

The first goal of an IBN framework is to break these types of jobs into their constituent tasks and then continuously break those constituent tasks down until the smallest sets of steps, information, and variables required to train the infrastructure are reached.

The following is a step-by-step description of a method for performing this task: 

1. Clearly identify and define the intent
2. Convert intent into a sequence of network modifications
3. Before deploying the modifications, verify that they are correct
4. Apply the modifications that have been validated
5. Monitor the condition of the network to check that the intent is being followed

Constant checks ensure that the configuration matches the intent, and modifications are made in real time. An intent-based networking architecture is made up of several components:

1. Management dashboard: An IBNS uses a management dashboard to configure the system (convey the intent) and monitor its operation. Although the goal of an IBNS is to manage the network independently, human interaction will be necessary (and desirable) for some period.
2. Intent interpretation: Intent interpretation turns the "what" into the "how." Typical GUIs are either menu-driven or include a more advanced natural language option.
3. Network verification: An IBNS performs network verification to ensure that the translated configuration will achieve the required goal without any security or reliability concerns. This component uses formal verification techniques to mathematically test and fully prove the accuracy of the configuration.
4. Network remediation: In real-time, remediation responds to changes, such as when a firewall fails or a network device goes offline. An IBNS can learn from previous occurrences and troubleshoot and apply remedial measures to a wide range of network issues by utilizing ML. Although considerable progress has been achieved in this area of IBN development, experts concur that human intervention will still be necessary to accept the corrective measures proposed by a remediation system for some time.

Intent-based networks provide much more than provisioning and automation. In addition to network orchestration, IBNS employs mathematical formulae and advanced analytics to collect information and apply it to an abstraction model that allows the IBN system to supervise the network.

Intent-based networking software is an automated tool that assists network engineers in planning, designing, and operating networks to increase agility and availability. Recent advancements in proper evaluation techniques and modeling languages such as YANG have allowed IBN to become a viable option for answering questions such as "Is my network setup correctly?"

Most intent-based networking software are available as a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) architecture, which means they can be controlled across numerous devices via a single interface. Apstra, Cisco, Forward Networks, Juniper Networks, and Veriflow Systems are the most common providers of IBN products.

IBN vs. SDN

Networking is one of the most challenging tasks a system administrator faces, whether it’s managing a data center or an enterprise network. As new networking elements are introduced into the infrastructure, security issues become more complex. Older software plays catch-up to maintain a connection with more recent hardware. As issues arise, administrators need to respond quickly and wisely.

Two technologies are attempting to transform the networking field: intent-based networking and software‑defined networking.

Both solutions offer compelling advantages. It’s crucial to understand these differences when you’re planning a new network architecture or thinking about upgrading your existing network.

Intent-based networking

Intent-based networking is a new approach to managing the network that not only considers the technologies used, but also the IT systems, people, data, and services that support IT operations. IBN uses AI to build an autonomous network to provide optimal network performance. 

This is different from SDN, which uses automation to control networking equipment based on software rules. SDN is primarily concerned with how a device should function. On the other hand, IBN works on achieving the service request (intent) by automatically finding and setting resources.

Software-defined networking

Software-defined networking (SDN) is revolutionizing networking, and in turn, eliminating most of the manual effort in configuration and management. A software-defined network is an IT architecture in which a single software console manages all hardware. An SDN tries to govern the IT infrastructure via software applications. However, it functions on a device-centric approach, such as outputting flow data from a specific interface.

While SDN has dramatically reduced the cost of networking, it cannot match the flexibility of intent-based networking. SDN doesn't replace intent-based networking; in fact, they go hand-in-hand.

Challenges of intent-based networking

As the IoT continues to evolve, interest in intent-based networking is also gaining momentum. The notion of existing networks communicating real-time information with each other (without strings attached) can potentially change the face of today's networked applications and environments by reducing dependency on human intervention.

If you’re new to intent-based networking, here are some of the key challenges you may encounter as you create these networks:

• Network visibility: The most crucial aspect to consider when shifting to an intent-based architecture is network visibility. Because the policies are enforced by the intent-based networking software, finding the network faults will be complex if the system underperforms.
• Reliability: Although the IBNS implements policies after receiving confirmation from network managers, there will always be concerns about reliability. If the policies don’t achieve peak performance for the intended purpose,  admins must restart the procedure from the beginning. This becomes a frightening issue when the infrastructure contains thousands of devices.

Benefits of intent-based networking

Enterprise networks are traditionally built around the devices connected to them. This means if you add a new device to your network, you also have to re-configure the network so it can communicate with this new device. This is called device-centric networking, and it has several flaws, including security vulnerabilities and difficulty scaling for new workloads.

Enterprise networks are evolving from device-centric to intent-based; they react and respond dynamically to changes in their environment by automatically configuring themselves with the optimal settings for each device. Intent-based networking is the future of enterprise networks because it provides businesses with sensible, secure, and reliable network connectivity.

Intent-based networking allows IT teams to set up rules for applications to communicate freely and securely. IBNS, generally paired with SDN capabilities, offers many distinct advantages compared to traditional networking and even SDN. Most of these advantages result in considerable time savings for network administrators.

• Increased efficiency: IBNS is more efficient as the manual processes are automated and don’t require human intervention. Since AI analytics drives network operations within the IBN, activities such as troubleshooting and backup functionality are also automated. When network performance issues are detected, guided remediation is made accessible so that the IT team can fix issues quickly.
• Multi-vendor hardware management: IBN software doesn’t prefer one vendor over another. Since most corporate networks are made up of multivendor components, this is positive. IBN is an open platform that provides 360-degree visibility as well as extensibility. This removes the requirement for in-depth vendor expertise. Multivendor SDKs are used in IBN systems to allow the controller to communicate with and manage network devices (such as SD-WAN and routers) from various vendors.
• Optimized analytics: When system administrators better understand how their networks are operating, they can make smarter decisions that lead to better business results. An IBN is continuously collecting data about itself, which the system evaluates in various ways to provide helpful information about network performance, security risks, and other topics.

The sky's the limit

Because of the tangible, secure, and agile benefits it provides to organizations, intent-based networking is becoming an industry standard. In the increasingly dynamic digital transformation era, intent-based networking reduces the stress on IT teams by providing them with an intelligent system to deal with everything that happens in the network.

New to network management? Explore the top network management software to monitor and control the entire infrastructure to address service needs and business objectives.