The Network Automation Advantage: How Forward Looking VARs, MSPs & Consultants Will Thrive

Jason Gintert -

The network engineering world is seeing a major shift. Managed and professional services providers – traditional value-added resellers (VARs), Managed Services Providers (MSPs), hardware resellers, and consulting integrators – are facing a new reality. Adapt to the automation-driven landscape or risk getting left behind. For decades, these businesses thrived on manual network configuration, hands-on device management, and billable hours for time-consuming tasks. But with median network automation levels now hovering around 40%, organizations are no longer asking if they should automate, but how. This change is forcing service providers to rethink their business models and operations.

From Manual Networks to Automated Workflows

Many network engineers today log in to dozens of devices to apply routine changes or troubleshoot issues by hand. That said, this approach doesn’t scale. The sheer growth in network size and complexity has made manual management untenable—and in some cases, impossible for very large networks. Hybrid work and cloud adoption have increased the number of devices and locations that need management, yet many network engineers still spend a lot of precious time on repetitive, low-value tasks like applying the same configuration over and over.

Network automation flips this model on its head. Instead of manual CLI commands on each router, or switch, engineers use code and tools to automate workflows. A single script or playbook can configure hundreds of devices in minutes – with far fewer errors than a tired human typing and the end of a long shift. Routine tasks such as device provisioning, VLAN or routing updates, and policy changes can be executed through automated frameworks and pipelines. The shift to automated workflows not only speeds up delivery but also reduces human error, leading to more stable networks. Automation allows engineers to do more with less, focusing their expertise on design and strategy, rather than monotonous chores.

Efficiency, Cost Reduction and Enhanced Services

The business impact of this automation shift is profound. Automation improves operational efficiency by orders of magnitude – and efficiency isn’t just an internal benefit, it’s a competitive edge. By eliminating manual toil, providers can deliver services faster and more consistently. This translates to happier customers and the ability to take on more projects without linear growth in headcount.

Automation drives down costs. A Cisco and ACG Research study found that network automation can reduce operating expenses (OPEX) by up to 55% by streamlining workflows like device provisioning and ticket management. Those savings drop straight to the bottom line. Automation also helps prevent costly outages and speed up recovery when issues occur. Fewer outages mean avoiding the huge losses associated with downtime, and faster recovery means greater resiliency – both critical for service providers bound by SLAs (service-level agreements).

For VARs and managed service providers (MSPs) these efficiencies allow more competitive pricing or higher margins. Providers leveraging automation, have seen improved service profit margins by reducing delivery costs. They can reinvest those savings into expanding their offerings, or sharpening their expertise. Moreover, with mundane tasks automated engineering teams are free to innovate and enhance service offerings, such as proactive network optimization or advanced analytics, rather than just “keeping the lights on.” The result is a stronger value proposition for customers – not only are services delivered more quickly and reliably, but providers can offer new insights and strategic guidance as part of their engagements.

Tools Driving the Transformation

This automation revolution is powered by an ecosystem of tools and frameworks that have matured rapidly. Open-source projects, and commercial platforms are both playing pivotal roles. Here are a few:

  • Ansible and Python – On the workflow automation side, these have become the de facto tools of the trade for network engineers. Ansible, with its agentless architecture and YAML playbooks, allows teams to define network changes as code, and apply them consistently. Python has long been the scripting backbone of network automation – whether writing custom scripts, or leveraging libraries like Nornir or Netmiko, Python skills are now as important as CLI familiarity for network ops. Together, Ansible and Python enable everything from simple task scripts to complex orchestrations, and their popularity has put powerful automation capabilities in the hands of even small networking teams.
  • Source of Truth – Popular open-source ‘source-of-truth’ platforms serve as centralized repositories for network device inventory, configurations, IP address management, and more. Accurate data is the foundation of automation, and sources-of-truth like NetBox and its forward-looking fork Nautobot have become go-to solutions. They provide clean APIs that automation scripts can leverage to ensure they’re working with up-to-date information about the network. A newer entrant exemplifying innovation in this space, OpsMill’s Infrahub is another source-of-truth platform aimed at modeling infrastructure with flexibility. It reflects a broader industry recognition that automation is as much about data as it is about code. (“We don’t have an automation problem, we have a data problem,” OpsMill founder Damien Garros noted.) Infrahub integrates with automation engines like Ansible and Nornir to bridge the gap between network data and automated action. The emergence of OpsMill underscores the momentum in tooling to support automation workflows.
  • Commercial Automation Platforms – Organizations often turn to commercial network automation platforms for their comprehensive features, support, and ease of integration. These enterprise-grade solutions provide end-to-end orchestration, advanced analytics, and assured reliability out of the box. In practice, commercial platforms can accelerate automation initiatives by offering low-code interfaces, intent-based operations, and multi-vendor support—crucial for VARs, resellers, and professional services firms managing complex customer networks. This is by no means a comprehensive list but a few notable mentions.
    • Itential: A low-code network automation platform built for large service providers and enterprises. Itential enables multi-domain orchestration across diverse network environments (multiple vendors, cloud, and on-premises), allowing users to design workflows through an intuitive interface. Its adoption by major carriers underscores its suitability for complex, scale-out deployments.
    • IP Fabric: An automated network assurance platform offering comprehensive visualization and intent-based verification of network state. IP Fabric automates holistic discovery and documentation of the network and then continuously checks that the network is behaving as intended (policy-compliant) via built-in verification checks. The platform’s rich topology maps and diagrams provide engineers clear insight into network architecture while proactively identifying inconsistencies or risks.
    • Juniper Apstra: A multivendor intent-based networking solution for data center automation. Apstra provides closed-loop automation and assurance, meaning it continuously validates that the live network matches the intended design and policies and can remediate deviations automatically. This software-only platform automates the design, deployment, and operation of data center fabrics across Juniper, Cisco, Arista, and other switch vendors, serving as a single source of truth and orchestrator for the entire network fabric.
    • Arista CloudVision: A network-wide automation and telemetry platform for Arista EOS-based environments. CloudVision delivers real-time analytics by leveraging streaming telemetry from EOS devices, providing an unprecedented level of visibility into network operations. In addition to aggregating real-time state data (replacing legacy polling), it offers turnkey automation for configuration management, network compliance, and workflow orchestration across all Arista switches. This combination of live analytics and automated control makes CloudVision a powerful tool for managing Arista-driven infrastructures.

Building an Automation Practice

Adopting automation technology is only half the battle. For VARs, resellers, and professional services firms, the operational and business model transformation is the real challenge. To fully leverage network automation, these organizations need to build an automation practice – a combination of skilled people, defined processes, and service offerings centered around automation. Application of DevOps thinking and platform engineering methodologies will be required to truly embrace and enable the transformation required.

Internally, this means investing in skill development. Traditional network engineers need training in software practices – everything from using Git and version control for network configs, to writing Python, to understanding DevOps methodologies. Many forward-looking providers are encouraging their teams to obtain vendor-neutral automation certifications or vendor-specific ones (like Cisco’s DevNet). In fact, Cisco reports that partners often start by certifying employees, then create an automation practice around those certified employees to offer new software-driven services, and finally use those capabilities as a market differentiator. This approach highlights how crucial people and skills are; automation is fundamentally about empowering humans with better tools, not replacing them.

Process-wise, building an automation practice requires rethinking service delivery workflows. Instead of every engineer doing things their own way, providers develop standardized playbooks and automation pipelines for common tasks – for example, a repeatable process for onboarding a new branch network that is 90% automated, or a library of automation scripts that consultants draw on for deployments. Some firms establish dedicated automation teams or “Centers of Excellence” that build and maintain these automation assets, which others in the company can leverage on projects. The goal is to embed automation into the DNA of the organization’s operations, both for internal efficiency and as part of the external services delivered to clients.

From a business model perspective, forward-thinking VARs and MSPs are also adjusting how they package and sell their services. Hourly billing doesn’t work in an automated and AI-driven world—it actually penalizes efficiency. Automation enables outcome-based and subscription models rather than pure hourly billing. For instance, an MSP might offer an “automated network management” service tier that promises higher reliability and faster changes, powered by their automation platform – this can command a premium, as it delivers tangible value (fewer outages, faster turn-ups) compared to traditional services. VAR/MSPs are productizing their automation expertise as well, offering to develop custom automation solutions for clients or provide "Automation-as-a-Service" consulting. These new offerings can create fresh revenue streams and deeper customer engagements. The message is clear: helping customers automate is not just good for the customer, it’s a lucrative opportunity for the provider.

Vendors in the space are actively encouraging this evolution. We see new partner programs oriented around automation skills and solutions. This kind of enablement from vendors underscores that developing an automation practice is now seen as essential for long-term success in the channel.

Strategic Benefits and Competitive Differentiation

Why go through this transformation? Simply put, investing in network automation capabilities is becoming a strategic necessity for service providers to differentiate in an increasingly competitive market. As more routine network management becomes commoditized, an automation-savvy provider can stand out by delivering faster, more reliable outcomes. Automation capabilities serve as a competitive differentiator in proposals and RFPs – the ability to say, “We can do this in hours, not days, thanks to our automation platform,” or “Our error rate is far lower due to automated testing and validation,” can win business. It’s a way to demonstrate innovation and forward-thinking compared to peers who still rely on armies of engineers typing commands by hand.

Additionally, mastering automation internally makes a company more agile. It becomes easier to scale operations without a linear increase in costs, allowing providers to take on larger projects or handle growth without service degradation. Firms that embrace automation are better positioned to integrate with modern customer environments that expect API-driven, on-demand network changes. They’re also more ready for adjacent trends like NetDevOps (applying DevOps to networking) and Infrastructure as Code in hybrid cloud settings. In contrast, companies that drag their feet risk falling behind, with slower delivery and higher error rates that savvy customers won’t tolerate for long.

Ultimately, network automation is reshaping the managed services and consulting landscape by raising the bar on what clients expect. Efficiency, speed, and proactive intelligence are the new norms. To stay competitive, VARs and service providers must reshape themselves in kind – evolving from manual network caretakers into automation-driven innovators.

The good news: those who invest in building robust automation practices now are poised to not just survive but thrive. They’ll deliver superior services at lower cost, unlock new revenue opportunities, and deepen their role as strategic partners to clients. The industry is moving fast, but there’s still time to catch the wave with the right strategy and commitment.