Total Network Operations TNO048: Ops to Orchestrated: An Architect’s Automation Journey
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Oct 31, 2025 
Automation architect Jesse Ford, with a rich 25-year background in networking and a decade in the Marine Corps, shares his insights into network automation. He discusses the importance of choosing the right tools, exemplified by his journey with Python and Ansible. Ford describes the efficiency gains from automating tasks, including reducing manual hours to seconds, and highlights the human impact, freeing engineers for higher-value work. He emphasizes starting small with automation and the role of AI in enhancing learning while warning about its outputs.
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Build For ROI And Scale
- Measure ROI beyond raw time savings; consider scaling and maintenance cost.
- Build automation that multiplies your small team’s capacity instead of just one-off scripts.
Reworking Backends Into A Platform
- Jesse’s team replaced many single-purpose scripts by integrating them into Itential as a backend.
- That move lowered development overhead and democratized process creation across teams.
Democratize Workflow Creation
- Lower the bar to entry so non-developers can prototype workflows in a visual canvas.
- Have engineers fill remaining technical gaps to deliver finished automation faster.