Onsite Ignite 2018 Survey: The Results Are In
Notice: This blog post was originally published on Indeni before its acquisition by BlueCat.
The content reflects the expertise and perspectives of the Indeni team at the time of writing. While some references may be outdated, the insights remain valuable. For the latest updates and solutions, explore the rest of our blog
Amidst the hustle and bustle of Indeni’s lively booth at Palo Alto Networks Ignite 2018 conference, research was underway. Indeni’s booth visitors were invited to answer a brief survey. Over 260 Palo Alto users answered the survey, providing the Indeni community with even more data regarding Network Security Automation Trends in 2018.
It was clear that “automation” was the hot buzz-word on the expo hall floor this year. The industry is responding to this growing need within the network security industry to automate pieces of maintenance. This being said, it comes as no surprise that 90% of Palo Alto Networks Ignite attendees said automation was either a high priority or on their horizon. This is consistent with our previous research revealing both engineering and IT operations agree automation is a priority for keeping the lights on. For these managers and individual contributors, 68% of automation projects are commissioned to ensure network availability.
There is an agreement to implement automation, yet there are not enough skilled professionals to manage current and future projects. Participants in a previous survey revealed day-to-day troubleshooting is the #1 barrier preventing engineers and operations to contribute to more strategic efforts. On trend with those findings, a quarter (25%) of surveyed Palo Alto Networks attendees reported they spend way too much time on maintenance tasks. To give credit where credit is due, Palo Alto Networks devices do provide reliable visibility to end users, which is why 55% of participants say they dedicate a “moderate” amount of time to maintenance tasks. Needless to say, the vast majority of end users are still dedicating valuable time to the operational health of their firewalls.
These claims resonate with Indeni end users leveraging Indeni to automate maintenance tasks. After analyzing Indeni Insight data, Palo Alto Networks Automation Report showcases the top four issues across Palo Alto Networks devices. Here are the percentages breakdown by category for the top issues:
- 43% Network Visibility
- 23% Maintenance
- 20% Best practices
- 13% High availability
The Network Security industry is filled with intelligent, capable professionals. The Indeni Crowdsourcing model utilizes the knowledge and best practices of this talented community to make the Indeni platform smarter. Witness this collaborative approach to IT in Indeni’s upcoming live webinar and see what crowdsourced knowledge is waiting for you. After all, we could all use a little help from our [expert] friends!
Key takeawaysThis key takeaway was generated through LLMs crawling the page and coming up with an overview of the content.At Palo Alto Networks Ignite 2018, Indeni conducted a survey of over 260 attendees to capture Network Security Automation Trends, revealing that automation is a top priority with 90% of respondents considering it high priority or on their horizon. The research highlights that automation projects are largely driven by the need to ensure network availability (68%), but a shortage of skilled professionals and excessive time spent on maintenance and troubleshooting hinder strategic work. Indeni’s analysis of device data identifies the top four issue categories—Network Visibility (43%), Maintenance (23%), Best Practices (20%), and High Availability (13%)—and promotes the Indeni crowdsourcing model as a way to leverage community knowledge to automate maintenance and improve operational health.
What was the scope and main finding of Indeni’s survey at Palo Alto Networks Ignite 2018?
Indeni surveyed over 260 Palo Alto Networks Ignite attendees to assess network security automation trends. The main finding was that automation is a dominant priority—90% of respondents said automation was either a high priority or on their horizon—reflecting industry-wide focus on automating maintenance tasks to maintain network availability and efficiency.
What operational challenges do network teams face that automation aims to address according to the article?
The article reports that teams face a shortage of skilled professionals and significant day-to-day troubleshooting burdens that prevent engineers and operations staff from engaging in strategic work. A quarter of surveyed attendees said they spend too much time on maintenance tasks, and 68% of automation projects are commissioned specifically to ensure network availability, indicating automation is seen as a solution to reduce manual maintenance and improve uptime.
Which issue categories were most common across Palo Alto Networks devices in Indeni’s analysis, and how does Indeni propose to help?
Indeni’s analysis of device data identified four leading issue categories: Network Visibility (43%), Maintenance (23%), Best Practices (20%), and High Availability (13%). Indeni proposes using its crowdsourcing model to harness community knowledge and best practices, making the platform smarter and enabling automated maintenance to reduce manual effort and improve the operational health of firewalls.
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