Juniper targets WAN automation with new software suite

Juniper has unwrapped a suite of automation software it says will help users ensure their wide area network and cloud-connected services are running properly and cost-effectively.

The company’s Paragon Automation suite promises to help eliminate manual tasks and workflow processes to make sure WAN operations are working as expected and, if not, quickly fix problems.

The suite, which is aimed at large enterprises and service operators, includes an amalgamation of technology from Juniper’s existing NorthStar controller and Healthbot network-diagnostics packages combined with other organically developed features in combination with software it got with its recent Netrounds acquisition.

According to Juniper, Netrounds brought it a programmable, service-assurance package that uses software-based and traffic-generating test agents that can be run on premises or used and delivered as a cloud service.

The suite also includes a multi-vendor configuration and compliance-management module called ATOM, from Juniper partner Anuta Networks.

Paragon Automation suite is built on Kubernetes, and its microservices-based applications can work independently or be integrated with existing tools, Juniper stated.

The suite uses active test agents, scripts, streaming telemetry, and machine learning with closed-loop remediation to ensure optimal network efficiency and automatically remediate problems, said Brendan Gibbs, vice president of Automated WAN Solutions at Juniper Networks.

The suite also supports real-time awareness and visualization of network topology and integrated support for segment routing, MPLS and network slicing across all network domains, Juniper stated.   

It collects, aggregates, and analyzes real-time telemetry data to provide a complete view of device, network, and service health. And it uses ML algorithms to detect anomalies and make predictions about future device and network behavior, Juniper stated.

Paragon Automation also provides multi-layer root-cause analysis to visualize, analyze, and map service issues down to the device and from the device to the service. It extends automation throughout the Layer 2-through-Layer 7 network stack, across all domains and clouds, and the full network and service lifecycle, Gibbs said.

For enterprise users, Paragon can help monitor and ensure SD-WAN services are operating correctly and remediate problems if it spots them.  If enterprises have a managed service, for example, they can tell whether they are receiving enough bandwidth, and if not, why not, Gibbs said. 

If enterprise customers have multicloud services Paragon can tell them how well they are performing and pinpoint problems quickly, Gibbs said.

Users can add test systems or services to gauge their impact on the WAN before they turn them up, Gibbs added.

“Many organizations today are built on manual processes and antiquated tools, that can barely keep up with the growing complexity, scale and performance requirements of the applications they’re delivering,” Gibbs said. “As 5G and edge technologies bring even more cloud-hosted content, applications and services, businesses need to ensure that their networks remain predictable, stable, reliable and capable of providing a quick response to changing conditions,” Gibbs said.

Customers can pick and choose the Paragon modules they need, and the cloud-native components will be available in the first half of this year, Juniper said.