Top 10 Network Automation Pitfalls to Avoid

Although automation has many advantages, including increased productivity, fewer mistakes, and better network performance, many businesses unintentionally increase risks by making avoidable but straightforward errors. This blog explores ten common network automation errors that can decrease efficacy, create security flaws, and cause operational disruptions.

The significance of strategic planning, comprehensive documentation, stringent testing, and selecting the right tools for the job is all covered. Furthermore, the blog draws attention to frequently disregarded topics like scalability issues, safeguarding automation procedures, continuous employee training, and the crucial function of automated system monitoring and maintenance.

10 Common Network Automation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Network automation has become a billion-dollar industry in 2025. This tech helps businesses run their digital systems without human help. It was already worth $2.58 billion in 2021.

This growth is motivated by the need for faster, scaling, and more dependable networks. As far as 2026 is concerned, several businesses are believed to be leading in this area. The forecast is that a third of these organizations will fully automate half of their network operations. Quite notably, this is up from 10% midway through 2023.

However, as beneficial as this change seems, it is equally focused on the race toward “set it and forget it” network supervision, which needs to be critiqued for not paying attention to the automation of avoidable failures.

The kinds of automation often hide under-tested scripts, terrible tools, documentation, and dozens of other defaults and discrepancies that are systematic and almost certain to lead to costly delays or downtime in service and even leave system vulnerabilities.

Every aimless effort deserves to be redirected towards motivated automation to evoke lasting belief. This blog aims to present ten particular automation failures. The data recounted by eyewitnesses and carefully recorded tells quite a different narrative aimed at inspiring confidence and hope.

So, let us outline the facts.

Understanding Network Automation: What It Is and Why It Matters More Than Ever?

Tech operations like configuration, management, testing, and deployment activities across all network interfaces are known as network automation, whether on a physical or virtual system. Automating non-stop network functions helps in improving the availability of network services.

The rapid growth of connected devices is the primary reason for all that network automation. The current number of IoT connections is expected to reach 37.4 billion by 2030, according to GSMA. It is also anticipated that there will be 156 million IoT connections on cellular networks in key locations in less than ten years.

IoT Network Connections licenses this: in important areas, the number of cellular networks will rise to 156 million in under ten years. This is something new to think about in the modern digital world.

Every automated network process can be accomplished with 100% greater efficiency than those managed manually. Because automated networks are less susceptible to human influence, the chances of making errors are also lower, making it easier to automate error prevention.

Through achieving efficiency, network automation systems assist in achieving business objectives, thus helping achieve business objectives sooner. Saving costs for the company becomes possible due to the processes being streamlined, resources being reduced, software being optimized for improved performance, and, as a result, fewer costs being incurred by the company. Network automation greatly increases business efficacy ratios, which are now at an all-time high.

Although network automation solutions have many advantages, there are several drawbacks. Organizations must be knowledgeable and conscious of network automation. Let’s discuss some of the most common mistakes that can backfire on network automation processes.

Common Pitfalls in Network Automation and How to Avoid Them

IT departments are constantly under pressure to make sure their networks can handle the demanding workloads, new technologies, and rapid growth that organizations are trying to keep up with. Numerous IT professionals are either contemplating their initial steps or have already begun the network automation process. Both groups must overcome several obstacles to create and maintain an automated network that will satisfy business demands for innovation and change.

Neglecting Error Handling

Working, unattended scripts and automated systems risk failing and defaulting to conservative modes because of factors such as device unavailability, slow network responsiveness, and frequent and unpredictable changes within the environment. If errors are not appropriately managed, automation processes may freeze at some checkpoint and keep the system inconsistent. Additionally, without sufficient information to diagnose the root cause of the issue, resolving it becomes increasingly cumbersome.

How to fix this:

• Use try-except blocks to capture the errors.
• Whenever possible, implement handling of specific cases to improve the accuracy of the response.
• Employ logging mechanisms to capture error details to ease troubleshooting. This will simplify the diagnosis process in the future.

Neglecting Scalability Considerations

Automation scripts that work flawlessly in small environments tend to underperform spectacularly in larger ones. Executing tasks serially on hundreds or thousands of network devices often results in excessive runtime, timeouts, and stalled operations. Furthermore, poorly optimized code consumes an inordinate amount of resources, resulting in sluggish performance across all systems.

How to fix this:

• Use multithreading or multiprocessing to execute tasks concurrently.
• Adopt efficient data structures to handle long lists of devices effectively.
• Utilize generators to process large volumes of data with minimal memory consumption.
• Implement batching or pagination for API and database interactions.
• Employ asynchronous programming techniques to speed up waiting periods associated with disk or network I/O.

Overreliance on Vendor-Supplied “Automation” Tools

While other vendors handle our network services, this approach has pros and cons. Although vendor tools are designed to serve some common business scenarios, they rarely allow adequate customization.

Custom business needs that are not addressed simply are mostly complicated. Tight vendor lock-in may create obstacles for businesses, as cross-system integration, migrations, or even vendor-neutral exits require extensive cumbersome modifications. Furthermore, these tools automate basic tasks such as configuration pushes and do not offer advanced multi-step workflows like rollback, validation, or orchestration. Reliance on these tools is detrimental to the business in other ways, too.

What can be done:

• Develop workflows that span many platforms instead of focusing on a single product line.
• Design network services aligned to business intent rather than focusing on GUI-driven automation or device-centric command execution.

Neglecting Security in Automation

Automating business functions enhances productivity; however, automation can prove to be hazardous regarding security, especially for network systems, as it provides an entry point for attacks. Network attacks become simpler since the system is shared and the data resides in the cloud. These threats can undermine the network’s protection, privacy, rights, confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability.

How to fix it:

• Encryption, authentication, authorization, auditing, and even AI ethics, such as fairness and accountability, are some of the best practices required for network security and ethics compliance during network automation projects.

Not Enough Continual Maintenance and Monitoring

Network automation comprises many composite parts working on factors such as data sources, AI models, network devices, applications, and user interfaces. All these elements must operate in synchrony.

Trying to manage all these disparate components from different vendors or manufacturing standards simultaneously can pose a critical dilemma.

How to Solve:

• Cross-disciplinary frameworks should consider a modular, flexible, and standardized approach to efficiently demonstrate network automation and its design. Focus must be placed on tools that enable compatibility to foster cohesion.

Neglecting the Prodigious Complexity and Expecting a Fast Result

Networks often fall into the trap of falsely assuming that network automation will deliver immediate productivity gains alongside time and error reduction boosts. One untouched script has the potential to disrupt the control of hundreds of devices. This is a perfect example of expectation-dimming perception regarding complexity, one of the greater centerpieces of network automation.

How to fix it?

• Network automation should be approached similarly to software development, which includes change management, documentation, peer review, and testing.
• Use scoped wins to demonstrate value before moving on to more critical tasks.
• Employ canary deployments to gradually implement changes across the network rather than all at once.

Failing to define clear objectives

Avoid beginning with a complicated objective that includes automating the testing of an entire application. This frequently results in big mistakes that require the entire framework to be redesigned, which results in a loss of money, time, and effort. Hence, clarity in defining clear objectives is a must.

How to fix it?

• Start small. Select several high-level functions that are easier to test and more reliable.
• Utilize the input to gradually construct an automation pipeline with the appropriate personnel and tools.

Inadequate Training

Another obstacle to network automation is developing a shift in network professionals’ culture and closing the skills gap. AI for network automation necessitates both soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and communication and technical skills like programming, data science, machine learning, and network engineering.

How to fix it?

In addition to funding mentoring, education, and training initiatives, network automation must establish a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that promotes experimentation, learning, and feedback.

Ignoring Error Handling and Logging

Network environments are often inherently unpredictable due to factors like device availability, network congestion, and many configuration changes. Unhandled exceptions can lead to partial script execution, potentially leaving networks in an inconsistent state.

How to fix?

To address this issue, implement comprehensive error handling using try-except blocks. Use specific exception types when possible to provide more targeted error handling. Implement logging to record error details, which will be invaluable during troubleshooting.

Ignoring Network Documentation

Although it might seem the most tedious thing, proper logging and documentation are often ignored, even though they are essential for troubleshooting. It becomes difficult for you or others to understand and maintain the code without documentation. Inadequate logging complicates debugging and troubleshooting, especially when issues arise in production environments. Recurring errors and operational inefficiencies might be caused by insufficient logging and documentation.

How to fix?

We can address this by implementing thorough documentation and logging procedures. Functions, classes, and modules can be documented using docstrings. Add inline comments for intricate reasoning. Use type hints to make code easier to read and self-document.

Key Tools to Fix Common Automation Pitfalls

Other than following best practices, some amazing tools and software can help fix common automation pitfalls. The ability to handle complex multi-cloud environments is critical to the future of IT. This demanding task relies heavily on network automation. Like an orchestra conductor, network automation ensures that every cloud platform contributes harmoniously. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of network automation in handling the complexity of multi-cloud environments.

Tool	Type	Core Strengths	Key Capabilities	Ideal Use Cases	Limitations
Ansible	Agentless automation platform (push model)	Simple YAML syntax, huge ecosystem, quick onboarding	Network configuration push Device provisioning OS upgrades Multi-vendor modules (e.g., Cisco, Juniper, Arista) Templating with Jinja2	Multi-vendor environments with repeatable tasks. Great for teams new to automation	Not state-aware; limited for event-driven or large-scale orchestration
Nornir	Python-native automation framework	Fully programmable and scriptable; better performance control	Parallel execution with threading Native Python logic Custom plugin support Inventory-driven operations Tight integration with Netmiko/Napalm	Power users building custom automations in Python; better control over parallelism and logic	Requires Python skills; lacks a GUI; steeper learning curve than Ansible
NetBox	Network Source of Truth (SoT) & IPAM	Centralized network inventory and relationship mapping	Tracks IPs, devices, interfaces, VLANs, circuits REST API integration Device templating Used as inventory for automation tools	Teams needing reliable network documentation, dynamic inventory, and policy validation	Doesn’t perform automation directly; relies on external tools for execution
Cisco NSO	Model-driven network orchestration	Transactional deployments, rollback, multi-vendor abstraction	YANG-based service modeling Live device sync Configuration consistency validation Rollback capabilities High-availability support	Enterprises and carriers with highly regulated and mission-critical deployments	Expensive, complex, and focused heavily on the Cisco ecosystem despite multi-vendor support
SaltStack (Salt Project)	Event-driven automation & configuration management	Real-time remote execution; state-driven enforcement	Agentless or agent-based modes Network device support via proxy minions Event bus for reactive automation Compliance enforcement Extensible modules and templating	High-frequency state enforcement large-scale operations needing fast, reactive responses	More commonly used in system config than networks; smaller ecosystem vs Ansible
Terraform (with network providers)	Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tool	Declarative provisioning across cloud and on-prem	API-based device provisioning Declarative config with .tf files Vendor modules (e.g., Palo Alto, F5, Cisco ACI) State management and rollback	Hybrid networks with a mix of cloud and on-prem resources; reproducible deployments	Not CLI-based; unsuitable for low-level device configs or real-time orchestration
Batfish	Configuration validation and modeling tool	Proactive config analysis verifies intent before deployment	Pre-change validation Routing and policy simulation ACL and reachability analysis Static config modeling	Teams prioritizing change assurance, error prevention, and policy correctness	Doesn’t automate configuration changes; read-only analysis tool.