Automating the modern network: A Q1 network automation recap

As the first quarter of 2026 comes to a close, we have seen a shift in the role of network automation. It's no longer a "nice to have" and instead is a critical support for AI-driven workloads, edge computing, and hybrid cloud environments. For network operations (NetOps) teams, there has been a transition from managing individual devices to orchestrating entire service delivery frameworks.

The momentum we've seen this past quarter highlights that Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is the standard trusted execution layer for this transformation. Organizations are moving away from isolated team structures and high-risk manual changes, and instead embracing a unified Infrastructure as Code strategy to ensure that the network is an accelerator for the business and not a bottleneck.

Let's take a look back at some of the major milestones from the past three months.

Events

Ansible Automation Platform experts traveled to Cisco Live in Amsterdam in early February, providing valuable learning and best-practice sharing opportunities. Over four days at the event, the team ran 32 labs, covering topics from network automation fundamentals to integrating Event-Driven Ansible into existing network automation workflows. The event was a success, allowing the Red Hat Ansible team to connect with and empower users globally. To learn more about Red Hat's participation, visit the event page.

Our team also had the opportunity to collaborate with two of our partners for webinars that covered our joint solutions. In case you missed either of them, you can watch the recordings:

• Automate your network modernization with Red Hat and F5
• Automating network policies with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Palo Alto Networks Next Generation Firewalls

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform updates

There have been some exciting updates to Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform lately, including improvements to routing, interface management, and features for FIPS compliance.

Advanced routing and interface management

This quarter, we significantly expanded our Cisco certified content to provide deeper configuration parity across platforms. Key highlights include:

• BFD support for Cisco IOS: We introduced new bfd_global and bfd_interfaces modules to the cisco.ios collection, enabling standardized bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) configuration similar to our NXOS offerings.
• L3 interface enhancements: We extended the cisco.ios.ios_l3_interfaces resource module to support critical attributes like ip redirects and ip unreachables. For IOS-XR users, the iosxr_l3_interfaces module now supports carrier-delay, dampening, and load-interval configurations.
• Streamlined NetFlow and Xconnect: We simplified NetFlow management in IOS-XR by allowing bidirectional ingress and egress flow configurations in a single action. Additionally, we added xconnect encapsulation attributes to the cisco.ios.ios_l2_interfaces module to support more complex transport scenarios.

FIPS compliance

To meet the needs of our public sector and highly regulated customers, we introduced a new use_libssh option for netconf connections within the ansible.netcommon collection (v8.4.0). This enables encrypted, FIPS-compliant SSH transport for Netconf-based automation.

Partner updates

Our Red Hat Ansible Certified Content ecosystem has continued to grow, enabling NetOps teams to unify their multivendor environments with proven, supported automation. New partner integrations and automation content include:

F5

F5 introduced their new Ansible validated content collection for network modernization use cases and migration scenarios. The Ansible validated content collection delivers a turnkey Ansible automation framework aimed at modernizing legacy F5 BIG-IP platforms by streamlining the migration, upgrade, and restoration of critical configurations across older and newer appliance models. The codebase is organized into distinct folders for standalone (single-node) and high-availability (HA) deployments, and includes a comprehensive roles directory encapsulating reusable functionality such as backup (UCS/crypto), disable tasks, tenant creation, and restoration workflows.

Organizations running older BIG-IP hardware or software versions often face challenges when upgrading to newer F5 platforms such as rSeries and VELOS. Manual migration and restoration processes are error-prone and time-consuming, especially in HA environments.

Palo Alto

Network security teams are often overwhelmed by constant access requests. While least-privileged access and advanced filtering can build strong security, they can also result in complex, constantly changing rulebases. Manual request handling is slow, inconsistent, and error-prone, creating delays. Palo Alto Networks Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW) new Ansible validated content collection paloaltonetworks.panos_policy_automation offers a solution for these challenges by:

• Automating the network access request lifecycle
• Preventing policy sprawl
• Implementing intelligent policy testing
• Defining clear business rules in code

Arista

Arista AVD is an open source automation framework built on Python and packaged as the Red Hat Ansible Certified collection arista.avd. Arista AVD enables organizations to design, deploy, and validate Arista network fabrics using Infrastructure as Code. AVD abstracts complex network configurations into intuitive data models, automatically generating production-ready extensible operating system (EOS) configurations, comprehensive documentation, and Arista network test automation (ANTA) validation tests. Trusted by leading enterprises and service providers across all verticals worldwide, AVD accelerates network deployments while enabling consistency and compliance with Arista's validated design patterns.

• AVD now supports ansible-core 2.19+ (currently qualified with ansible-core 2.16 to 2.21)
• A redesigned avd.arista.com website provides a better user experience, with better navigation and lots of investment in future releases with new how-to guides
• As of AVD 6.1.0, examples have interactive labs (available to Arista customers for free through the AVD Playground)
• Updated eos_designs role adheres to latest network deployment best practices
• Improved build performance and scale to support large inventories (1000+ nodes)
• CloudVision integration, cv_deploy role, and support for HTTP proxy
• The anta_runner role is now core to the AVD project (allowing migration from the eos_validate_state role), with enhancements to capabilities with anta_runner for detailed tests and results

The AVD project follows semantic versioning, and AVD 6 introduces breaking changes, so consult the release notes and porting guide for more details before upgrading!

Cisco

Infrastructure and network automation is evolving fast, and the latest updates from Cisco and Red Hat are a testament to that momentum. From cloud-managed compute to deep security integrations to robust network automation, these new tools are designed to turn complex operations into repeatable, code-driven workflows.

Cisco Intersight

The Cisco Intersight Ansible collection has seen explosive growth, recently expanding 10-fold to include over 100 modules. This collection is a powerhouse for modernizing data centers, allowing teams to automate everything from Day 0 server provisioning to Day 2 operations like firmware upgrades and port configurations.

Datacenter Day 2 operations with Cisco Validated Designs

Automation is most effective when it follows a proven blueprint. The new Cisco Validated Design (CVD) specifically targets Day 2 operations for Cisco Compute. CVD provides a standardized architecture for using Ansible Automation Platform to manage ongoing maintenance and optimization. By leveraging the CVD, you can reduce the risk of configuration drift, maintaining a performant and secure compute environment long after the initial deployment.

Cisco Catalyst Center: The power of choice

Adding to this momentum is the new Red Hat Ansible Certified Content Collection for Cisco Catalyst Center, now available on Ansible automation hub. This Red Hat Ansible Certified collection streamlines enterprise networking by automating device onboarding, software image management (SWIM), and site-wide policy enforcement. By moving these tasks into Ansible automation hub, network engineers have access to supported, enterprise-grade content that integrates seamlessly with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.

Cisco Meraki: Visibility and indirect node counting

We've improved how organizations track their automated footprint in cloud-managed environments. The cisco.meraki collection (v2.22.0) now includes indirect node counting for Cisco Meraki switches and an inventory plug-in. This allows platform administrators to accurately report on devices managed through the Meraki dashboard controller that have been impacted by Ansible Automation Platform.

Splunk and Ansible Automation Platform: Security at scale

In modern networks, subtle security signals buried in operational logs can be instantly addressed. By integrating Splunk with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, organizations enable immediate, automated remediation. There have been several key releases designed for supporting modern networks in Security as Code, to learn more check out our recent blog. 

Looking ahead

The achievements over the last three months have set a high bar for the rest of the year. As we move into the next quarter, our focus remains on helping you scale these successes across your entire enterprise.

Continue to explore and learn more:

• Start your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform trial
• Register for Red Hat Summit and explore the session catalog
• Sign up for our webinar, Network Automation 101
• Read Streamline your network operations with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Cisco Meraki
• Read Strategic momentum: The new era of Red Hat and HPE Juniper network automation
• Watch Nautobot + Ansible Automation Platform: Automating from a Network Source of Truth
• Find out how Turkcell builds resilient telco cloud with Red Hat