The Evolution of NetOps

I began my career in ’93 as a new network admin — spinning up the days of voice and data muxing over PSTN. It was simple, a bit clunky and, yeah, occasionally frustrating. But I learned one thing from those experiences: networks were not just pipes; they were living, breathing ecosystems. And then the Slammer worm in 2003 — the first real klaxon to scream that this static, manual network management gubbins just isn’t going to be enough any longer.

That was the moment we all needed. And suddenly, automation wasn’t a luxury, it was a necessity. Fast forward that to today: NetOps (Network Operations) is not just keeping the network alive, but rather running networks with security baked deep in every byte. And I am still thrilled from last week’s DefCon hardware hacking village, and from witnessing the chaos and brilliance that once again reminded you: Security cannot be, ahem, an afterthought.

Key Benefits for Enterprises

So here’s the thing — enterprises cannot ignore this change. If you’re still doing things manually, you’re essentially driving a car with no power steering on a crowded highway. It’s a dangerous, ineffective, antiquated system.

Security-Driven Automation Mindset for NetOps

NetOps can deliver the following with the support of a security-driven automation mindset:

• Heightened Visibility: Get to see your network visitors and security events even as taking place. You can see everything, and react faster.
• Reliable Policy Enforcement: Never worry about human-anomalies that can mess up your firewall rules or access controls.
• Automation: With the support of automation, threats can be noticed and remedied before it becomes as widespread as wildfire.
• Scalability: Your network operations don’t fold under the weight of a growing business — they scale with it.
• Cost Saving: Saving operational costs by minimizing manual work and preventing costly damages.

I recently helped three banks upgrade their zero-trust architectures using NetOps principles — the speed and compliance of policy rollout have been mind-blowing. Banks aren’t startups — they require ironclad security, and they need it yesterday.

What does secure NetOps look like with Fortinet?

Personally, I think Fortinet is doing a lot here. At P J Networks, we’ve invested heavily in deploying and managing Fortinet for netops over the years. And why not? Fortinet marries full-featured firewall with automation-friendly design – a solid foundation to today’s cybersecurity needs.

What sets them apart:

• Integrated Security Fabric — All of It: Firewalls, VPNs and endpoint management all linked up.
• Automation APIs: Let their NetOps teams script, automate and deploy without breaking a sweat.
• Advanced Threat Intelligence: Feeds for your defensive nature to be ready!

But I’ll be honest — I get skeptical of shiny buzzwords like AI-powered security pasted across marketing collateral. Say I’m old-school, but give me a lot of good old engineering + transparency over hype any day.

PJ Networks’ NetOps Solutions

Here’s where I can do a little bragging. Here at PJ Networks, we don’t just take firewalls and routers off the shelf. We design bespoke NetOps models with a focus on security-based network automation. Our customers demand more than equipment,they require peace of mind, and they deserve excellence.

Our approach:

• Evaluate your current weaknesses in network security (that’s right, tearing it up on those gnarly old systems from your 90s days; they’re still around, right?).
• Look for automation opportunities that correspond to your business risks.
• Develop secure and scalable NetOps pipelines utilizing Fortinet technology.
• Ongoing monitoring and improvements — because network security is not a set-and-forget-it proposition.

The results? Significant reductions in response time to incidents, in manual errors and a network that adapts to the rhythm of your business.

Quick Take

• NetOps = network operations + security + automation. Don’t you dare miss this combo.
• Automation isn’t taking away human teams’ jobs; it’s giving them the ability to work smarter.
• Fortinet gives you a strong base, but where the magic really happens is when you can begin to customize and integrate in other elements to fit your business.
• PJ Networks is your way to take those complicated networks and turn them into reliable, security-first, automated machines.

Conclusion

I’m going to be honest — if your network operations team isn’t jumping on this transition of NetOps, you’re going to be in pain. The threat landscape in cybersecurity is changing way too quickly. Remember the Slammer worm? That was just a warm-up.

You don’t lose control with automation, you gain it — big time. It means fewer mistakes, quicker reactions and stronger defenses. Fortinet’s (they’ll probably bristle at this but whatever) seem to me like black boxes. Certain black boxes are hard to get the full potential out of, and now only consider me humble — but I don’t mind saying I am good at this; you’re welcome — expert-for-hire consultants are needed to shape these supermassive tech giants into graceful, useful, fast solutions.

Still, I get the hesitation. Other people (myself, an oldster, included) have been burned by overhyped solutions that promise the moon. NetOps isn’t a silver bullet — it’s a change in mindset and practice for your team. And if you are ready to commit? So not really sure about that future.

Oh, and one last complaint — password policies are still a disaster. Automate everything — but don’t leave out the pesky passwords. Businesses behave as if when they slap a complexity rule, job done. No. It’s putting the wrong ingredient into a cake mix and hoping it tastes okay. Trust me — I’ve been there, done that and scraped out the baking tray.

So, yeah, NetOps is the future — in fact, it is the present. So it’s time to pour that third cup of coffee, make sure your team is on-board, and let’s work on building networks which don’t just survive — but thrive in this crazy cybersecurity jungle.

— Sanjay Seth

P J Networks Pvt Ltd
Cyber-Security Consultant since the beginning of the millennium