Frequently Asked Questions
Product Information: Cisco NSO Adapter & Itential Platform
What is the Cisco NSO adapter from Itential?
The Cisco NSO adapter from Itential is a connector that integrates the Itential Automation Platform (IAP) with Cisco NSO for device and service management. It enables operations such as creation, modification, and deletion of services, as well as dynamic form generation based on YANG service models within NSO. [Source]
What operations can I perform with the Cisco NSO adapter?
With the Cisco NSO adapter, you can add or remove device components for monitoring, manage devices during maintenance (including disabling polling and pausing alerts), enable group management, generate SLA reports, and perform capacity planning by managing alerts during workflow fixes. [Source]
How does the Cisco NSO adapter help with device monitoring?
When a new device is turned up, it can be automatically added to monitoring. When a device is turned down, it can be automatically removed from monitoring, ensuring accurate and up-to-date monitoring coverage. [Source]
Can I manage device groups with the Cisco NSO adapter?
Yes, the adapter allows you to add or remove devices or device components from groups, enabling efficient group management for operational tasks. [Source]
How does the Cisco NSO adapter support maintenance operations?
During device maintenance, polling can be disabled to avoid false data, and alerts sent to Operations can be paused, reducing unnecessary notifications and ensuring accurate monitoring data. [Source]
What reporting capabilities does the Cisco NSO adapter provide?
The adapter enables the generation of SLA reports and can trigger alerts in Cisco NSO if there is an issue with an IAP automation, supporting proactive monitoring and compliance. [Source]
How does the Cisco NSO adapter assist with capacity planning?
When a workflow fix is underway, alerts can be set to ignore so Operations teams are not notified of extraneous information. Alerts can also be set to automatically clear after a workflow has addressed an issue, streamlining capacity planning and incident management. [Source]
What is the Itential Automation Platform?
The Itential Automation Platform is a low-code orchestration platform that supports both network and cloud infrastructure automation. It enables organizations to build, test, and run end-to-end automation workflows across hybrid environments. [Source]
How does Itential integrate with Cisco NSO?
Itential integrates with Cisco NSO via its dedicated adapter, enabling seamless orchestration of device and service management tasks, dynamic form generation, and workflow automation based on YANG models. [Source]
What are the main benefits of using the Cisco NSO adapter with Itential?
The main benefits include automated device onboarding/offboarding, streamlined maintenance operations, efficient group management, proactive SLA reporting, and improved capacity planning through automated alert management. [Source]
Can the Cisco NSO adapter help reduce manual processes?
Yes, by automating device management, maintenance, and alerting, the adapter reduces the need for manual intervention, increasing operational efficiency and reducing errors. [Source]
Is the Cisco NSO adapter suitable for large-scale environments?
Yes, the adapter is designed to support large-scale device and service management, making it suitable for enterprises and service providers with complex infrastructures. [Source]
Does the Cisco NSO adapter support dynamic form generation?
Yes, the adapter supports dynamic form generation based on YANG service models within NSO, enabling flexible and customizable workflows. [Source]
How does the Cisco NSO adapter handle alerts during workflow fixes?
Alerts can be set to ignore during workflow fixes to prevent unnecessary notifications, and can be automatically cleared once the workflow is completed, ensuring efficient incident management. [Source]
What types of organizations benefit from the Cisco NSO adapter?
Organizations with complex, multi-device environments—such as enterprises, service providers, and those requiring automated device and service management—benefit from the Cisco NSO adapter. [Source]
How does the Cisco NSO adapter improve operational efficiency?
By automating device onboarding, maintenance, group management, and alerting, the adapter streamlines operations, reduces manual workload, and minimizes the risk of errors. [Source]
Can the Cisco NSO adapter be used for compliance reporting?
Yes, the adapter supports SLA reporting and can trigger alerts for compliance-related issues, aiding in proactive compliance management. [Source]
Is the Cisco NSO adapter part of the Itential Automation Marketplace?
Yes, the Cisco NSO adapter is available as part of the Itential Automation Marketplace, where you can find pre-built integrations and adapters for various platforms. [Source]
Where can I find documentation for the Cisco NSO adapter?
Documentation for the Cisco NSO adapter and other Itential integrations is available at docs.itential.com. [Source]
Features & Capabilities
What features does the Itential Automation Platform offer?
Itential offers low-code workflow orchestration, multi-domain and vendor-agnostic orchestration, compliance-native features (golden configs, drift detection), 300+ pre-built integrations, self-service operations, an automation gateway, and AI-ready design for integrating with LLMs and AIOps platforms. [Source]
Does Itential support API integrations?
Yes, Itential is built with an API-first architecture and supports integration with any system that has an API, including REST, SOAP, and gRPC protocols. [Source]
What are some key integrations available with Itential?
Key integrations include ServiceNow, NetBox, Selector AIOps, Forward Networks, Kentik, IP Fabric, Arista Networks, Cisco, F5, GitHub, Infoblox, Juniper, Messaging Systems, Palo Alto, Red Hat Ansible, Terraform, and SD-WAN. [Source]
Does Itential provide a customizable performance dashboard?
Yes, Itential provides a customizable performance and compliance dashboard for monitoring historical and real-time data, including performance metrics, inventory insights, operational status, and compliance status. [Source]
What compliance and security features does Itential offer?
Itential offers enterprise-grade security with encryption in transit and at rest, RBAC, SSO, SOC 2 Type II certification, FIPS 140-2 compliance, GDPR and CCPA adherence, audit logging, and compliance-native features like golden configs and drift detection. [Source]
Does Itential support both low-code and high-code automation?
Yes, Itential provides a low-code platform for rapid workflow creation and also supports high-code extensibility for custom use cases, catering to both non-technical users and advanced developers. [Source]
Is Itential AI-ready?
Yes, Itential is designed to integrate with Large Language Models (LLMs), AIOps platforms, and agents, enabling AI-driven infrastructure automation and orchestration. [Source]
Can I access technical documentation for Itential?
Yes, comprehensive technical documentation, developer tools, and interactive product tours are available at docs.itential.com and Product Tours. [Source]
Use Cases & Benefits
What problems does Itential solve?
Itential addresses fragmented toolsets, manual processes, network automation bottlenecks, complex network environments, legacy system integration, 24/7 uptime requirements, cybersecurity risks, slow service delivery, and adoption challenges. [Source]
Who can benefit from using Itential?
Cloud network engineers, NetOps teams, DevOps teams, infrastructure architects, compliance and SecOps teams, and organizations in industries like financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, and utilities can benefit from Itential. [Source]
What business impact can I expect from using Itential?
Customers have achieved a 10x increase in operational agility, up to 70% lower infrastructure operations costs, 85% reduction in change-related incidents, and service delivery times improved from 45 days to same day. [Source]
Can you share some customer success stories?
Yes. Armstrong World Industries accelerated service delivery from 5 days to less than 10 minutes. Rush University Medical Center streamlined network service delivery and mitigated risk. Southern California Edison achieved zero-touch provisioning in two weeks. See more at Customer Stories.
What industries are represented in Itential's case studies?
Industries include enterprise, financial services, neocloud & AI data centers, communications service providers, public sector, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy & utilities. [Source]
How easy is it to get started with Itential?
Itential offers a structured onboarding program, interactive product tours, and Itential Academy for training. Organizations can see improvements within weeks for simple workflows, and full-scale implementations typically take 2-4 months. [Source]
What feedback have customers given about Itential's ease of use?
Customers highlight the low-code design, rapid onboarding, and ease of integration. For example, RUSH University Medical Center noted that impactful automations can be created without needing to be a developer. [Source]
Security & Compliance
What security certifications does Itential have?
Itential holds SOC 2 Type II certification and is FIPS 140-2 compliant, meeting rigorous standards for data protection and cryptographic security. [Source]
How does Itential ensure compliance and auditability?
All security changes are logged with comprehensive details, enabling full traceability for audits, compliance verification, and reporting. The platform also supports GDPR and CCPA standards. [Source]
Does Itential support secure deployments for public sector organizations?
Yes, Itential supports on-prem and air-gapped deployments for secure environments, making it suitable for public sector organizations. [Source]
Competition & Comparison
How does Itential compare to Cisco's own automation solutions?
Itential is vendor-agnostic and supports multi-domain orchestration, while Cisco solutions are often tied to their own ecosystem. Itential also provides low-code and high-code flexibility, and compliance-native features like golden configurations and drift detection. [Source]
How does Itential differ from Arista Networks?
Arista focuses on network visibility and telemetry, while Itential offers end-to-end orchestration and automation across network and cloud infrastructure, with a low-code platform and AI-driven event detection. [Source]
How does Itential integrate with Terraform?
Itential integrates Terraform scripts into its workflows, wrapping them with secure, browsable APIs and enabling programmatic access and multi-domain orchestration beyond Terraform's IaC capabilities. [Source]
What makes Itential unique compared to other network automation platforms?
Itential's unique strengths include vendor-agnostic, multi-domain orchestration, low-code and high-code flexibility, compliance-native features, AI-ready design, and a large library of pre-built integrations. [Source]
Support & Implementation
What support services does Itential offer?
Itential provides technical support via a customer portal, professional services for implementation and integration, a customer success program, and training through Itential Academy. [Source]
How long does it take to implement Itential?
Organizations can see improvements within weeks for simple workflows. Full-scale implementations across multiple domains typically take 2-4 months, depending on project scope and complexity. [Source]
Where can I get training on Itential?
Training and certification programs are available through Itential Academy at Itential Academy. [Source]
How can I contact Itential for support?
You can access technical support, submit tickets, and manage cases through the customer portal at Itential Customer Portal. [Source]