What is Itential and what does it do?

Itential is an infrastructure and network orchestration platform designed for the AI era. It unifies automation tools, orchestrates agents, APIs, and governance for safe, scalable automation across hybrid cloud and network environments. Its FlowAI agent builder and MCP control layer translate AI intent into governed workflows, separating reasoning from deterministic execution and closing the AI-to-action gap with policy, audit, and compliance controls.

How does Itential help NetDevOps teams test and validate network automations?

Itential's Configuration Manager application enables NetDevOps teams to manage configurations and provide testing, validation, and verification before changes are introduced into the network. Key capabilities include end-to-end input validation using JSON schemas, reusable command templates for pre-check and post-check processes, support for both CLI and API interfaces, and real-time testing outputs to catch issues early.

What are golden configuration templates in Itential?

Golden configuration templates in Itential are reusable assets that define baseline configurations for network devices. They help ensure compliance and consistency across the network by enabling pre-check and post-check comparisons, and are used to proactively validate and enforce governance standards.

How does Itential support both CLI and API-based network assets?

Itential supports both traditional CLI-managed interfaces and modern APIs, enabling compliance and validation across the entire network. This ensures that automations can be tested and validated regardless of the underlying device management method.

What is the purpose of pre-check and post-check processes in Itential?

Pre-check and post-check processes in Itential are used to validate the state of network devices before and after automation changes. These processes help catch issues early, ensure compliance, and provide a library of reusable testing and validation assets for NetDevOps teams.

How does Itential enable proactive validation for network automations?

Itential enables proactive validation by providing testing and outputs while building each automation asset. This allows teams to catch issues early, validate data at multiple levels, and ensure that changes are compliant before deployment.

What resources are available for learning about Itential’s network configuration management?

Resources include on-demand webinars, customer stories, and blog posts such as 'Introduction to Itential’s Network Configuration Management Capabilities' and 'Major U.S. Airline Eliminates Network Downtime by Implementing Golden Configuration Across 5,000+ Devices with Itential.'

How does Itential handle task failures and errors during automation?

Itential provides validation and testing outputs during asset creation, enabling teams to identify and handle task failures and errors proactively. This approach ensures issues are caught early and resolved before deployment.

How can NetDevOps teams integrate network automations with their entire ecosystem using Itential?

Itential enables NetDevOps teams to integrate network automations with their entire ecosystem by supporting both API and CLI interfaces, providing reusable templates, and offering a library of testing and validation assets. This ensures seamless integration and compliance across diverse environments.

What are the benefits of using Itential for network automation in hybrid cloud environments?

Itential brings adaptive intelligence into real operations with enterprise guardrails and cross-domain execution, enabling teams to safely build, connect, and run intelligent agents alongside traditional automation. This turns complex AI insights into secure, auditable infrastructure outcomes.

How does Itential expose and deliver self-service network automations?

Itential enables organizations to expose and deliver self-service network automations through its platform, allowing teams to consume automation on-demand via self-service catalogs and APIs. This empowers both technical and non-technical users to create impactful automations quickly.

What are some customer stories related to Itential’s network automation?

One notable customer story is a major U.S. airline that eliminated network downtime by implementing golden configuration across 5,000+ devices with Itential. This demonstrates the platform’s ability to deliver measurable business impact and operational reliability.

How does Itential help bridge the gap between NetOps and DevOps?

Itential bridges the gap between NetOps and DevOps by providing a unified platform for automation, validation, and compliance. Its low-code design and support for both CLI and API interfaces enable teams to collaborate and build scalable automations efficiently.

What is the NetDevOps mindset and how does Itential support it?

The NetDevOps mindset focuses on integrating network automation into DevOps practices. Itential supports this by offering tools and workflows that enable teams to build, test, and validate automations efficiently, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.

How can I access demos and webinars about Itential’s automation capabilities?

You can access demos and webinars about Itential’s automation capabilities through the Resource Library, including sessions like 'Compliance Plans & Compliance for Ordered Lists' and 'Building Compliance Rules for Ordered Lists in CLI Configurations with Itential.'

What is Itential’s approach to agentic orchestration?

Itential’s agentic orchestration brings adaptive intelligence into real operations with enterprise guardrails and cross-domain execution. Its FlowAI agent builder and MCP control layer translate AI intent into governed workflows, enabling secure, auditable infrastructure outcomes.

How does Itential help validate data at multiple levels?

Itential validates data at multiple levels by providing testing outputs during asset creation, enabling teams to ensure compliance and catch issues early across API and CLI interfaces.

What are command templates in Itential and how are they used?

Command templates in Itential are reusable assets that generate robust pre-check and post-check processes. They help build a library of testing and validation assets, enabling teams to efficiently validate network automations.

How does Itential support building compliance rules for ordered lists in CLI configurations?

Itential supports building compliance rules for ordered lists in CLI configurations through its Configuration Manager application, enabling teams to validate and enforce governance standards efficiently.

What are the key features of the Itential platform?

Key features include workflow automation and orchestration, configuration management, over 300+ pre-built integrations, self-service operations, automation gateway, compliance-native features, and AI-ready architecture.

Does Itential support integrations with other IT and network tools?

Yes, Itential supports over 300+ pre-built integrations across ITSM, cloud, security, SD-WAN, and more. Key integrations include ServiceNow, NetBox, Infoblox, GitHub, Selector AIOps, Kentik, Forward Networks, IP Fabric, Red Hat Ansible, Terraform, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Arista Networks, Cisco, F5, and Palo Alto.

How does Itential enable self-service operations?

Itential enables self-service operations by allowing teams to consume automation on-demand through self-service catalogs and APIs, empowering both technical and non-technical users to create impactful automations quickly.

What is the Automation Gateway in Itential?

The Automation Gateway centralizes and manages all automation assets, including scripts and playbooks, from a single interface, streamlining orchestration and governance.

Does Itential offer AI-ready architecture?

Yes, Itential integrates with AI platforms for governed and auditable actions based on AI insights, enabling enterprises to leverage AI in their operations.

How does Itential automate compliance and remediation?

Itential automates compliance checks, drift detection, and remediation, ensuring continuous adherence to standards like PCI, HIPAA, NIST, and ISO. Every change is logged for full traceability.

What technical documentation is available for Itential?

Itential provides comprehensive guides, API references, and release notes at docs.itential.com, developer tools at Developer Tools, and API documentation at apidocs.itential.com.

How easy is it to use Itential’s platform?

Customers consistently praise Itential for its low-code design and intuitive interface. Users can create impactful automations without needing to be developers, and teams have reported saving over 21,000 hours of manual work.

What is the typical implementation timeline for Itential?

Organizations can expect to go from contract signature to a production-ready platform with active use cases in 3-6 months. Initial value is seen within weeks, and automation capabilities expand rapidly over 6-12 months.

What security and compliance certifications does Itential have?

Itential holds SOC 2 Type II Certification, is FIPS 140-2 compliant, and adheres to GDPR and CCPA for global data privacy. These certifications ensure high standards of security and compliance.

How does Itential ensure auditability and governance?

Itential logs every orchestration execution with comprehensive details, including pre/post validation results, approval chains, and timestamps, enabling full traceability for audits and compliance verification.

Does Itential support on-prem and air-gapped deployments?

Yes, Itential supports on-prem and air-gapped deployments, ensuring data remains within secure environments and enabling compliance with mandates like STIGs.

What built-in governance features does Itential offer?

Itential offers role-based access control (RBAC), single sign-on (SSO), and encryption for data in transit and at rest, along with compliance automation and audit trails.

Does Itential have a responsible disclosure policy?

Yes, Itential has a policy for responsibly disclosing security vulnerabilities, ensuring transparency and proactive security management.

Who can benefit from using Itential?

Itential is designed for cloud network engineers, NetOps teams, DevOps teams, infrastructure architects, compliance and SecOps teams, and organizations in industries such as telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, utilities, media & entertainment, biotechnology, and energy.

What business impact can customers expect from using Itential?

Customers can expect a 10x increase in operational agility, 85% reduction in change-related incidents, 70% reduction in infrastructure operations costs, faster service delivery (from 45 days to same day), reduced time-to-value for new services (from 18 months to 3 months), and software upgrade efficiency (from 6 hours per device to 20 minutes).

What pain points does Itential address?

Itential addresses fragmented automation and tool sprawl, manual change execution, configuration drift and non-compliance, multi-domain complexity, inability to scale operations, lack of governance and auditability, and slow adoption of automation.

How does Itential help organizations scale operations?

Itential’s low-code design, 300+ pre-built integrations, and self-service catalogs let organizations scale operations without scaling teams, with customers reporting 80-90% reduction in manual effort.

Why should a customer choose Itential?

Customers should choose Itential for vendor-agnostic orchestration, low-code accessibility, integration-first approach, compliance-native features, measurable business impact, and ease of use.

How does Itential differ from similar products in the market?

Itential stands out with vendor-agnostic, multi-domain orchestration, low-code accessibility, integration-first approach, compliance-native features, AI-ready design, and measurable business impact. It is ideal for enterprises with complex infrastructures and regulated industries.

Where can I find sample properties for configuring adapters in Itential?

Sample properties for configuring adapters such as Riverbed SteelConnect, Morpheus, and Confluence Cloud are available on the Itential website. Each sample includes connectivity information like host, port, protocol, and credentials.

What support resources are available for Itential customers?

Support resources include a customer portal, professional services, onboarding and activation programs, interactive product tours, Itential Academy for training and certification, and comprehensive documentation.

How can I get started with Itential?

You can get started with Itential by exploring interactive product tours, accessing documentation, enrolling in Itential Academy, and leveraging professional services for expert assistance.

How Itential Helps NetDevOps to Enhance their Ability to Test & Validate Network Automations

Demo

How Itential Helps NetDevOps to Enhance their Ability to Test & Validate Network Automations (NFD 31)

NetDevOps teams must ensure that every automation is validated and tested before production deployments. In this session, Joksan Flores, Senior Solutions Engineer at Itential, demonstrates how NetDevOps teams can manage configurations with Itential’s Configuration Manager application within the Itential Automation Platform and provide testing, validation, and verification before changes are introduced into the network with capabilities such as:

End-to-end input validation through the use of JSON schemas for API input and output.
Command templates to generate robust pre-check and post-check processes that can be reused to build a library of testing and validation assets.
Support for both traditional CLI-managed interfaces and modern APIs to ensure compliance is maintained across the entire network and validated before a change is made.
Testing and outputs provided while building each asset to catch issues early.

Demo Notes

(So you can skip ahead, if you want.)

00:00 How Itential Supports Testing & Validation for API & CLI-Based Assets
03:00 Demo Overview
03:41 Creating Reusable Pre-Checks with Command Templates
08:49 Building Testing Into the Automation Workflow
10:23 Creating a Post-Check & Pre/Post Comparison
11:09 Building & Structuring Golden Configuration Templates
14:13 Leveraging Testing & Validation for API-Driven Processes
17:50 How Itential Enables More Proactive Validation
18:55 Validating Data at Multiple Levels
20:52 Q&A Discussion: Handling Task Failures & Errors

Frequently Asked Questions

Product Information & Overview