"When asked about barriers to automation, only 10% cited technical challenges. Meanwhile, 44% pointed to problems: Skills gaps, organizational dysfunction, cultural resistance and yes, sometimes, just personalities that don't mesh. Let that sink in: The tools work. Python is mature. Ansible is everywhere. Source-of-truth platforms are production-ready. The tech isn't the bottleneck - people are - and this aligns with something else the recent NetDevOps article touched on: Nearly half the organizations have no formal measurement of automation success."
"You can't fund what you can't prove, and you can't prove what you don't measure. This is the real challenge in NetDevOps adoption. It's not about writing better Python. It's about organizational change management. It's about communication. It's about building trust between teams that have historically operated in silos."
"There's this persistent idea that NetDevOps requires mythical hires, people who are simultaneously expert network engineers expert software developers expert DevOps practitioners. These people exist. I've met a few. But building your automation strategy around finding them is a losing game."
"Research from theCUBE shows that organizations prioritizing internal upskilling outperform those relying on net-new hires. But I want to amplify this point: You already have the people you need. They just need to evolve."
Network engineers are increasingly taking on NetDevOps roles to address stalled automation efforts, but the main barrier is not technical. A 2025 survey of 681 network professionals across 58 countries found only 10% cited technical challenges as barriers to automation, while 44% cited people-related problems such as skills gaps, organizational dysfunction, cultural resistance, and personality mismatches. Tools and technologies are mature, including Python, Ansible, and source-of-truth platforms. Nearly half of organizations lack formal measurement of automation success, limiting funding and proof. NetDevOps therefore depends on organizational change management, communication, and building trust across siloed teams. Internal upskilling is positioned as a stronger approach than relying on rare “unicorn” hires.
#netdevops #network-automation #organizational-change-management #skills-development #automation-measurement
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