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As telecom providers evolve to support 5G and beyond, network complexity skyrockets. That’s where a “Dark NOC” comes into play. Contrary to what it might sound like, a Dark NOC doesn’t mean a completely deserted control room. Instead, it’s a NOC that can operate with minimal human oversight thanks to advanced automation. Routine and even some complex processes run autonomously, leaving human intervention only for specific, high-stakes scenarios.

It's expensive when you don't comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) controls — take for example the €310 million fine (equivalent to $335 million dollars) that LinkedIn received from the GDPR. In this case, they shared users’ personal data for targeted advertising and behavioural analyses, without asking for user consent. Can you afford €310 million? It might be time to automate GDPR controls for 24/7 compliance.

In the evolving landscape of telecommunications, terms like Digital Service Provider (DSP), Communications Service Provider (CSP), and Technology Company (TechCo) are reshaping how the industry approaches service delivery. As customer needs grow and network complexities increase, telecom network automation becomes central to meeting these demands.

With the shift toward 5G and the forthcoming 6G evolution, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are under increasing pressure to keep up with the complexities of modern telecommunications. At the heart of this evolution is the Radio Access Network (RAN), which has developed from supporting basic voice services to enabling the high-speed, low-latency networks essential for IoT, smart cities, and autonomous vehicles.

Have you seen the new Groups feature in CFEngine Enterprise Mission Portal? It was first released in 3.23.0 and it’s part of the 3.24 LTS series released earlier this year, let’s check it out. Groups in Mission Portal can be based on any host reported data. They can be dynamic (hosts can come and go from a group) or they can be static and tied to specific hosts by hostname, mac address, IP or CFEngine’s public key.

In early 2025, Puppet will begin to ship any new binaries and packages developed by our team to a private, hardened, and controlled location. Our intention with this change is not to limit community access to Puppet source code, but to address the growing risk of vulnerabilities across all software applications today while continuing to provide the security, support, and stability our customers deserve.

In today’s complex IT landscape, network automation is no longer a luxury; it’s essential. With over 65% of enterprise networking activities still being manually, the shift toward automation presents a massive opportunity to improve efficiency, reliability, and scalability. This guide will help IT leaders understand the market for network automation platforms, the key considerations for choosing a platform, and how these tools are redefining network management from Day 0 to Day N activities.