Perfect combination of many features.
July 14, 2025

Perfect combination of many features.

Asad Khan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Community

Overall Satisfaction with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

As a Systems Architect, I deploy K8s clusters and set up deployment systems as a PoC in my lab, and troubleshoot the same in production. Most deployments involve multi-cluster 5G network nodes on any CaaS layer. Ansible helps me automatically configure node settings on top of any IaC tool. This includes multi-OS configuration, simplification of network device configuration, patching, and other related tasks.

Pros

  • It reduces custom scripting efforts because everything can be scripted in simple, human-readable YAML playbooks.
  • Not only servers, but also network devices, VMs, Containers, Kubernetes clusters, etc., can be automated via Ansible, showcasing its extensive list of supported devices.
  • It is agentless, which makes it lightweight and allows for easy integration into CI/CD and GitOps pipelines.
  • Many Tier-1 telcos use Ansible for Day 0/1/2 automation of RAN, transport, and core infrastructure (e.g., network function lifecycle management, NE configuration push, patching VNFs).

Cons

  • Ansible is still not truly declarative like Terraform.
  • Simple automation is fine, but creating complex, scalable automation scripts is very difficult to learn.
  • For a higher number of nodes, Ansible consumes a lot of resources. It needs the paid version of AAP, which requires a cost.
  • In terms of time, around 70-80 % of savings can be achieved as compared to manually patching the nodes.
  • In terms of network deployment, automating Day-0 and Day-1 of network configuration can result in an overall reduction of 30-40%.
  • In terms of headcount, a reduction of around 40% in human resources can be achieved, as the same team can handle more tasks with Ansible.
  • Depending on scale, the overall ROI of 50-100% can be achieved in 1-3 years
Ansible is a mature, tested automation tool for network and cloud automation. Currently, Ansible is a perfect combination of ease of use, integration capabilities, and the availability of standard templates across vendors. In Telco infrastructures, Ansible remains a top choice, particularly for workflows that extend beyond cloud provisioning to encompass network device management and OS-level tasks.
As I said earlier, Red Hat Ansible remains a top choice because it is a perfect combination of multiple capabilities. Terraform is good in IAC but not in config automation. Puppet is well-suited for developers, but not for system administrators and infrastructure integrators. OpenShift and Kubernetes are generic automators only.

Do you think Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's feature set?

Yes

Did Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform again?

Yes

For automating the configuration of a multi-node, multi-domain (Storage, VM, Container) cluster, Ansible is still the best choice; however, it is not an easy task to achieve. Creating the infrastructure layer, i.e., creating network nodes, VMs, and K8s clusters, still can't be achieved via Ansible. Additionally, error handling remains complex to resolve.

Ansible Feature Ratings

Configuration Management
8.7
Infrastructure Automation
10
Automated Provisioning
8
Parallel Execution
10
Node Management
10
Inventory Control
6
Role-based access control
8

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