Overview
Intent-Based Networking, or IBN, is a modern approach to designing and managing networks that uses business intent as the starting point. Instead of configuring devices manually, administrators define the desired outcomes, such as secure access for remote users or guaranteed performance for critical apps, and the network automatically translates these intentions into policies and actions.
What Problem Does It Solve?
Traditional network management requires detailed, device-by-device configuration, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. As networks grow more complex with cloud, mobility, and IoT, this manual approach cannot keep up. IBN solves this by automating policy creation and enforcement, reducing misconfigurations and speeding up change management.
How It Works
IBN platforms use a closed-loop system with four main steps:
- Translation: Business intent (for example, “all HR apps must be accessible only to HR staff”) is translated into technical policies.
- Activation: These policies are applied consistently across network devices and domains.
- Verification: The system monitors the network in real time to check if the intent is being met.
- Assurance: Analytics and AI feedback ensure that policies continue to align with the defined business goals.
Everyday Benefits
With IBN, enterprises gain faster rollouts of new services, better alignment between IT and business needs, stronger compliance, and reduced downtime. For example, if a new compliance rule requires restricting access to sensitive data, administrators can state the rule once, and the IBN system enforces it everywhere automatically.
Deployment Considerations
Adopting IBN often requires upgrading to controllers and platforms that support automation, telemetry, and AI-driven analytics. It is usually rolled out in phases, starting with specific domains like data centres or campus networks, before expanding across the enterprise.
