Can Network Copilot™ Solve Multi-Controller Network Complexity?

Introduction

Modern data centers rely on multiple controllers and management platforms. Nexus Dashboard manages Cisco ACI fabrics, Cisco DNA Center orchestrates campus and WAN infrastructure, and Open Networking Enterprise Suite handles SONiC and Cumulus deployments. Add monitoring tools like IP Fabric and SolarWinds, and teams face operational silos that slow troubleshooting and decision-making.

Network engineers often juggle multiple logins, learn diverse CLIs, and manually aggregate data across platforms. This creates inefficiency, slows incident response, and makes compliance checking cumbersome.

Enter Network Copilot™ (NCP). Using natural language processing and contextual AI, NCP unifies multi-controller data into a single, intelligent interface. Engineers can ask one question and receive complete, actionable answers across all platforms.

What problem does Network Copilot solve?

Network Copilot eliminates visibility silos across controllers, reducing operational overhead, accelerating troubleshooting, and enabling intelligent, AI-assisted insights across multi-vendor networks.

Supporting Details:

• Traditional workflows require multiple logins and CLI mastery.
• Fragmented data slows the mean time to resolution (MTTR) due to manual correlation.
• Engineers need to query each platform separately for tasks like finding devices with vulnerable software, which returns data in different formats.

Example Scenario:

To identify all devices running vulnerable software, an engineer must query:

• Cisco DNA Center for campus devices
• Nexus Dashboard for ACI fabric components
• SONiC or Nvidia Cumulus via direct CLI
• Monitoring tools for comprehensive coverage. The results must then be manually aggregated.

How does Network Copilot provide a unified interface?

Network Copilot offers a natural language processing (NLP) search interface powered by a contextual AI engine that abstracts the complexity of underlying controllers while preserving full data accuracy.

Contextual AI Engine

The AI engine understands network nuances across multiple dimensions:

Controller-Specific Schema Intelligence:

• Device inventory models for Cisco, Arista, Cumulus, SONiC
• Port and interface abstractions
• Platform health metrics and semantics
• Traffic flow patterns and protocol behaviors
• Configuration hierarchies across management domains

Operating System Metadata Correlation:

• Version mapping for Cisco IOS-XE, NX-OS, EOS, SONiC, Cumulus Linux
• Feature availability across software releases and hardware
• Command syntax equivalences

Topology and Path Intelligence:

• Physical and logical connectivity across controllers
• End-to-end reachability and path analysis

Data Integration Architecture

Network Copilot integrates data using multiple patterns:

API-First Integration:

• REST and gRPC for modern controllers like DNA Center, Nexus Dashboard, or ONES
• OpenConfig and YANG models
• Vendor-specific APIs for deeper features

Direct Device Access:

• SSH-based CLI for legacy systems
• SNMP for broad monitoring
• Streaming telemetry via gNMI

File and Database Integration:

• Configuration file parsing
• Log correlation across systems
• Export/import for operational workflows

How does Network Copilot handle real-world queries?

It enables single-query access to insights that previously required multiple system interactions.

Query: "Show me all devices running IOS-XE 15.1(3)S3 with known CVEs and their exposure timeline"

NCP performs:

• Inventory discovery across controllers
• Software version correlation with vulnerability databases
• Timeline analysis for deployment and patching
• Risk assessment based on device role and network position

Advanced Inventory Intelligence Example: "Show me all ASR1001 routers with CPU usage above 80% in the last 24 hours"

NCP:

• Identifies devices across all domains
• Correlates historical and real-time performance
• Applies intelligent thresholds based on typical utilization
• Presents actionable recommendations

Proactive Security & Compliance Queries:

• "Are any of my devices running software with known CVEs, and what's their criticality based on network position?"
• "Is my data center compliant with hostname convention, and highlight deviations?"

NCP provides vulnerability assessments, risk scoring, prioritized remediation, and automated compliance checks.

How does Network Copilot integrate with existing systems?

NCP uses a modular connector framework to integrate with controllers, devices, and databases, presenting unified data to the AI engine.

Technical Implementation: Data Source Connectors

• NCP Adapters handle different data formats, authentication, and API variations.

Real-World Example: Cisco ASR1001 Router Inventory

CLI Output:

NAME: "Chassis", DESCR: "Cisco ASR1001 Chassis w/o IDC"
PID: ASR1001, SN: SSI170200JK
NAME: "module 0", DESCR: "Cisco ASR1001 Route Processor"
PID: ASR1001-RP, SN: SSI170200JK

Network Copilot parses and maps this into:

• Device Identity & Role: Hostname, IP, topology, service dependencies
• Hardware Health: Fan tray, power supply, component health, warranty
• Software & Security: OS version, upgrade recommendations, license compliance, vulnerability correlation

What are the benefits of Network Copilot?

NCP delivers faster troubleshooting, lower operational overhead, proactive compliance, and better multi-vendor management.

Key Benefits:

• Zero-Click Operational Insights: Natural language interface removes CLI complexity.
• Cross-Controller Queries: Single queries span multiple platforms for incident response, change management, and audits.
• Intelligent Summarization: AI transforms raw data into actionable insights, considering baselines, best practices, and policies.
• Automation-Friendly Architecture: API-first design integrates with ITSM and automation workflows.

Multi-Vendor Advantage:

• The unified operational model works across Cisco, Arista, Cumulus, SONiC, or mixed environments.
• Supports best-of-breed adoption without extra training overhead.
• Prepares teams for AI-driven, intent-based future networks.

Integration Roadmap:

• Expanding to security orchestration, automated response systems
• Integration with infrastructure-as-code and GitOps workflows

Key Takeaways

• Network Copilot breaks controller silos for multi-vendor networks.
• Reduces MTTR with unified visibility and intelligent correlation.
• Lowers operational overhead by abstracting platform-specific complexities.
• Improves compliance and security with automated monitoring.
• Supports best-of-breed adoption without operational penalties.
• Future-proof operational layer for evolving, AI-driven networks.

Experience unified network operations today.

Book a demo with Aviz Networks to explore how Network Copilot™ can simplify your multi-controller environment and accelerate operational intelligence.

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