Autonomous Network Assurance in Intent Based Networking: Vision and Challenges

Intent Based Networking (IBN) is a new paradigm that promises to create autonomous networks that can comply to high-level intents of network users and exhibit self-adaptation and self-optimization properties. The major IBN component to achieve this is network assurance. The assurance has as a goal to autonomously trigger corrective actions, whenever the conditions of the network do not allow to fulfill the performance requirements of its users. Accordingly, network assurance is expected to be largely based on monitoring and telemetry processes running conjointly with state of the art Artificial Intelligence techniques that will set off remedy solutions to bring the network into a compliance state. Given the importance of IBN and network assurance into the designing of autonomous networks, this paper introduces the main architectural components and technologies needed to achieve this visionary evolution of next generation networks. Particular emphasis is placed on how the network can interact with the end users and network operators in an easy way as mandated by the IBN premises. Finally, light is shed on the open challenges and future directions of this novel but unexplored research topic.