What is Python?

Python is still one of the popular programming languages, even after all this time since its creation. This general purpose programming language is now used in various fields and applications more than ever. It is the number one programming language in the 2018. The inquiries on Python increased greatly from 2015.

Why Python is so popular nowadays?

Python closely resembles the English language, that means coding in this language is much easier compared to other mainstream languages, the syntax rules are easier to understand and straightforward. It’s efficient since it got different libraries which serve for many purposes. The Python community is very active and supportive towards its users. It’s used in developing desktop GUI applications, web development, educational applications, business software, game development etc. Major companies like Google, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, and Quora uses this language. Python is very much preferred in fields like data science, machine learning, security, and networking.

Roles of Python in networking?

Networking is an important part of IT enterprises A network engineer is a technical expert who deals with all the planning, designing, managing and maintaining the computer networks. There are 1000’s of networking devices in a typical enterprise data center, and are treated like pets. This is costly and ineffectual, way to handle network infrastructure and it can lead to security gaps and also most devices have very similar configurations that have only minor differences between them. Since network infrastructures are also evolving day by day. Companies are required to accommodate itself into new technologies and configurations so they can still stay relevant in the business. Networking has been heading towards automation for a while now.

Network Automation is designed for network administrators, or infrastructure automation engineers who also have some basic experience in a Linux environment; using a terminal, SSH, a text editor, and running basic commands and want to use Python to automate the central management of the network devices like switches, routers, firewalls load balancers and other devices in their data-center or in the organization’s network infrastructure.

 Python can be used to automate manual tasks by writing simple scripts. For example, if you want to take the inventory of all the devices, instead of running a command to taking all the data a simple script will automatically do it. It is a convenient tool for the server and management tasks and configurations. Python is also used for interacting with SDN (Software Defined Networking), managing multiple networking devices and utilizing APIs.

Do you need to be a programmer to do this?

Probably not, The Python interpreter helps the network engineer to make his own scripts to manage the tasks. You will only need a few lines of commands rather than the long lines of code. This is why network engineering gravitates more towards Python. It’s simple, easy to learn and fewer complexes compared to languages like Java or Ruby. Python also can be used on devices which provide a real-time monitoring.

Reasons to Learn Python

IT industry is a constantly changing and competitive field. Every day new technologies are being introduced; old ones are updated or taken over by another. So to market yourself in a competitive field getting the right certification will show them that your skills and knowledge are up to date. The same scenario applies to network engineers too. For someone who wants to pursue a career in networking, certifications like CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) would be a good option and Basic skills of Linux is also an added advantage. When you add Python skills on top of your CCNA certification, companies will be eager to snatch you. The CCNA-Python combination can surely be your trump card. So for a network engineer who is still confused about learning a scripting language, Python is highly suggested.

The job spectrum focused on Python language had a massive shift over these years due to its application in various fields. From developing a website to powering Instagram, Python does it all. Spectrum Softtech solutions Pvt. Ltd. provides excellent training programs for CCNA and Python for networking professionals as well. For a CCNA certified professional Python is a great advantage Python with a CCNA certification will have even better pay scale.  In a couple of years, the job profiles for network engineers will require scripting skills and preferably Python. Many multinational companies favor Networking professionals with Python skills. So the better you understand Python, the more your chance is at being a skilled and confident network engineer.