The networking industry is at an inflection point, evolving from static, human-driven operations to programmable, automated, and AI-enhanced infrastructure. Itential’s Co-Founder and CTO Chris Wade, joins Nick Lippis of the Built for Trust Podcast to explore how enterprises are bridging the gap between legacy CLI tools, modern automation platforms, and AI-powered orchestration. The conversation traces the shift from controller-based programmability to today’s brownfield + greenfield reality — where existing automation investments are integrated with scalable platforms for enterprise-wide automation.
As AI and Model Context Protocol (MCPs) enter the mix, automation moves from rigid workflows to dynamic, reasoned orchestration. Their discussion outlines how enterprises can safely adopt AI by starting with read only workflows, applying governance guardrails, and gradually building trust with domain specific, vendor validated agents.
The result: a future where networking aligns with compute and storage in delivering agile, cloudlike services, while preserving the security, compliance, and operational confidence enterprises require.
The workflows of today are static. MCPs make them reasoned, dynamic, and AI-driven.
— Chris Wade, CTO & Co-Founder of Itential
Key Takeaways
- Why MCPs change how automation capabilities are built, exposed, and consumed.
- How enterprises are combining brownfield automations with greenfield platforms.
- The first safe steps for bringing AI into network operations.
- The role of domain-specific AI agents in building trust and accuracy.
- Where governance and compliance fit into AI-driven orchestration.
