MikroScript

CeuConsult is generally involved in projects where they deploy and create multiple networking Infrastructures using Mikrotik, Ubiquity, Cisco, Juniper, etc networking devices. As the network grows bigger, several challenges and dependencies arise. They found updating system configuration on a routine as a humongous task. Two very important challenges are faced on a regular basis

 

• They have to manage a group of servers for executing periodic Python scripts at multiple instances (approx. 40 instances per server) based on data load. When the data load decreases they have to terminate such instances and the servers too. 

• Tedious job for the network engineer/technician to log into each system and push new configurations. It sometimes takes days to complete a cycle of devices to update.

• Further, due to security threats, they need to change the device password regularly. Cause of the engineer or technician's high attrition rate leads to poaching by competitors. It becomes highly necessary to change network topology and credentials to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

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With the team's brainstorming on multiple ideas and probable solutions, we have finalized the goal we intend to achieve as described below. 

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Goal

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"Is to develop a web and native application to automate the repeated tasks via scripts through scheduling on a periodic interval".

The product was further named as MikroScript.

 

Leading to:

• There is no need to write commands manually each time. Just select the job and execute it.

• Executing and managing the task is easy and time-saving.

• Increase in efficiency and accuracy with the monotonous task being eliminated.

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Market analysis and competition research were conducted to ascertain further its market size and any similar products available in the market. No such product was exactly or close to available what we intended to develop besides the currently available scope to automate the script execution is very limited to the hardware i.e. juniper, Mikrotik, etc. They have their script runner which lacks usable functionality and is very cumbersome to set up. 

I used a more optimistic approach for market sizing via a Top-down approach where finding the total market and then estimating
what our share of that market can be. 

Further, I conducted a feature table comparison with the researched competitors, any close by i.e. direct, indirect, or potential. Similar to the sample shown below

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Customer Interviews & Inputs

 

We set up multiple interviews with expected users and customers so that we could better understand the real pain in operations. Based on the inputs and feedback we developed multiple personas of a Manager, Technician, Tech Lead, and Network owner. 

 

Below is the sample user persona of a technician in the field, whom we presumed to be an active application user. 

 

User Persona

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