Network Droids Limited was established in 2017 by highly skilled IT engineers with a deep passion for networking and automation. Based in Bolton, England, we set out with a clear mission: to bring modern, automated approaches to network infrastructure while drawing on years of hands-on experience in traditional network environments.
We are experts at designing, building, implementing and troubleshooting networks of all sizes — from small office setups to large-scale, complex enterprise architectures.
How We Started
Network Droids grew out of a frustration with the manual, error-prone processes that dominated network operations. Our founders had spent years configuring devices by hand, dealing with inconsistent configurations, and firefighting issues that could have been prevented with better tooling. We knew there had to be a better way.
From day one, we embraced automation as a core principle. We began building tools and workflows using Python, Ansible, and Nornir to automate repetitive network tasks — configuration management, compliance checks, device provisioning, and operational reporting. What started as internal tooling quickly became a key part of the service we offered to clients, helping them reduce downtime, eliminate human error, and scale their operations efficiently.
A Testing Mindset
What sets Network Droids apart is a deep-rooted belief that automation isn’t just about deployment — its greatest power lies in testing and repeatability. Too often, automation is seen purely as a way to push configurations faster. We see it differently. The real value is in being able to validate changes before they go live, verify state after deployment, and repeat those checks consistently every single time.
This philosophy comes from our founder’s professional background. Paul started his career as a software tester, spending years in quality assurance before moving into network engineering. That experience fundamentally shaped how Network Droids approaches infrastructure. When you’ve spent your formative professional years breaking software, writing test cases, and thinking about edge cases, you don’t stop doing that when you move into networking — you bring that discipline with you.
We apply a test-driven approach wherever possible. Before writing automation to configure a network, we think about how we’ll verify it worked. Before making a change, we define what “correct” looks like and build checks around it. This means:
- Pre-change validation — Automated checks that confirm the network is in a known-good state before any changes are applied
- Post-change verification — Automated tests that run immediately after deployment to confirm the change achieved the desired outcome
- Continuous compliance testing — Scheduled checks that ensure networks haven’t drifted from their intended state over time
- Regression testing — Ensuring that new changes haven’t broken existing functionality, just as you would in software development
- Repeatable test suites — Building libraries of network tests that can be run on demand, giving engineers confidence to make changes without fear
This test-first mentality means our clients get more than just automated deployments — they get assurance. Every change is validated, every outcome is verified, and every test can be repeated at will. It transforms network operations from a reactive, hope-for-the-best approach into a disciplined, engineering-led practice.
NetDevOps and Infrastructure as Code
We are strong advocates of the NetDevOps methodology — applying software development practices to network operations. This means version-controlled configurations, automated testing, CI/CD pipelines for network changes, and treating infrastructure as code.
Our approach includes:
- Source of truth — Maintaining network intent in version-controlled repositories rather than in device configurations
- Automated deployment — Using CI/CD pipelines to validate and push network changes consistently across environments
- Configuration compliance — Continuously auditing live networks against desired state and remediating drift automatically
- Testing and validation — Pre-deployment checks and post-change verification to catch issues before they impact services
Automation Meets AI
We’re now pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by integrating large language models (LLMs) into our network automation workflows. AI is transforming how we approach network operations, and we’re at the forefront of applying these technologies practically.
We use LLMs to:
- Accelerate development — Generating and reviewing automation code, translating network intent into configuration templates, and rapidly prototyping new tooling
- Intelligent troubleshooting — Analysing logs, device outputs, and network telemetry to quickly identify root causes and suggest remediation steps
- Documentation and knowledge capture — Automatically generating and maintaining network documentation from live device data
- Natural language interfaces — Building tools that allow engineers to query and interact with network infrastructure using plain English
By combining traditional network engineering expertise with modern automation frameworks and AI, we deliver solutions that are more reliable, more consistent, and faster to implement than manual approaches alone.
Our Services
- Network quick scans
- Consultancy
- Network design
- Network implementation
- Network troubleshooting
- Operational support
- Network automation and tooling
- NetDevOps strategy and implementation
- AI-assisted network operations
Key Personnel
Paul Schriever - Director and Network Architect
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn