MCP for DevOps, NetOps, and SecOps: Actual-World Use Circumstances and Future
Insights
Within the earlier submit on MCP for DevOps: Structure and Elements, we mentioned what MCP is and isn’t. We dove into just a few architectural parts and gently touched on use circumstances. Now, let’s discover just a few attainable use circumstances for MCP in DevOps/NetOps/SecOps.
I’ve cherry-picked just a few buyer and companion use circumstances I’ve personally labored with and located applicable for our dialogue. My record won’t be exhaustive, nevertheless it ought to offer you a strong view of sensible makes use of for MCP. Let your thoughts ponder the chances in your atmosphere. 😃
Within the YouTube sequence on MCP for DevOps, we’ll leverage some use circumstances to construct a working implementation with MCP, instruments, and Cisco merchandise.
Recap – Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP)
For those who didn’t catch half 1 on this weblog sequence on MCP for DevOps: Structure and Elements, test it out. However for now, right here’s a fast level-set on MCP.
As illustrated in Determine 1, the Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP) supplies a uniform solution to combine an AI mannequin into instruments and providers.
Determine 1. MCP with LLMs and Instruments
MCP Overview
It’s:
- A light-weight communication protocol designed particularly for AI brokers and functions.
- Constructed to attach these brokers to instruments, APIs, databases, and file techniques.
- Structured as a shopper/server structure—easy and predictable.
- Plumbing
It isn’t:
- A messaging protocol for agent-to-agent communication.
- An LLM, database, AI assistant, or agent.
- A general-purpose integration platform.
- A substitute to your present APIs or knowledge bus.
Frequent MCP Use Circumstances
As talked about above, MCP integrates AI functions, instruments, knowledge sources, APIs, and so forth. Nonetheless, MCP, being a protocol, doesn’t work alone. A shopper and server should use the protocol and full the pairing.
When AI functions and brokers combine the MCP SDK for shopper use and create an MCP server to work on behalf of native or distant instruments, the next typical use circumstances can facilitate a low-toil/high-reward consequence.
-
Automating Routine Duties:
MCP can deal with repetitive chores resembling producing experiences, managing GitHub repos, constructing Ansible playbooks, and managing CI/CD pipelines. -
Unified Information and Motion Administration:
Consider MCP as your AI software or agent’s centralized hub for interacting with various techniques resembling observability options from Splunk, orchestration techniques resembling Cisco NSO, and AI safety platforms resembling Cisco AI Protection. -
Enhanced Context and Determination-Making:
MCP-powered AI functions and brokers present richer context by accessing knowledge from a number of sources, resulting in quicker, smarter selections. -
Compliance and Safety:
MCP interactions throughout your techniques could be safe, compliant, and auditable when used with standardized safety protocols, processes, and instruments.
As illustrated in Determine 2, the MCP Consumer (AI software, assistant, or agent) can use MCP Servers to combine with a number of automation, observability, safety, and collaboration techniques by calling these by APIs, knowledge sources, and so forth.
Determine 2. MCP with Instruments, Companies, Platforms
Unified Automation with MCP
DevOps Use Circumstances
-
CI/CD Automation:
AI functions utilizing MCP can automate whole CI/CD pipelines, seamlessly managing builds, assessments, deployments, and notifications by Cisco Webex. -
Environment friendly Code Administration:
GitHub MCP integration permits an AI software or agent to handle branches, assessment pull requests, triage points, and scan for vulnerabilities. -
Infrastructure Automation:
With MCP Server integrations for Terraform and Ansible, your AI agent can rapidly and precisely provision infrastructure or modify settings. -
Streamlined Incident Response:
Cisco Webex built-in with MCP helps your AI software or agent actively have interaction in troubleshooting and incident administration, considerably decreasing response instances.
DevOps State of affairs:
Think about asking your AI software (Chat interface and even your IDE):
“Create a brand new launch department, run assessments, deploy to staging, and ship a notification to Cisco Webex.”
As illustrated in Determine 3, your AI software seamlessly orchestrates actions through GitHub, Docker, and Jenkins utilizing MCP and sends updates by Cisco Webex.
Determine 3. MCP-Powered CI/CD Pipeline
Pipeline Automation with MCP
NetOps Use Circumstances
-
Dynamic Community Administration:
MCP permits AI-driven administration of community configurations utilizing pure language, leveraging Cisco APIs or Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) instruments. -
Automated Community Monitoring:
With MCP, you should utilize an AI software or agent to observe community efficiency, detect anomalies, and mechanically remediate points through Cisco options like ThousandEyes, Meraki Dashboard, and lots of extra. -
Cloud Infrastructure Automation:
MCP means that you can use AI to handle cloud-based networking infrastructure, leveraging Kubernetes APIs and Cisco community controllers for clever automation.
NetOps State of affairs:
“Add a brand new OSPF IPv6 route for the 2001:db8:cafe::1/64 community at Information Heart A.”
As illustrated in Determine 4, utilizing MCP, your AI software makes use of an MCP Server to work together with Cisco APIs and even NETCONF/RESTCONF to make OSPF routing updates. It instantly updates the NetOps workforce through Cisco Webex.
Determine 4. AI-driven Site visitors Administration utilizing MCP
Community Automation with MCP
SecOps Use Circumstances
-
Proactive Risk Response:
AI brokers utilizing MCP swiftly detect and mitigate threats by adjusting firewall settings with Cisco Safe Firewall and mechanically isolating compromised endpoints utilizing Cisco Safe Endpoint. -
Automated Vulnerability Administration:
MCP integrations allow AI to establish vulnerabilities and generate speedy infrastructure or host configuration fixes by Ansible playbooks and Terraform suppliers. -
Actual-time Incident Orchestration:
With MCP, AI orchestrates complete incident responses, isolating threats, deploying patches, and alerting groups through Cisco Webex.
As illustrated in Determine 5, the next state of affairs could be realized utilizing MCP:
SecOps State of affairs:
Upon receiving a notification that the system recognized malware, your AI assistant makes use of varied instruments through MCP to right away:
- Isolates the contaminated system utilizing Cisco Safe Endpoint APIs
- Applies fixes by Ansible
- Updates firewall insurance policies
- Informs your safety workforce through Cisco Webex
Determine 5. Incident Administration utilizing MCP
Safety Incident Automation with MCP
I’ve not scratched the floor of what’s attainable utilizing AI, MCP, and an countless array of future MCP servers.
Future Outlook
MCP’s ecosystem continues to broaden, promising deeper integrations with Cisco options and broader trade adoption. Count on extra refined cross-domain orchestration, streamlined cloud-hosted providers, and AI-driven proactive optimizations. MCP is setting the stage for smarter, quicker, and safer tool-based operations.
Issues to think about:
Whereas MCP is nice for AI functions interacting with exterior instruments and knowledge sources, at the moment, it isn’t constructed for production-grade agent-to-agent composition, deployment, discovery, connectivity, or lifecycle administration of brokers. MCP just isn’t but constructed to handle the dynamic discovery of MCP Servers and the instruments they signify.
Additionally it is a Wild Wild West present on MCP Servers. Everyone seems to be creating them. That’s nice because it exhibits curiosity in MCP and the way straightforward it’s to leverage the MCP SDK, indicating that MCP supplies direct worth. Nonetheless, I warning you to rigorously consider the MCP servers you leverage in your enterprise use circumstances. Downloading and utilizing an unknown MCP Server that anybody can publish might trigger hurt in the event you don’t perceive the instruments, assets, and so forth., the MCP Server is constructed to make use of.
Just a few of the various attainable safety implications for MCP use embody:
- Privilege escalation threats
- Observability into what every software name is doing
- Dependency on extra code and packages for correct end-to-end encryption and belief
There’s a good weblog submit on MCP safety issues on the neighborhood.cisco.com web site: Overview of MCP and Its Safety Structure.
Sooner or later, we’ll see providers and instruments that validate the code/picture of a given MCP Server as we do with app shops, container photos, and so forth. Till there’s a standardized and well-understood manner to make sure you aren’t utilizing a dangerous MCP Server, I’d be further vigilant about researching and really understanding what the server is doing in your behalf.
What’s subsequent? We’ll proceed this sequence on MCP for DevOps by entering into the hands-on facet of MCP use. Keep tuned for some YouTube movies and extra blogs on particular MCP Purchasers and MCP Servers which might be nice for Dev/Internet/SecOps.
Share:
