NetMRI is Reaching End-of-Life(EOL): What’s Next for Your Network?

by Nigel Hickey Mar 20, 2025

In a significant shift for network management teams, Infoblox has announced the end-of-life (EOL) for NetMRI, with support ending by April 2027. Organizations that have relied on NetMRI for network discovery, configuration management, and compliance enforcement must now evaluate replacement options before losing support.

Infoblox has recommended IP Fabric as an alternative, focusing on network visibility and intent-based verification. However, visibility alone is not enough. Many NetMRI users require proactive automation, troubleshooting intelligence, and real-time network observability, all of which NetBrain uniquely delivers.

If you are a NetMRI customer, this transition presents a critical opportunity to upgrade to a solution that not only replaces NetMRI’s core capabilities but also enhances network operations through automation and AI-driven observability.

What Did NetMRI Provide?

NetMRI has historically served as a network change and configuration management tool, offering:

• Network Discovery & Inventory – Automated device discovery and topology mapping
• Configuration Change Tracking – Logging and comparing device configurations
• Compliance Enforcement – Ensuring devices adhere to policy-driven rules
• Basic Automation Workflows – Scheduled scripts for repetitive network tasks

While these capabilities were effective in legacy network management, the increasing complexity of hybrid-cloud and multi-vendor environments requires more than just static snapshots of the network.

Why NetMRI Customers Need More Than Just a Replacement

As enterprises evaluate alternatives, it is essential to consider not just a replacement, but an upgrade. Today’s enterprise networks require:

• Real-time Digital Twin Network – Not just scheduled snapshots, but continuous insights into the state of the network for full observability
• Proactive troubleshooting automation – Reducing mean time to resolution (MTTR) through AI-driven diagnostics
• Change validation & enforcement – Preventing configuration drift before it happens, rather than just tracking changes
• Full hybrid-cloud and application path visibility – Ensuring end-to-end performance monitoring for applications
• Assisted Diagnosis via AI Co-Pilot – AI assisted troubleshooting, allowing users to ask diagnostic questions in natural language, and receive tailored responses.

NetBrain addresses all of these challenges, making it the ideal next step for NetMRI customers.

NetBrain vs. NetMRI vs. IP Fabric: A Clear Upgrade

Unlike IP Fabric, which verifies configurations but does not enforce them, NetBrain provides end-to-end observability, troubleshooting automation, and proactive change management validation.

Migrating from NetMRI to NetBrain: A Seamless Transition

As NetMRI approaches end-of-life, organizations must consider a solution that also advances their network automation strategy. Many IT teams have relied on NetMRI for device inventory, compliance enforcement, and change tracking, but with increasing network complexity, hybrid-cloud adoption, and the rise of automation, a simple one-for-one replacement isn’t enough.

Rather than transitioning to another static, script-driven solution, organizations have an opportunity to upgrade to a real-time Digital Twin, AI-powered network automation platform that doesn’t just track changes—but prevents issues before they occur.

Migrating from NetMRI to NetBrain is a straightforward process that brings significant efficiency, automation, and visibility enhancements.

• Automated Network Discovery: NetBrain instantly maps the entire infrastructure, replacing NetMRI’s static inventory capabilities with real-time, dynamic updates that reflect your live network state.
• Seamless Configuration Migration: NetBrain’s Golden Engineering Studio allows users to import NetMRI’s historical configurations and create automated policies to enforce compliance without scripting.
• Intent-Based Automation: Unlike NetMRI, which required manual intervention for configuration validation and troubleshooting, NetBrain automates diagnostics, compliance enforcement, and incident resolution using AI-driven insights.
• Expanded Multi-Vendor & Hybrid Support: NetBrain provides visibility across physical, virtual, and cloud environments, offering support for SDN, multi-vendor integrations, and hybrid-cloud networks, areas where NetMRI had significant gaps.

For organizations looking to future-proof their network operations, NetBrain is the most advanced no-code network automation solution available today. The transition from NetMRI is not just a replacement…it’s an evolution toward proactive, intelligent network operations for your organization.

How to Get Started:

1. Understand NetMRI’s lifecycle: Visit the Infoblox Support Portal to stay informed on EOL timelines, the Last Order Date (LOD), and available support options during the transition.
2. Explore NetBrain Next-Gen: Schedule a live demo to see how NetBrain can fully replace and enhance NetMRI’s capabilities while adding real-time automation, AI troubleshooting intelligence, and multi-cloud observability.
3. Access the NetMRI Migration Guide: Download our step-by-step migration guide to ensure a smooth transition from NetMRI to NetBrain, with best practices and technical considerations.
4. Read a NetBrain Case Study: Learn how one of the largest fire departments in the country enhanced network visibility, automated troubleshooting, and improved operational resilience with NetBrain.

NetMRI may be reaching the end of its lifecycle, but that doesn’t mean network teams should settle for a static replacement. Instead, this is an opportunity to move toward a future of fully automated, AI-driven network operations—one where network teams spend less time on manual troubleshooting and more time innovating.

Learn more about how NetBrain can help your organization transition beyond NetMRI today!