What’s Driving This Change

AI agents will become the dominant model for running complex networks by enable networking teams to:

  • Handle undefined workflows autonomously
  • Solve problems proactively, scaling from hours to minutes
  • Address the skills gap while increasing reliability & efficiency

What this Gartner Research Recommends

To prepare, I&O leaders should take key actions, including:

  1. Shifting budgets toward AI agent licensing
  2. Piloting agent technology to test functionality
  3. Using AI capability as a key vendor differentiator

Start Preparing Now: Cut Network Downtime by 50% in Year One

NetBrain is a network automation and AI platform that helps organizations proactively understand, diagnose, and prevent network issues across hybrid, cloud, and Kubernetes environments.

NetBrain combines a real-time digital twin, no-code automation, and AI-assisted diagnosis to turn network insight into action while keeping humans in control.

Download the latest Gartner ® Research: “The Future of NetOps Is Agentic.”

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Gartner, The Future of NetOps Is Agentic, By Andrew Lerner, Mike Leibovitz, John Watts, Jonathan Forest, 5 January 2026