The network operations category just got a formal definition. Adoption is predicted to be strong and the bar is set high. The Gartner® Market Guide for Agentic NetOps Software (May 2026) establishes what production-grade agentic NetOps requires, the criteria are unambiguous and adoption is strong.
What Gartner says the market demands:
- Agents that work across heterogeneous, multivendor infrastructure, not just one vendor’s gear
- Deep organizational context: topology, path, policy intent, and operational knowledge built in, not bolted on
- Multiple autonomy modes, from human-in-the-loop oversight to governed autonomous execution
- Pre-execution validation before any action touches the network
- Transparent, explainable reasoning operators can trust
Gartner also says, “Many clients also report fatigue related to AI initiatives, driven by extensive vendor claims and limited observable outcomes from earlier efforts.
NetBrain is named in the report as a Representative Vendor.
LEGAL / ATTRIBUTION
Gartner, Market Guide for Agentic NetOps Software, Mike Leibowitz, Andrew Lerner, et al., 19 May 2026.
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