PUBLISHER: Stratistics Market Research Consulting | PRODUCT CODE: 2170083
PUBLISHER: Stratistics Market Research Consulting | PRODUCT CODE: 2170083
According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Network Automation Market is accounted for $36.9 billion in 2026 and is expected to reach $86.2 billion by 2034 growing at a CAGR of 18.5% during the forecast period. Network automation refers to the use of software platforms, tools, and services that enable organizations to automate the configuration, provisioning, management, monitoring, and optimization of network infrastructure and services. These solutions leverage intent-based networking, orchestration engines, and infrastructure-as-code principles to translate business policies into automated network actions. By replacing manual command-line workflows with programmable interfaces and closed-loop control, such platforms help organizations reduce human error, accelerate service delivery, and maintain consistent policy enforcement across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.
Rising Network Complexity and Scale
Organizations across industries are managing increasingly complex network environments that span on-premises data centers, public clouds, branch locations, and edge devices, which creates significant operational challenges for manual configuration and management. The proliferation of connected endpoints, which topped 75 billion in 2025, stretches network capacity and exposes security gaps that manual processes cannot address . As networks expand in scale and heterogeneity, demand for automation platforms that can enforce consistency and reduce operational overhead continues to intensify across all enterprise segments.
Shortage of Automation-Skilled Engineers
The global cybersecurity talent gap, which includes acute shortages in Python, Ansible, and YANG expertise, forces enterprises to pay premium consulting fees and delays full-scale deployments . Certification programs and internal academies are ramping up, but productivity gains often trail investment by twelve to eighteen months, eroding early return on investment. These skill constraints slow adoption timelines and limit the ability of organizations to capture the full benefits of network automation investments.
AI Integration and Autonomous Network Evolution
The integration of artificial intelligence into network automation platforms presents a transformative growth opportunity by enabling intent-based service orchestration, predictive fault detection, and automated remediation workflows. Nokia and AWS are collaborating to deliver autonomous networks with agentic AI for service operations and digital twin simulations for proactive impact assessment . As organizations seek to evolve toward Level 4 autonomy, adoption of AI-enhanced network automation capabilities is expected to accelerate considerably.
Security Risks of Automated Networks
Automated networks introduce new attack surfaces and systemic risks, as compromised automation platforms can propagate misconfigurations or malicious changes across thousands of devices at machine speed. The interconnected nature of intent-based systems means that a single compromised controller or poisoned policy could cascade into widespread outages or security breaches. Organizations must implement robust access controls, audit trails, and validation mechanisms to prevent automation from becoming a force multiplier for attackers.
The pandemic initially disrupted network automation initiatives as organizations prioritized immediate remote work connectivity over infrastructure modernization, causing temporary delays in tool procurement. As distributed workforces became permanent, enterprises faced urgent needs for automated provisioning and policy enforcement across expanded network perimeters. Post-pandemic, network automation has become a strategic priority, with organizations embedding intent-based operations to support hybrid environments and reduce reliance on manual intervention.
The solutions segment is expected to be the largest during the forecast period
The solutions segment is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period, due to the recurring revenue nature of subscription-based automation platforms and the increasing preference for integrated suites that combine orchestration, provisioning, and monitoring capabilities within a unified offering. Solutions held 62.31% of revenue in 2025, and organizations continue to consolidate disparate point tools into cohesive platforms, thereby making solutions the dominant component category throughout the forecast horizon.
The cloud-based segment is expected to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period
Over the forecast period, the Cloud-Based segment is predicted to witness the highest growth rate, driven by the rapid adoption of cloud-first strategies and the need for scalable, remotely accessible automation capabilities that support distributed network operations. Cloud deployment eliminates capital expenditure on on-premises infrastructure, which in turn accelerates deployment timelines and enables continuous feature updates for organizations of all sizes.
During the forecast period, the North America region is expected to hold the largest market share, due to federal zero-trust directives, dense hyperscale data-center footprints, and active financial hubs that drive continued spending on network automation. The region held 38.43% of the market in 2025, and regulators encourage rural fiber builds that increase demand for automated provisioning, further reinforcing North American market leadership.
Over the forecast period, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to exhibit the highest CAGR, due to nationwide 5G rollouts across China, India, Japan, and South Korea that require zero-touch slicing and radio parameter optimization. China Mobile's 5G-Advanced trials showcase AI-driven energy savings, while Indian carriers rely on automation to integrate legacy 4G with standalone 5G cores, driving demand across the region at a projected 21.43% CAGR.
Key players in the market
Some of the key players in Network Automation Market include Cisco Systems, Inc., Juniper Networks (Hewlett Packard Enterprise), Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, IBM Corporation, Nokia Corporation, Ericsson, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Arista Networks, Inc., Broadcom Inc., Ciena Corporation, Extreme Networks, Inc., Fortinet, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc., SolarWinds Corporation, Red Hat, Inc., BMC Software, Inc. and Itential, Inc.
In October 2026, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. received the Leading Core Network Solution award at Network X 2026 for its AgenticCore solution, enabling operators to move beyond traditional connectivity toward intent-driven, experience-guaranteed, and intelligent services with AI-native capabilities.
In October 2026, Nokia Corporation presented its intent-based data center operations at Networking Field Day 41, demonstrating how the company consolidated 21 data centers onto SR Linux and EDA, reducing outages from two to three per month to one per year through validated configurations and digital twin testing.
In June 2026, Nokia Corporation expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services to run Nokia's Autonomous Networks Fabric on AWS, providing operators with advanced AI and cloud services for Level 4 autonomy including unified data management, agentic AI, and intent-based networking.
Note: Tables for North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Rest of the World (RoW) Regions are also represented in the same manner as above.