Network Automation Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Component (Solutions, Services), By Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud), By Infrastructure (Physical, Virtual, Hybrid), By Enterprise Size (Large Enterprises, SMEs), By Vertical (BFSI, Retail, IT & Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Media and Entertainment, Education, Healthcare, Government, Others), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 6.21 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	21.29%
Fastest Growing Segment	Manufacturing
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 19.77 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Network Automation Market will grow from USD 6.21 Billion in 2025 to USD 19.77 Billion by 2031 at a 21.29% CAGR. Network automation involves the utilization of software and programmable logic to provision, configure, manage, and test physical and virtual network devices, thereby replacing manual and error-prone operational workflows. The market is primarily driven by the escalating complexity of modern infrastructures such as 5G and edge computing which render traditional manual management unsustainable. Furthermore, the critical business imperative to reduce operational expenditures and accelerate service delivery speeds serves as a fundamental catalyst for adoption. According to TM Forum, in 2024, over 60 companies signed the Autonomous Networks Manifesto pledging to work towards Level 4 autonomy, highlighting the intense industry commitment to this technological evolution.

Despite this momentum, the difficulty of integrating modern automation tools with legacy infrastructure remains a significant barrier to market expansion. Many organizations struggle to bridge the gap between programmable software-defined architectures and aging hardware that lacks the necessary interfaces for orchestration. This incompatibility leads to fragmented environments and operational silos which prevents enterprises from achieving the seamless end-to-end visibility and control required for fully autonomous network operations.

Key Market Drivers

The integration of AI and Machine Learning for predictive network operations is fundamentally reshaping the market by transitioning management strategies from reactive troubleshooting to proactive assurance. As networks become increasingly intricate, algorithms are essential for analyzing vast telemetry data to forecast congestion and anomalies before they impact service quality. This necessity is underscored by the rapid expansion of connectivity standards; according to Ericsson, in 2024, global 5G subscriptions are forecast to reach close to 5.6 billion by 2029, creating a scale of endpoints that renders manual oversight obsolete. Consequently, enterprises are aggressively adopting intelligent tools to maintain stability, with Cisco, May 2024, in the '2024 Global Networking Trends Report', noting that 60% of respondents expect AI-enabled predictive automation across all domains to manage and simplify network operations.

Escalating cybersecurity threats are simultaneously driving the critical adoption of automated remediation capabilities to protect expanding digital attack surfaces. Modern security automation platforms not only detect breaches in real-time but also execute immediate containment protocols, such as isolating compromised ports or updating access control lists, without human intervention. This capability is financially vital as well as operationally necessary; according to IBM, July 2024, in the 'Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024', organizations that deployed security AI and automation extensively across their operations saved an average of $2.2 million compared to those that did not. This substantial cost avoidance incentivizes organizations to embed automation deeply into their security frameworks, ensuring that resilience keeps pace with the speed and sophistication of contemporary cyberattacks.

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Key Market Challenges

The integration of modern automation tools with legacy infrastructure acts as a primary constraint on the Global Network Automation Market. While contemporary orchestration platforms rely on open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and standardized data models to execute intent-based directives, a vast portion of the global telecommunications footprint consists of "brownfield" equipment designed for manual, Command Line Interface (CLI)-driven management. This architectural mismatch compels organizations to develop complex, custom translation layers or maintain inefficient dual operating environments. Consequently, enterprises often restrict automation to isolated network domains rather than achieving the end-to-end visibility required for substantial operational efficiency, thereby reducing the return on investment and slowing broader adoption rates.

This technical friction has resulted in a measurable stagnation in the industry's progress toward higher autonomy. The inability to seamlessly bridge programmable software with aging hardware prevents operators from moving beyond basic task execution to fully autonomous decision-making. According to the TM Forum, in 2024, the global industry average for autonomous network maturity remained at approximately Level 2.5, lagging significantly behind the Level 4 targets set by leading service providers. This stagnation demonstrates that the complexity of legacy integration is directly capping the market’s growth potential by keeping the majority of network operations tethered to semi-manual workflows.

Key Market Trends

The Shift Toward Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Consumption Models is fundamentally altering procurement strategies by enabling organizations to consume network infrastructure as a flexible subscription rather than a capital-intensive asset. This model allows enterprises to rapidly scale bandwidth and services in response to fluctuating business demands while offloading the burden of hardware lifecycle management to vendors. The financial and operational appeal of this approach is driving significant market traction; according to HPE, September 2024, in its fiscal third quarter results, the annualized revenue run rate for its GreenLake NaaS platform grew 39% year-over-year, reflecting the accelerating enterprise preference for cloud-like consumption experiences within their own operating environments.

Simultaneously, the Emergence of Hyperautomation for End-to-End Network Orchestration is gaining prominence as organizations seek to dismantle operational silos between campus, data center, and wide area networks. This trend focuses on deploying unified management platforms that can enforce consistent policies and automate workflows across disparate domains, replacing fragmented toolsets that hinder agility. This move towards holistic visibility is becoming a strategic priority; according to Cisco, May 2024, in the '2024 Global Networking Trends Report', 72% of IT professionals expect to leverage a platform architecture across one or more networking domains within the next two years to streamline management. This consolidation is essential for supporting complex digital environments where seamless connectivity across multi-cloud architectures is required.

Segmental Insights

The Manufacturing segment is identified as the fastest-growing vertical in the Global Network Automation Market. This expansion is primarily driven by the acceleration of Industry 4.0 initiatives and the integration of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) across production facilities. As manufacturers adopt private 5G networks and connect massive volumes of sensors, the complexity of managing network infrastructure surpasses manual capabilities. Automation allows these organizations to maintain continuous operational uptime, enforce consistent security policies, and drastically reduce the risk of costly production delays resulting from human configuration errors.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a leading position in the Global Network Automation Market due to the extensive adoption of 5G infrastructure and cloud computing technologies. The region benefits from a high concentration of established technology providers and substantial capital investment in network virtualization. Furthermore, enterprises in the United States and Canada are increasingly implementing software-defined wide area networks to enhance bandwidth efficiency and lower operational expenses. This strong focus on digital transformation, combined with a mature IT ecosystem and high demand for connected devices, ensures the region continues to dominate the global landscape.

Recent Developments

• In November 2025, Cisco unveiled a comprehensive set of AI-ready network innovations aimed at modernizing enterprise infrastructure and simplifying operations through advanced automation. The company introduced new capabilities that allowed information technology teams to deploy and secure distributed networks in minutes using validated designs and agentic workflows. These updates focused on scalability and embedded security to support data-intensive artificial intelligence workloads at the enterprise edge. Executives at the company highlighted that these solutions were designed to move organizations from reactive management to predictive, self-managing networks, significantly enhancing the efficiency and responsiveness of global network automation strategies.
• In October 2024, Red Hat announced the general availability of the Ansible Automation Platform 2.5, a unified solution designed to streamline automation adoption for information technology teams. This release integrated multiple automation tools, including the automation controller and event-driven capabilities, into a single user interface to enhance operational efficiency. The platform featured new containerized deployment options and included upgrades to its generative AI service, which assisted users in creating automation playbooks through natural language prompts. By simplifying the creation and management of automation workflows, the company aimed to help organizations scale their network automation efforts and reduce the complexity of managing hybrid IT environments.
• In July 2024, Nokia announced a strategic collaboration with Telefónica to accelerate the development of the 5G private network market in the Spanish enterprise sector. Under this three-year agreement, the companies planned to deploy Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud and Modular Private Wireless solutions across mission-critical industries like ports, manufacturing, and logistics. This partnership focused on simplifying digital transformation by providing secure, high-performing wireless infrastructure and on-premise computing capabilities. The initiative aimed to enable industries to become more data-driven and automated, leveraging real-time operational technology data to improve productivity, worker safety, and sustainability through advanced network automation technologies.
• In January 2024, Juniper Networks introduced the industry’s first AI-Native Networking Platform designed to leverage artificial intelligence for optimal end-to-end operator and user experiences. This new solution unified all campus, branch, and data center networking domains under a common AI engine and a virtual network assistant. By extending AI for IT operations across the entire network, the platform aimed to significantly reduce operational expenditures and eliminate a vast majority of network trouble tickets. The launch included new products such as a digital experience twin that proactively simulates user connections to detect and resolve issues before they impact operations, directly addressing the growing demand for intelligent network automation.

Key Market Players

• Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Juniper Networks, Inc.
• IBM Corporation
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
• VMware, Inc.
• Nokia Corporation
• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Extreme Networks, Inc.
• NetBrain Technologies, Inc.
• BMC Software, Inc.

By Component	By Deployment	By Infrastructure	By Enterprise Size	By Vertical	By Region
Solutions Services	On-Premise Cloud	Physical Virtual Hybrid	Large Enterprises SMEs	BFSI Retail IT & Telecommunications Manufacturing Media and Entertainment Education Healthcare Government Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Network Automation Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Network Automation Market, By Component:

• Solutions
• Services

• Network Automation Market, By Deployment:

• On-Premise
• Cloud

• Network Automation Market, By Infrastructure:

• Physical
• Virtual
• Hybrid

• Network Automation Market, By Enterprise Size:

• Large Enterprises
• SMEs

• Network Automation Market, By Vertical:

• BFSI
• Retail
• IT & Telecommunications
• Manufacturing
• Media and Entertainment
• Education
• Healthcare
• Government
• Others

• Network Automation Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE