Network Automation Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Network Automation Market is projected to expand from USD 6.21 Billion in 2025 to USD 19.77 Billion by 2031, achieving a CAGR of 21.29%. This sector involves using software and programmable logic to provision, configure, manage, and test both physical and virtual network devices, effectively replacing manual, error-prone operational workflows. The market is primarily propelled by the increasing complexity of modern infrastructures, such as 5G and edge computing, which make traditional manual management unsustainable. Additionally, the critical need to lower operational costs and accelerate service delivery speeds acts as a major catalyst for adoption. According to the TM Forum, over 60 companies signed the Autonomous Networks Manifesto in 2024, committing to reach Level 4 autonomy, which underscores the industry's strong dedication to this technological evolution.

Despite this momentum, the challenge of integrating modern automation tools with legacy infrastructure remains a substantial hurdle to market growth. Many organizations find it difficult to bridge the gap between programmable software-defined architectures and aging hardware that lacks the necessary interfaces for orchestration. This incompatibility results in fragmented environments and operational silos, preventing enterprises from attaining the seamless end-to-end visibility and control needed for fully autonomous network operations.

Market Drivers

The incorporation of AI and Machine Learning into predictive network operations is fundamentally reshaping the market by shifting management strategies from reactive troubleshooting to proactive assurance. As networks grow increasingly intricate, algorithms are indispensable for analyzing massive amounts of telemetry data to forecast congestion and anomalies before service quality is compromised. This need is highlighted by the rapid expansion of connectivity standards; Ericsson forecast in 2024 that global 5G subscriptions would reach nearly 5.6 billion by 2029, creating a scale of endpoints that makes manual oversight obsolete. Consequently, enterprises are aggressively adopting intelligent tools to ensure stability, a trend noted by Cisco in their May 2024 '2024 Global Networking Trends Report', which found that 60% of respondents anticipate using AI-enabled predictive automation across all domains to simplify network operations.

Simultaneously, escalating cybersecurity threats are driving the essential adoption of automated remediation capabilities to secure expanding digital attack surfaces. Modern security automation platforms go beyond real-time breach detection to execute immediate containment protocols, such as isolating compromised ports or updating access control lists, without human intervention. This capability is both operationally necessary and financially vital; according to IBM's 'Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024' released in July 2024, organizations that extensively deployed security AI and automation saved an average of $2.2 million compared to those that did not. This significant cost avoidance motivates organizations to deeply embed automation into their security frameworks, ensuring resilience matches the speed and sophistication of modern cyberattacks.

Market Challenges

The difficulty of integrating modern automation tools with legacy infrastructure serves as a primary constraint on the Global Network Automation Market. Although contemporary orchestration platforms depend on open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and standardized data models to carry out intent-based directives, a large portion of the global telecommunications footprint comprises "brownfield" equipment designed for manual, Command Line Interface (CLI)-driven management. This architectural mismatch forces organizations to create complex custom translation layers or sustain inefficient dual operating environments. As a result, enterprises often limit automation to isolated network domains rather than realizing the end-to-end visibility necessary for significant operational efficiency, thereby diminishing the return on investment and slowing broader adoption.

This technical friction has led to measurable stagnation in the industry's progress toward higher levels of autonomy. The failure to seamlessly bridge programmable software with aging hardware restricts operators to basic task execution, preventing a shift to fully autonomous decision-making. According to the TM Forum in 2024, the global industry average for autonomous network maturity hovered at approximately Level 2.5, falling significantly short of the Level 4 targets set by leading service providers. This stagnation indicates 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.

Market Trends

The transition toward Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) consumption models is fundamentally changing procurement strategies by enabling organizations to access network infrastructure as a flexible subscription rather than a capital-heavy asset. This model permits enterprises to rapidly scale bandwidth and services to meet fluctuating business needs while transferring the burden of hardware lifecycle management to vendors. The operational and financial appeal of this approach is driving significant market traction; for instance, HPE reported in its fiscal third quarter results in September 2024 that the annualized revenue run rate for its GreenLake NaaS platform increased by 39% year-over-year, reflecting a growing enterprise preference for cloud-like consumption experiences within their own environments.

Concurrently, the emergence of hyperautomation for end-to-end network orchestration is gaining prominence as organizations strive to dismantle operational silos between campus, data center, and wide area networks. This trend focuses on deploying unified management platforms capable of enforcing consistent policies and automating workflows across disparate domains, replacing fragmented toolsets that impede agility. Achieving this holistic visibility is becoming a strategic priority; Cisco’s May 2024 '2024 Global Networking Trends Report' notes that 72% of IT professionals plan 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.

Key Players Profiled in the Network Automation Market

• 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.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Network Automation Market has been segmented into the following categories:

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
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Network Automation Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.