How agentic NetOps will redefine network operations

Enterprise networks are under pressure like never before. AI-native applications, cloud-first strategies and distributed workforces demand faster, more secure and more resilient networks. In fact, Gartner^® estimates that “only one-third of network tasks are automated, and AI networking is used to a lesser extent.”*

The result: Slow incident responses, mounting complexity and constant firefighting.

So, what comes next? Gartner states: “Ultimately, this is the turning point of AI moving from acting as a human support tool to operating processes independently but still directed by humans, with defined guardrails, access rights and goals and objectives.”

Agentic NetOps is a new approach that uses autonomous AI agents to sense, reason and act on network tasks independently, within defined guardrails.

Gartner notes: “The adoption level of agentic NetOps is estimated to be less than 1% of organizations, which is primarily due to limited vendor capabilities and organizational readiness to deploy.”*

That means this is the right time for organizations to prepare for agentic NetOps. As an early-stage concept, it presents an opportunity for IT leaders to experiment in controlled ways and gain a competitive advantage before mainstream adoption.

• ALSO READ → High-yield AI in financial services depends on secure, scalable networks

What is agentic NetOps?

Agentic NetOps is the use of autonomous, goal-driven AI agents to manage networks. It usually includes a human-in-the-loop and, as trust in AI-delivered operational outcomes grows, further levels of autonomy are possible.

Unlike traditional automation, where humans approve or execute every step, agentic NetOps agents can:

• Continuously monitor telemetry across devices
• Detect and prioritize incidents in real time
• Correlate data for root-cause analysis
• Automatically apply safe, preapproved fixes
• Escalate to humans only when exceptions occur

This lays the foundation for self-healing, outcome-aligned networks that respond at machine speed.

An NTT DATA-commissioned IDC study confirms this trajectory: Recognizing that intelligent automation will be critical in supporting AI-driven business models, nearly 40% of organizations are already evaluating agentic AI in network operations.

Why agentic NetOps matters now

Most organizations aren’t ready to flip the switch to full autonomy — and they don’t need to. But starting small today builds the foundation for tomorrow.

Agentic NetOps addresses key pain points, including:

• Skills gaps: Engineering skills are becoming scarcer and are stretched thin. Agents reduce manual toil and let teams focus on strategy.
• Complexity: Hybrid, multivendor estates make troubleshooting slow. Agents correlate data across silos in real time.
• Risk aversion: IT leaders are wary of AI “going rogue.” Agentic NetOps is built with guardrails, policy enforcement and audit trails to maintain trust.
• Proving value: Executives need proof of value. Pilot projects can show measurable improvements in uptime and the speed and quality of incident resolution before scaling.

Gartner forecasts: “By 2030, 50% of organizations will use agentic NetOps with minimal human involvement, up from nearly 0% in 2025.” It also predicts: “By 2030, agentic NetOps with a network AI assistant will be the primary UI used in networking operations.”*

The IDC report reinforces the urgency of using agentic NetOps: To link AI-driven networks directly to business value, organizations must evolve from uptime network metrics to outcome-based metrics such as utilization-level and value-level agreements.

The path to adoption of agentic NetOps

In your organization, adopt agentic NetOps in phases to augment your existing network operations:

1. Readiness: Assess telemetry quality, tool integration and governance gaps. Do a network modernization assessment to benchmark your readiness.
2. Pilot: Run small, controlled pilot projects to validate agent performance and ROI. Deploy agents in a read-only capacity for incident triage or anomaly detection. Establish AI governance roles and guardrails before scaling.
3. Supervised autonomy: Allow limited, preapproved remediation under human oversight.
4. Expansion: Gradually broaden coverage as confidence grows, always within defined guardrails. Work with partners who offer the scale, security and expertise to de-risk adoption.

This step-by-step approach balances innovation with control, which is exactly what cautious, risk-averse IT organizations need.

Then, within this framework, focus on the following: 

• AI-optimized infrastructure: Modernize networks across campus, wide area network (WAN), edge and cloud environments to make them high-speed, low-latency and resilient enough to support agentic AI workloads. This consistency allows AI agents to monitor, detect and remediate issues across the entire organization, from the workplace local area network and the WAN fabric to multicloud backbones that power AI applications.
• Secure networking: Apply zero trust security, secure access service edge (SASE) and appropriate levels of encryption to ensure agents never compromise your security.
• Infrastructure services with an AI fabric: Use services that embed intelligence into the entire lifecycle. NTT DATA operates an AI fabric: a living, learning system of multiple AI agents to support every stage, from advisory and sourcing to professional services, software-defined infrastructure and adoption. Modernization isn’t static, and this ensures that insights and optimizations flow continuously to help capture value faster and mitigate risk.

Don’t get caught playing catch-up

Agentic NetOps is the logical next step in network modernization, even though it’s still nascent at less than 1% adoption. However, its promise is clear: Autonomous, self-healing networks that align directly with business outcomes.

That’s why IT leaders should focus today on laying the right foundation for safe adoption tomorrow. As it becomes mainstream within the next 5 to 10 years, will you be ahead of the curve or playing catch-up?

At NTT DATA, we help you prepare, pilot and modernize to build the secure, AI-ready foundations that will make agentic NetOps possible.

• ALSO READ → The CIO’s playbook for business-critical networks in 2026

* Gartner, Agentic NetOps will revolutionize network operations, Jonathan Forest, Andrew Lerner, 6 August 2025.
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