To meet digital transformation initiatives, businesses across the economy are seeking ways to automate network operations. According to a report from Mordor Intelligence, the network automation market should top $25 billion by the end of 2024, expanding to more than $71 billion in 2030.
Research firm Gartner is also bullish on network automation, forecasting that 30% of enterprises will automate more than half of their network activities by 2026, up from only 10% in mid-2023. Gartner also predicts that businesses embracing enterprise-wide automation will deliver much higher service quality, while also cutting costs.
Yet network automation lags behind other automation initiatives. A recent report from Enterprise Management Associates found that only about a quarter (27%) of networking teams believe that they have the tools and resources to successfully manage day-to-day operations of complex network infrastructure. That number is down significantly from roughly 50% just five years prior.
The network automation market is led by the usual suspects – incumbents like Cisco, IBM, and Juniper. But as enterprises struggle with limited IT resources and hybrid, dynamic environments, several startups have emerged to target gaps. The startups below are tackling everything from multi-cloud cost control to automated, AI-powered IT management to the deployment and operation of quantum networks. Collectively, these five startups have raised more than $242 million in funding and have already landed high-profile named customers, such as Cisco, MIT, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force.
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