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IT Organizations Are Improving Network Management with Intelligent Systems Based on AI and ML

Shamus McGillicuddy

The practice of applying artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms to IT management has gained mainstream acceptance over the last few years. Many vendors and IT organizations embraced the acronym AIOps (artificial intelligence for IT operations) to denote this phenomenon. Whether called AI/ML or AIOps, these technologies are gaining traction and delivering value.

Many IT organizations apply AI/ML and AIOps technology across domains, correlating insights from the various layers of IT infrastructure and operations. However, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™) has observed significant interest in applying these AI technologies narrowly to network management, according to a new research report, titled AI-Driven Networks: Leveling Up Network Management with AI/ML and AIOps. Networks are notoriously complex, and network management is rife with manual processes and tool sprawl, making networks a fertile domain for AI-driven transformation.

Previous research from EMA confirmed that IT organizations recognize the potential value of AI-driven network management. Two years ago, 90% of IT professionals told EMA that the application of AIOps to network management could lead to better business outcomes for their companies. EMA's new research found this optimism ticked slightly to 92% today.

AI/ML technology can streamline, enhance, and automate many network management processes. IT organizations are recognizing the potential benefits of improving overall network performance, agility, and security, especially with solutions from network management and network infrastructure vendors. Even emerging, general-purpose tools like ChatGPT can offer value to network teams.

The key hurdle is to translate into reality this belief that AI-driven network management can improve business outcomes. IT organizations must learn how to evaluate and implement this technology. Then, they must convince potentially skeptical technical personnel to use it. Two years ago, only 41% of IT organizations believed they were fully effective at evaluating the AI/ML and AIOps technology they were considering for network management use cases, and only 30% considered themselves completely successful in their overall engagement with the technology at that point.

Two years later, with this new report, EMA is revisiting the topic of AI-driven network management to explore whether the technology has matured and whether IT organizations have found success in using it. This report examines the experiences of individuals who are currently engaged with AI/ML and AIOps solutions aimed at network management.

Some of the key findings include:

■ Only 36% of organizations have been completely successful with managing their networks with AI/ML and AIOps technology, up from 30% in 2021.

■ Network optimization, automated troubleshooting, intelligent alerting and escalations, and vendor management are top-priority use cases for AI/ML.

■ Nearly 69% of organizations saw at least some improvement in overall end-user experience since applying AI/ML technology to network management.

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According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

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In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...

IT Organizations Are Improving Network Management with Intelligent Systems Based on AI and ML

Shamus McGillicuddy

The practice of applying artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms to IT management has gained mainstream acceptance over the last few years. Many vendors and IT organizations embraced the acronym AIOps (artificial intelligence for IT operations) to denote this phenomenon. Whether called AI/ML or AIOps, these technologies are gaining traction and delivering value.

Many IT organizations apply AI/ML and AIOps technology across domains, correlating insights from the various layers of IT infrastructure and operations. However, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™) has observed significant interest in applying these AI technologies narrowly to network management, according to a new research report, titled AI-Driven Networks: Leveling Up Network Management with AI/ML and AIOps. Networks are notoriously complex, and network management is rife with manual processes and tool sprawl, making networks a fertile domain for AI-driven transformation.

Previous research from EMA confirmed that IT organizations recognize the potential value of AI-driven network management. Two years ago, 90% of IT professionals told EMA that the application of AIOps to network management could lead to better business outcomes for their companies. EMA's new research found this optimism ticked slightly to 92% today.

AI/ML technology can streamline, enhance, and automate many network management processes. IT organizations are recognizing the potential benefits of improving overall network performance, agility, and security, especially with solutions from network management and network infrastructure vendors. Even emerging, general-purpose tools like ChatGPT can offer value to network teams.

The key hurdle is to translate into reality this belief that AI-driven network management can improve business outcomes. IT organizations must learn how to evaluate and implement this technology. Then, they must convince potentially skeptical technical personnel to use it. Two years ago, only 41% of IT organizations believed they were fully effective at evaluating the AI/ML and AIOps technology they were considering for network management use cases, and only 30% considered themselves completely successful in their overall engagement with the technology at that point.

Two years later, with this new report, EMA is revisiting the topic of AI-driven network management to explore whether the technology has matured and whether IT organizations have found success in using it. This report examines the experiences of individuals who are currently engaged with AI/ML and AIOps solutions aimed at network management.

Some of the key findings include:

■ Only 36% of organizations have been completely successful with managing their networks with AI/ML and AIOps technology, up from 30% in 2021.

■ Network optimization, automated troubleshooting, intelligent alerting and escalations, and vendor management are top-priority use cases for AI/ML.

■ Nearly 69% of organizations saw at least some improvement in overall end-user experience since applying AI/ML technology to network management.

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...