Top 10 Network Automation Tools in 2026

1. Cisco Network Services Orchestrator

Short overview:
Cisco Network Services Orchestrator, also known as Cisco NSO, is a powerful network automation and orchestration platform used by enterprises and service providers. It helps teams automate network provisioning, configuration changes, service delivery, and lifecycle management across multi-vendor environments.

Key strengths:
Cisco NSO supports model-driven automation, service orchestration, multi-vendor network management, API-based integration, and configuration consistency. It is useful for reducing manual errors and speeding up complex network deployments.

Best for:
Large enterprises, telecom providers, managed service providers, and businesses with complex multi-vendor networks.

2. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Short overview:
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is widely used for network automation, IT automation, configuration management, and infrastructure orchestration. It allows teams to automate repetitive network tasks using simple playbooks, making it easier to manage routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and cloud systems.

Key strengths:
Its strengths include agentless automation, simple YAML-based playbooks, strong community support, enterprise security, workflow orchestration, and integrations with major network vendors. It is flexible for both small automation tasks and enterprise workflows.

Best for:
Network engineers, DevOps teams, IT operations teams, and companies starting or scaling network automation.

3. Juniper Apstra

Short overview:
Juniper Apstra is an intent-based networking platform designed to automate data center network design, deployment, validation, and operations. It helps businesses reduce manual configuration work while keeping network behavior aligned with business and technical intent.

Key strengths:
Juniper Apstra provides intent-based automation, closed-loop assurance, multi-vendor data center support, configuration validation, and real-time network visibility. It is especially useful for teams that want predictable and reliable data center network operations.

Best for:
Data centers, enterprise network teams, cloud infrastructure teams, and organizations managing complex switching environments.

4. Itential Automation Platform

Short overview:
Itential is a network automation and orchestration platform built to help businesses automate network changes, service delivery, compliance checks, and operational workflows. It connects with existing network systems, controllers, APIs, and IT tools to create end-to-end automation.

Key strengths:
Itential supports low-code automation, workflow orchestration, API integrations, configuration management, compliance automation, and multi-domain network operations. Its visual workflow builder helps teams automate processes without depending only on custom scripts.

Best for:
Enterprises, service providers, network operations teams, and businesses needing workflow-based network automation.

5. Gluware

Short overview:
Gluware is an intelligent network automation platform focused on configuration management, network discovery, compliance, operating system upgrades, and lifecycle automation. It helps businesses manage large network environments with less manual effort and better control.

Key strengths:
Gluware offers automated network inventory, configuration drift detection, compliance checks, network change automation, software upgrades, and multi-vendor support. It is valuable for teams that need safer and more consistent network operations.

Best for:
Large enterprises, regulated industries, network operations teams, and companies managing distributed network infrastructure.

6. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Short overview:
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a network automation and configuration management tool designed to help IT teams manage backups, configuration changes, compliance, and device monitoring. It is often used by organizations that need practical automation for daily network operations.

Key strengths:
Its strengths include automated configuration backups, change tracking, compliance reporting, vulnerability insights, device inventory, and network configuration comparison. It helps teams reduce downtime caused by manual configuration errors.

Best for:
Mid-sized businesses, IT teams, network administrators, and organizations needing configuration management with monitoring support.

7. HashiCorp Terraform

Short overview:
HashiCorp Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool used to automate cloud infrastructure, network resources, security policies, and platform provisioning. While it is commonly used for cloud automation, it is also valuable for managing network infrastructure through providers and APIs.

Key strengths:
Terraform supports reusable modules, version-controlled infrastructure, multi-cloud provisioning, automation consistency, and integration with CI/CD workflows. It helps teams manage network-related infrastructure changes in a structured and repeatable way.

Best for:
Cloud teams, DevOps engineers, platform teams, and businesses automating cloud networking and infrastructure.

8. Nokia NSP

Short overview:
Nokia Network Services Platform, commonly called Nokia NSP, is a network automation and service orchestration platform used by service providers and large network operators. It helps automate IP, optical, and multi-layer networks across complex service environments.

Key strengths:
Nokia NSP supports service automation, network assurance, intent-based operations, analytics, topology visibility, and multi-domain orchestration. It is designed for organizations that need high reliability and automation across large-scale networks.

Best for:
Telecom providers, network operators, large enterprises, and service providers managing carrier-grade infrastructure.

9. NetBrain

Short overview:
NetBrain is a network automation platform focused on dynamic network mapping, troubleshooting, documentation, and operational automation. It helps IT teams understand network behavior, identify issues faster, and automate common diagnostic workflows.

Key strengths:
NetBrain offers visual network mapping, automated troubleshooting, runbook automation, change validation, and network documentation. It is especially useful for reducing troubleshooting time and improving collaboration between network operations teams.

Best for:
Network operations centers, IT support teams, enterprise network teams, and businesses needing better network visibility.

10. Forward Networks

Short overview:
Forward Networks is a network digital twin platform that helps businesses verify network behavior, security policies, paths, and configurations before problems affect users. It allows teams to search, analyze, and validate large network environments using a software-based model.

Key strengths:
Its strengths include network verification, path analysis, compliance checking, security policy validation, change planning, and multi-vendor visibility. It helps teams reduce risk before making changes in complex networks.

Best for:
Enterprises, security teams, network architects, and organizations that need strong network validation and assurance.

Why Choosing the Right Company Matters

Choosing the right provider from the Top 10 Network Automation Tools matters because every business has different network complexity, security needs, budget limits, and operational goals. A tool that works well for basic configuration backups may not be enough for multi-cloud, data center, or service provider automation.

Businesses should compare expertise, pricing, data quality, technology, support, and scalability before making a decision. Network automation depends heavily on accurate device data, clean configuration records, reliable integrations, and strong visibility across infrastructure. Poor data or weak automation design can create outages, compliance gaps, or operational delays.

Technology fit is also important. Some companies need intent-based networking, while others need infrastructure as code, service orchestration, configuration management, or troubleshooting automation. The right platform should integrate with existing routers, switches, firewalls, cloud networks, monitoring systems, and IT service tools.

Support and scalability should not be ignored. As networks grow, businesses need tools that can handle more devices, more changes, more users, and more compliance requirements without creating unnecessary complexity. The best network automation solution should improve reliability, reduce manual effort, and support long-term digital growth.

Conclusion

The Top 10 Network Automation Tools in 2026 help businesses modernize network operations, reduce manual configuration work, improve compliance, and manage infrastructure at scale. From Cisco NSO and Ansible to Juniper Apstra, Itential, Gluware, Terraform, NetBrain, and Forward Networks, each tool serves a different need. The right choice depends on network size, automation goals, technical skills, integrations, pricing, and future scalability.