Gartner: How AI will transform managed network services

In 2024, nearly all the service providers Gartner profiled in its Magic Quadrant for global WAN services report and the Magic Quadrant for managed network services report said they had started leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in several ways to support the operation of enterprise networks. Areas of usage include AI for IT operations (AIOps) , generative AI (GenAI) as a network assistant, enhanced service delivery, and AI in secure access service edge (SASE) and network security. AIOps has emerged as a foundational capability in managed networking. Leading service providers, such as HCLTech , Microland and NTT Data , have begun to integrate AIOps capabilities and network automation for service onboarding and customer experience improvements. Also, service providers are deploying AI and/or machine learning (ML) to monitor network health, detect anomalies and automate routine tasks in network operations centres (NOCs). The goal is to shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive