How AI innovation is driving network observability tool churn

NetOps pros consider AI as they seek better tools

On the surface, the reason for the increase in tool churn is obvious. Only 32% of networking pros told EMA they were completely satisfied with their current tools. The average research participant said better tools would proactively prevent 53% of network faults and performance issues they now face.

EMA asked respondents what would most motivate them to replace a network observability tool. Fifty-four percent pointed to AI-driven insights and automation. Notably, 55% of respondents also told EMA that AI features are a requirement when they evaluate network management tools in general.

"We definitely want something agentic that is actively working on problems," a network tools lead with a multinational bank recently told EMA. "I don't see us changing vendors in the next fiscal year, but it's something we would do in the future."

Previous EMA research found that network pros would most like to apply AI to the following aspects of day-to-day network operations:

• Problem detection. Fifty-eight percent of network teams want AI to help them proactively detect network trouble before it impacts the business. This enables them to reduce downtime and service disruptions, a key measure of NetOps success.
• Alert management. Fifty-three percent of network teams believe AI can streamline and improve the process of configuring alert policies and thresholds, while also reducing noise and enriching alerts with actionable information.
• Problem resolution. Fifty-one percent of network teams believe newer agentic capabilities from tool vendors can troubleshoot problems and identify fixes. AI can present this remediation as a suggestion or act automatically without human involvement.

Other drivers of tool replacement

AI isn't the only reason network teams are looking for new tools. Approximately 54% of survey respondents said better end-to-end visibility across networks, applications, clouds and UX would motivate them to replace network observability software. In fact, NetOps teams that collaborate more frequently with cloud and DevOps teams were more likely to want a new tool.

Some 47% of respondents wanted their observability software to offer stronger support of modern architectures such as hybrid and multi-cloud networks and secure access service edge. EMA also found that respondents who intended to unify networking across their on-premises and cloud networks were more likely to replace their tools.

Finally, EMA research found that a focus on automation motivates tool turnover. For example, 26% of network managers said that automation of Day 2 network operations -- such as event management, troubleshooting and optimization -- is a high priority for their organizations. These respondents were especially likely to replace a network observability tool. Many of them are discovering that the automation capabilities of incumbent vendors are inadequate.

That said, switching monitoring tools isn't necessarily easy. Even though network observability vendors tend to push subscriptions over perpetual licenses today, many enterprises commit to three- or five-year subscriptions, which locks them in. In addition, many observability tools are highly customized and deeply integrated into other IT systems and operational procedures, making them sticky. This is especially the case in larger companies.

Regardless, the will to change is there, and that drive will ultimately prevail. If an incumbent vendor isn't innovating in this new era of agentic AI, network operations teams will look elsewhere for one that does.

Shamus McGillicuddy is vice president of research for the network management practice at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). He has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has written extensively about the network infrastructure market. Prior to joining EMA, McGillicuddy was the news director for TechTarget's networking site.