For many network teams, automation started with the goal of eliminating repetitive tasks. Provisioning devices. Updating configs. Validating compliance. All great places to begin. But as automation expands, it’s no longer just about getting rid of tickets, it’s about delivering real business outcomes.
And that’s where many initiatives stall.
The 2025 Gartner® Market Guide for Network Automation Platforms reinforces what forward-thinking leaders already recognize: task-based automation won’t get you to scale. It’s orchestration, not just automation, that unlocks value across the business.
While early automation projects focused on efficiency gains, the business now expects more:
But these outcomes don’t happen by simply automating tasks in isolation. They require connected, end-to-end workflows that integrate across ITSM, CMDBs, monitoring tools, and source-of-truth systems.
That’s the shift Gartner emphasizes and the gap many enterprises haven’t yet crossed.
In the 2025 report, Gartner highlights a critical blocker to value: fragmentation.
Most organizations now use 3+ automation tools, but lack a consistent platform to orchestrate workflows across them. As a result, teams automate pieces of the process, but struggle to deliver consistent outcomes at scale.
This is where orchestration becomes the bridge between technical success and business impact.
Leading organizations are already proving what happens when automation becomes orchestrated, repeatable, and aligned with operational goals. Benefits include:
Automation at this level isn’t about replacing engineers. It’s about freeing them up to focus on architecture, not ticket chases.
At Itential, we’ve designed our platform to help enterprises move from automating tasks to delivering operational outcomes.
By connecting tools, teams, and systems, Itential helps network automation evolve from tactical to transformational.
Task automation is a great start, but it’s not the finish line.
To realize the full value of automation, network leaders must shift from isolated scripts to orchestrated workflows that drive meaningful business outcomes.
The path forward isn’t about replacing your tools. It’s about connecting them.
See how Itential connects AI reasoning to governed execution across your entire infrastructure.