We’re about halfway through 2026, and there’s a lot to look forward to — and thankfully, not all of it is AI-for-networking nonsense. What won’t be nonsense is the continued rise and adoption of networking platforms. The idea may feel late to the party compared to the security market (and yes, that makes me bristle as a networking analyst), but security vendors — especially in SASE — have already shown what’s possible. Vendors like Netskope and Zscaler rolled out platforms that manage and monitor security and networking appliances, software, and services through a single, cloud-based interface. And that’s just security.

A long list of other technology management products and beyond have already made this shift. Now networking vendors are finally starting to compete on platforms, too. But this paramount shift is hard to miss amid the AI marketing hype overshadowing this paramount moment.

I get it if you don’t believe it. Networking has admittedly been slow, and the relabeling of existing things with an AI-centric sheen is all too common in every market right now. If you’re thinking, haven’t we heard this before? Isn’t this just lipstick on a pig? Will teams even be motivated to use them? It can feel that way — but there’s an important difference this time.

What’s the same?

Customers still want a single management and monitoring system that can move their networks toward autonomous operations. The idea of a platform will sound familiar to anyone who’s heard the “single pane of glass” pitch for the last decade-plus. Back then, though, it was mostly a tagline. Few customers saw real value because those tools focused almost entirely on day-zero tasks, with limited shared functionality under the same management software.

Wired management tools were difficult to use and lacked deep wireless capabilities. On‑premises wired and wireless management often added up to very little. In reality, fewer than 10% of networking teams bought network management tools (not counting network access control) from the same vendor they used for switching. Wireless was the exception — you didn’t have much choice — but even then, only a small subset of customers actually used the tools to manage the wired side of the network. Monitoring and analytics were basic at best.

What’s new?

The big change came with SaaS-based management. Aerohive (now part of Extreme Networks) and Meraki (now part of Cisco) proved that networking management could be simpler and more efficient when delivered from the cloud. That kicked off the broader shift to cloud-based management. Then Mist raised the bar again, showing how rich telemetry combined with a large compute platform could drive meaningful day-one and day-two operations.

By pulling together visibility across LAN, WLAN, and WAN, networking management systems started to become something bigger: real single panes of glass, now known as platforms. Cisco, Extreme, and Juniper recognized that unifying data from across the fabric could move management beyond discrete domains (campus, branch, remote) into a businesswide networking fabric. That’s where AI actually starts to matter. With enough data and context, platforms can finally deliver real operational value. As Extreme Networks CEO Ed Meyercord put it, one customer saw tasks shrink from 6 hours down to 6 minutes with Extreme Platform ONE.

What this means for the market

All of this leads to a significant market shift — and an opportunity for the vendor that delivers a truly mature, unified platform. These new platforms will go beyond operating infrastructure to provide reusable capabilities — declarative models, programmable intent, and continuous state awareness — that others can build and automate against across the full lifecycle, from design through governance and retirement. Crucially, it must be operated as a product rather than a tool, with clear outcomes, guardrails, and accountability, because more features or AI helpers don’t make a platform unless they materially improve business outcomes.

With HPE’s acquisition of Juniper, there’s now a large gap in the LAN market outside the data center that needs to be filled. HPE will be busy for a while rationalizing product lines, reworking software to support its GreenLake‑driven data center ambitions, and integrating two large portfolios. Cisco, meanwhile, is still ironing out complexity across Meraki, Catalyst, and its WAN products — and the growing demand for sovereignty‑focused solutions won’t make that any easier. Extreme is well positioned with Platform ONE to do in office buildings and remote sites what Arista did in the data center, becoming the juggernaut and lighthouse for the market.

The takeaway is simple: Platforms aren’t new, but this time, they’re real. And that changes where networking competition is headed. Keep a look out for the data center networking Forrester Wave™ coming out in August. Much of it will focus on the platform aspects as individual switch features and hardware capabilities take the sideline.

If you want to discuss this transition in the market, reach out to discuss via inquiry@forrester.com.