Key enterprise networking predictions for 2026

By Sajan Paul, General Manager, HPE Networking India

Enterprise Networking in 2026 will evolve into intelligent, experience-driven platforms that amplify human capability through AI and automation. Networks will shift from reactive to predictive, proactively optimising performance before users notice issues through AIOps, which make real-time decisions, and agentic AI that orchestrates experiences across the entire infrastructure stack. Full-stack convergence will mature from concept to reality, delivering unified intelligence that manages wired, wireless, and WAN as one seamless system. Most transformative of all: IT professionals will be elevated from firefighters to strategists, partnering with AI co-pilots to manage thousands of endpoints with precision while focusing on innovation instead of troubleshooting. 

Here are the key predictions for 2026 on how AI and cloud-led innovation will reshape enterprise networking as a proactive, self-optimising foundation for digital business.

– AIOps will matter more than the Wi-Fi standard: In 2026, enterprises will shift ...