Forward Networks Unveils Forward AI for Network Ops, Coming April 2026

Forward Networks is launching Forward AI in April 2026, bringing together smart AI and powerful checks to help network engineers fix problems before they happen. The tool lets people ask questions in plain language, suggests safe changes, and automatically creates evidence for help-desk tickets. Companies using Forward already save millions each year and fix issues much faster. Experts say this new AI makes network management clearer and more trustworthy, and the market for digital network copies is set to explode in value over the next few years.

Forward Networks is launching Forward AI for Network Ops in April 2026, a groundbreaking platform that integrates generative AI with formal verification to proactively identify and resolve network issues. This tool empowers engineers to query the network in plain language, model proposed changes safely, and generate automated evidence for support tickets. The platform blends AI-driven insights with a mathematically accurate digital twin, enhancing network reliability and auditability.

How Forward AI works

Forward AI integrates generative AI with formal verification inside a digital twin of your network. This allows engineers to ask plain-language questions, safely test changes before deployment, and automate verification checks, all while maintaining a complete audit trail for every action and recommendation.

Key capabilities include:

Natural Language Queries: Investigate current and potential network states using plain English.
Verified Change Suggestions: Leverage agentic AI workflows that propose pre-validated configuration fixes.
Third-Party Integration: Expose always-current network data to developers via the Model Context Protocol.
Automated Documentation: Automatically generate and attach detailed evidence to help-desk tickets.

Market context and analyst reaction

The launch is timed with significant market growth, as the global digital twin sector is projected to expand from $35.8 billion in 2025 to over $328 billion by 2033. According to IDC, current Forward Enterprise users already achieve an average of $14.2 million in annual gains. Analyst Bob Laliberte of theCUBE Research highlights the platform's key advantage, stating it "strengthens trust in AI by providing full transparency into how recommendations are generated," as reported by Computer Weekly.

While competitors like Siemens, AWS, and Azure provide simulation tools, Forward Networks differentiates itself with a focus on packet-level accuracy for complex enterprise networks. Early adopters report cutting mean time to resolution (MTTR) by nearly 60% by getting verifiable answers to critical questions - such as the impact of a firewall rule change - in seconds.

What is Forward AI and when will it be available?

Forward AI is a new module inside the Forward Enterprise platform that lets operations, security, and cloud teams ask plain-English questions about live and future network behavior. It returns evidence-backed answers drawn from a mathematically exact digital twin. General availability is scheduled for April 2026.

How does the natural-language interface work?

Instead of CLI commands or spreadsheet hunting, engineers type questions such as "Which paths could this VLAN take to reach the Internet?" Forward AI translates the sentence into a formal query, runs it against the twin, and surfaces device-by-device proof plus a yes/no verdict. Every result can be clicked open to inspect the exact configuration lines, route tables, and policy checks that led to the conclusion.

What makes the recommendations "safe" for critical infrastructure?

The system uses agentic AI workflows: each suggested action is pre-validated against the twin before it is offered. If a change would violate security policy or create a loop, the platform withholds the suggestion and explains why. This keeps humans in the loop and eliminates guesswork when tickets are handed to automation tools such as ServiceNow or Slack.

Which environments and vendors are covered?

The underlying twin already models AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and 15-plus hardware vendors (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, F5, Palo Alto, etc.). Forward AI inherits this scope, so a single question can span on-prem data-center fabric, SD-WAN, and cloud VPCs without extra plugins.

What measurable impact are customers seeing?

IDC surveyed Forward Enterprise users and found an average annual benefit of USD 14.2 million, driven by 60 % faster MTTR and far fewer outage minutes. Early adopters of the AI preview report that tier-1 help-desk staff now solve 40 % of reachability tickets without escalation, freeing senior engineers for design work.