Gartner Predicts 2026:
Agentic Operations Are Coming Fast, Are You Ready?
The latest Gartner Predicts report makes it clear: AI agents are moving beyond chat and copilots into real infrastructure operations. Gartner predicts AI will evolve “from tools that assist humans to platforms that replace manual effort for complex workflows.”
As agentic AI takes on planning, decision-making, and execution of complex tasks, infrastructure and operations (I&O) teams must prepare for a future where autonomy increases, human involvement decreases, and governance becomes non-negotiable.
Download the report to understand what Gartner predicts is coming next, and what enterprise teams must do now to adopt AI agents safely and at scale.
Key Report Insights
- AI agents will reshape I&O teams, roles, and operating models over the next five years.
- Enterprises will rapidly reduce human-in-the-loop involvement as autonomy increases.
- Agentic AI will shift budgets, vendor expectations, and service models.
- Governance, performance SLAs, and auditability will become mandatory for agentic tools.
- I&O leaders will need orchestration platforms that connect agents to real execution across infrastructure systems.
Why Agentic Operations Will Transform Infrastructure Delivery
I&O leaders are under pressure to deliver faster, safer infrastructure outcomes with fewer resources. But tool sprawl, manual processes, and fragmented automation keep teams stuck in reactive work. Gartner predicts a major shift as AI agents take on more responsibility for planning, execution, and continuous optimization across infrastructure operations.
The impact will be profound. Teams will need to evolve from “operators who do tasks” to “leaders who supervise systems,” while building governance frameworks that ensure agents behave reliably, securely, and transparently.
Gartner’s message is clear: agentic AI will change the way infrastructure work gets done, and enterprises that prepare early will gain advantage in speed, resilience, and cost efficiency.
Gartner’s Take: Agentic AI Requires Orchestration & Control
By 2029, 70% of enterprises will deploy agentic AI as part of IT infrastructure operations, up from less than 5% in 2025.
Agentic AI cannot succeed in enterprise infrastructure operations without a way to connect agent decisions to real execution, while maintaining guardrails, approvals, and visibility.
Autonomy is increasing. So must orchestration, governance, auditability, and lifecycle control.
Itential FlowAI Is Purpose-Built for Agentic Orchestration at Scale
Gartner predicts AI agents will take on planning and execution for complex infrastructure tasks. But as autonomy increases, organizations will require stronger operational control and governance to ensure safety, compliance, and predictable outcomes.
That is where Itential FlowAI fits: the orchestration layer that connects AI-driven intent to real infrastructure execution across hybrid environments, with enterprise-grade governance.
FlowAI brings agentic orchestration to infrastructure operations, enabling teams to translate natural language intent into governed workflows that execute across network, cloud, ITSM, and security systems.
This aligns with Gartner’s prediction that I&O’s interaction model will shift from scripts and CLI to a combination of “prompt engineering, policy definition, and workflow orchestration.”
What Sets Itential Apart:
- Orchestrate Across the Stack
Orchestrate end-to-end workflows across provisioning, configuration, change, compliance, and incident response across hybrid environments. - Build & Connect Agents to Real Execution
Give AI agents a safe execution layer that can take approved action across network, cloud, ITSM, and security systems. - Govern Autonomy with Guardrails
Enforce policy-aware automation, approvals, RBAC, and audit logs so agentic operations remain compliant and trustworthy. - Operationalize Closed-Loop Automation
Enable feedback loops that validate outcomes, trigger remediation, and continuously improve operational performance. - Integrate Across the Ecosystem
Seamlessly connect monitoring, ITSM, CMDBs, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and automation tools into cohesive workflows. - Future-Ready for Agentic Operations
Support emerging agentic models and governance requirements with an API-first orchestration platform built for enterprise scale.
From I&O leaders to platform and automation teams, Itential is the orchestration foundation for adopting agentic operations faster, safer, and with control.
Itential provided the orchestration backbone – governance, velocity, and scale – to make safe autonomy practical at enterprise level.
Greg Freeman
Vice President Network and Customer Transformation, Lumen
Ready to transform your infrastructure delivery with Itential’s agentic orchestration?
Gartner, Predicts 2026: AI Agents Will Transform IT Infrastructure and Operations, Cameron Haight, Ashish Banerjee, Joe Antelmi, Jonathan Forest, Chandra Mukhyala, 4 December 2025.
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