New capability brings trusted, verifiable network answers to operators and AI systems
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Networks, the industry leader in network digital twin technology, today announced Forward AI, a new capability that accelerates network operations by enabling network, security, and cloud teams to ask complex questions, understand network behavior, validate outcomes and safely automate workflows with confidence. Built on a mathematically accurate digital twin of the network, Forward AI allows IT teams and AI agents to act on trusted data rather than assumptions.
As IT organizations accelerate AI adoption and modernization, network complexity is increasing while headcount remains largely flat, placing new pressure on teams to sustain reliability and security at scale. AI-driven operations offer a path forward, but require accurate, complete, and verifiable data.
"When we founded Forward Networks, we started with a simple but strategic question: does the network actually behave as intended, by design, in production, and across changes," said David Erickson, CEO and co-founder of Forward Networks. "Answering that question requires more than visibility. It requires a mathematically accurate model of the network itself. That foundation is what Forward Enterprise delivers. Forward AI builds on it to fundamentally expand what's possible, allowing enterprises to safely reason about their networks, validate outcomes, and take action with confidence. This is how AI becomes a trusted part of operating critical infrastructure."
Forward AI is led by co-founder Nikhil Handigol, who was recently appointed Chief AI Officer. Over more than a decade, Handigol has designed mathematically grounded systems for large-scale network operations and has played a central role in shaping Forward's digital twin architecture from its inception. He is a named co-inventor on eight patents related to network analysis and network monitoring.
"Forward Enterprise is already trusted by organizations running some of the largest and most complex networks in the world," said Nikhil Handigol, co-founder and chief AI officer at Forward Networks. "That experience has given us a first-hand view into the operational challenges that matter most, and into where human error and uncertainty still limit confidence and scale. Forward AI builds on those learnings by extending the power of a mathematically accurate digital twin across operations, enabling organizations to safely adopt AI-driven workflows, reason transparently about outcomes, and preserve the safeguards required to operate critical infrastructure."
Forward AI establishes a foundation for the safe adoption of agentic AI in network operations by delivering validated, evidence-backed recommendations. Built on a complete, behaviorally accurate understanding of the network, Forward AI enables agentic workflows that IT teams can trust. Each result is accompanied by clear evidence, allowing teams to inspect underlying data and reasoning, validate outcomes, and act with confidence.
"Before Forward, getting accurate network information meant spreadsheets, tribal knowledge, and a lot of guesswork," said a senior director of network and security architecture at a leading financial services company. "Forward gave us a trusted view of current and future network state. Forward AI takes that further by making that truth accessible to everyone on the operations team through simple, natural-language questions. It dramatically lowers the barrier to insight and makes Forward an indispensable partner in how we run our network."
Forward Networks is extending trusted agentic AI beyond its own platform. Through support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), Forward AI makes its verification foundation available to enterprises and third-party developers, enabling them to build agentic tools that deliver trustworthy outcomes grounded in accurate, always current network data.
"Because Forward Enterprise delivers comprehensive, domain-specific network data for heterogeneous environments, it is well positioned to take advantage of agentic capabilities," said Bob Laliberte, principal analyst for networking and observability at theCUBE Research. "Forward AI strengthens trust in AI by providing full transparency into how recommendations are generated. Exposing the reasoning behind AI-driven actions, keeps humans in the loop, builds confidence, and ultimately improves operational efficiency."
Forward AI will be included in the Forward Enterprise platform. The capability is scheduled for general availability in April 2026.
About Forward Networks
Forward Networks created the world's first network digital twin, transforming how organizations manage and secure their networks. Customers include global leaders such as Goldman Sachs, PayPal, S&P Global, IBM, and Dell, as well as other Fortune 500 enterprises, fast-growing companies, and government agencies.
The company's software creates a mathematically precise model of the production network, giving IT teams unmatched visibility, verification, and agility across multi-vendor environments and every major cloud, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. According to a recent IDC report, the average Forward Networks customer experiences US$14.2M in annual benefits through improved efficiency and security.
Trusted by Fortune 100 enterprises and federal agencies, Forward Networks helps organizations reduce risk, ensure compliance, and prepare their networks for the demands of AI and the next wave of digital transformation. Founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s, Forward Networks is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and backed by leading investors including MSD Partners, Goldman Sachs, Andreessen Horowitz, Threshold Ventures, Section 32, Omega Venture Partners, and A. Capital. For more information, visit www.forwardnetworks.com.
Media Contacts:
For Forward Networks
Dustin Rausa, Guyer Group
dustin.rausa@guyergroup.com
Dawn Slusher, Forward Networks
dawnslusher@forwardnetworks.com
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