At AutoCon 4 in Austin, the Packet Pushers team sat down with Nigel Hickey to talk about how NetBrain has evolved—and why many people are surprised by what the platform does today.
NetBrain may be known for network mapping, but that was just the starting point. Today, the platform builds a continuously updated network digital twin, combining live network state and configuration data into a single model. This digital twin powers troubleshooting, change validation, compliance checks, and no-code automation.
A key shift has been intent-based automation. Teams define “golden assessments” that represent how the network should behave, then continuously check for drift, misconfigurations, and risk conditions. These assessments are backed by a growing library built from real-world outages, CVEs, and customer contributions—helping teams prevent repeat incidents.
NetBrain has also expanded into AI-driven workflows. Engineers can ask natural-language questions about network health or specific locations, and NetBrain automatically runs diagnostics, returning clear explanations and recommended actions. Automation always includes guardrails, keeping humans in the loop and allowing teams to control what’s approved, alerted, or executed.
The takeaway from the Packet Pushers conversation was simple: if your view of NetBrain stops at diagrams, you’re missing the bigger picture. NetBrain has become a practical automation layer that works alongside existing tools to help teams move faster, reduce noise, and operate with confidence.