Network Automation Forum
Network Automation Forum is a privately held US community organization, founded in 2023, that operates the practitioner-focused AutoCon conference series for network automation, orchestration, and observability professionals. It monetizes through event tickets, vendor sponsorships, merchandise, and open reference materials including the NAF Framework.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Network Automation Forum does
Network Automation Forum (NAF) is a privately held community organization incorporated in the United States as Network Automation Forum LLC and founded in 2023. It operates as a practitioner-focused forum (self-described as a "salon") for network automation, orchestration, and observability, serving network engineers, architects, and developers from enterprises, service providers, the public sector, consultants, and vendors. NAF's primary commercial activity is the AutoCon conference series — recurring in-person events rotating between US and European locations (AutoCon 0 through AutoCon 7 planned from 2023 through 2027), each comprising hands-on workshops (capacity ~60 simultaneous users), multi-track technical talks (~30 selected from ~100 submissions), and networking.
The organization's core technology asset is the NAF Framework, a modular, vendor-neutral reference architecture for network automation documented as six functional building blocks: Intent (desired state management and source of truth), Observability (actual state persistence and analytics), Orchestrator (workflow coordination and event-driven execution), Executor (network write operations), Collector (network read operations and telemetry), and Presentation (user interfaces and dashboards). Adjacent reference materials include the NetDevOps Primer (educational content on intent-based networking, SDN, IaC, and validation) and the Autonomicon collaborative glossary. These assets are distributed as open documentation through a self-serve reference hub.
Revenue is generated through three streams: tiered event registration tickets (Super Early Bird, Early Bird, Regular, and Late/On-site tiers, with separate workshop tickets), event sponsorships across Accelerating, Sustaining, Supporting, and Friends of NAF tiers (current sponsors include Cisco, IBM, HPE/Juniper, Nokia, Red Hat, Arista, Gluware, NetBrain, Selector, Itential, NetBox Labs, Aviz, Forward Networks, and Packet Pushers), and branded merchandise (stickers, t-shirts, hoodies) via an online storefront. The organization does not have disclosed headcount, is not venture-backed, and operates from a legal address in El Paso, Texas, with Chris Grundemann as a publicly identified co-founder.
Network Automation Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Network Automation Forum
- Legal name
- Network Automation Forum LLC
- Website
- https://networkautomation.forum
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Network Automation Forum is a privately held US community organization, founded in 2023, that operates the practitioner-focused AutoCon conference series for network automation, orchestration, and observability professionals. It monetizes through event tickets, vendor sponsorships, merchandise, and open reference materials including the NAF Framework.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Network Automation Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Conferences and Events for Network Automation
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)
Keywords
Where Network Automation Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Network Automation Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Event Tickets: Revenue generated from conference registration tickets sold at tiered pricing (Super Early Bird, Early Bird, Regular, Late registration) and separate workshop tickets for hands-on training sessions at AutoCon events.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($28.00+), hoodies ($55.50+), and stickers ($3.00+) through the NAF Merch online store.
- Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship tiers for AutoCon events including Accelerating, Sustaining, Supporting sponsors and Friends of NAF categories. Sponsors receive brand visibility in front of event attendees interested in network automation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Super Early Bird - Self-funded attendees only |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Early Bird - Limited quantity discount |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Regular - Standard conference registration |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Late/On-site - Last-minute registration |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Workshop Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NAF Merchandise |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Venue Hotel - The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Network Automation Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Network Automation Forum (NAF) operates a practitioner-focused community centered on the AutoCon conference series, which delivers multi-day events with hands-on workshops, technical talks, and networking for network automation professionals across North America and Europe. The organization also publishes the NAF Framework, a vendor-neutral modular reference architecture for network automation, and supports supplementary resources such as the NetDevOps Primer and Autonomicon glossary. Revenue is generated through event ticket sales, sponsorships, and branded merchandise.
Product overview
Network Automation Forum (NAF) operates a community platform centered on its practitioner-focused AutoCon conference series and the NAF Framework reference architecture. The AutoCon events (AutoCon 0-7 planned from 2023-2027) are multi-day conferences featuring hands-on workshops, technical presentations, and networking for network automation professionals. The NAF Framework provides a modular, vendor-neutral reference model for network automation with six building blocks: Intent, Executor, Collector, Observability, Orchestration, and Presentation. Supporting resources include the NetDevOps Primer (educational content on network automation evolution), Autonomicon (collaborative glossary), and Reference Materials documentation hub. The organization also operates a merchandise store (NAF Merch) featuring branded clothing and stickers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AutoCon Conference Series A recurring practitioner-focused conference series for network automation professionals featuring hands-on workshops, mainstage talks, and networking, alternating between US and European venues. Each event covers network automation, orchestration, observability, and AI/ML integration for networking, with tickets sold at tiered prices (Super Early Bird, Early Bird, Regular, Late). Separate workshop tickets are available for hands-on training sessions.
- NAF Merch Online storefront offering branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, and stickers featuring NAF branding and slogans such as 'Automate Everything' and 'It's Not Sorcery'. Sold directly to community members and event attendees.
Companies that use Network Automation Forum
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Network Automation Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Network Automation Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered accelerating sponsor, sustaining sponsor, supporting sponsor, meeting host and friends of naf.
- Ciscoaccelerating sponsorAccelerating sponsor for AutoCon 5 in Munich. Cisco provides networking equipment and automation tools.
- OpenTextsustaining sponsorSustaining sponsor for AutoCon 5. OpenText provides network management solutions.
- Gluwareaccelerating sponsorAccelerating sponsor for AutoCon 6 in Tucson. Gluware provides network automation solutions and supports the NAF community event.
- NetBrainaccelerating sponsorAccelerating sponsor for AutoCon 6. NetBrain provides network automation and documentation solutions.
- Selectoraccelerating sponsorAccelerating sponsor for AutoCon 6. Selector provides network intelligence and automation solutions.
- Itentialsustaining sponsorSustaining sponsor for AutoCon 6. Itential provides network automation platform solutions.
- NetBox Labssustaining sponsorSustaining sponsor. NetBox Labs provides the NetBox Source of Truth platform widely used in network automation.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)sustaining sponsorSustaining sponsor for AutoCon 6. HPE/Juniper Networks provides network infrastructure and automation solutions.
- Aviz Networkssupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Aviz provides SONiC network automation and AI-powered network operations solutions.
- OpsMillsupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. OpsMill provides Infrahub, an open-source graph-database-backed Source of Truth platform.
- BlueAllysupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. BlueAlly provides network automation and infrastructure services.
- Lightyearsupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Lightyear provides network automation and WAN solutions.
- Kentiksupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Kentik provides network observability and analytics platform.
- Myriad360supporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Myriad360 provides network automation and infrastructure solutions.
- Arista Networkssupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Arista provides cloud networking solutions and AVD automation tools.
- Forward Networkssupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Forward Networks provides network verification and automation solutions.
- Network to Codesupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Network to Code provides automation training and Nautobot solutions.
- IBMmeeting hostMeeting host for AutoCon 4 in Austin. IBM provides networking and automation solutions.
- Nokiasustaining sponsorSustaining sponsor. Nokia provides networking solutions and gRPC automation capabilities.
- Red Hatsupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. Red Hat provides open-source automation and infrastructure solutions.
- IP Fabricsupporting sponsorSupporting sponsor. IP Fabric provides network verification and digital twin solutions for automation testing.
- Packet Pushersfriends of nafOfficial media partner. Packet Pushers is a leading network engineering podcast and media outlet.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Network Automation Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DevOpsDays: DevOpsDays is a global series of community-organized, vendor-neutral conferences for DevOps practitioners. While focused on DevOps rather than networking, it shares NAF's structural model: locally organized events, open CFP, sponsor-supported, practitioner-first content.
- ONUG: ONUG is an enterprise network user group running community events around emerging networking and cloud technologies. It is comparable to NAF as a practitioner-focused, vendor-sponsorship-funded forum for enterprise network teams exploring automation and new operational models.
- NANOG: NANOG is the North American network operators' group running recurring community conferences for internet/network operators. It is comparable to NAF in operating model (community-run, vendor-neutral conferences for network practitioners) but focuses more broadly on network operations rather than automation specifically.
- Packet Pushers: Packet Pushers is the leading network engineering podcast and media community and is also NAF's official 'Friends of NAF' media partner. They serve the same network practitioner audience via community-driven, vendor-neutral content, making them the closest direct peer in audience and editorial philosophy.
Broad incumbents
- KubeCon + CNCF: KubeCon and CNCF run the dominant open-source cloud-native community conferences globally. They share NAF's open, community-driven, vendor-sponsor model at vastly greater scale, and are relevant as a benchmark for how a vendor-neutral open framework (CNCF) plus recurring events (KubeCon) can build category leadership.
- Cisco Live: Cisco Live is Cisco's flagship annual customer and practitioner conference and an Accelerating Sponsor of NAF. It is the incumbent vendor-run alternative that NAF explicitly differentiates against by refusing product pitches and focusing purely on practitioner content.
- HPE Discover: HPE Discover is Hewlett Packard Enterprise's flagship conference (post Juniper integration) and a Sustaining Sponsor of NAF. Like Cisco Live, it represents the large incumbent vendor-conference model that NAF's vendor-neutral positioning is designed to complement rather than compete with head-to-head.
- AnsibleFest (Red Hat): AnsibleFest is Red Hat's annual community event for IT automation practitioners. It overlaps with NAF's audience on network automation developers using Ansible, but is a vendor-led incumbent event rather than a vendor-neutral community forum.
Regional players
- RIPE Meetings: RIPE operates semi-annual community meetings for network operators in its service region (Europe, Middle East, parts of Central Asia). It is comparable to NAF's community-conference model and practitioner audience but operates as a Regional Internet Registry with broader governance scope.
Emerging players
- Network to Code: Network to Code is a network automation services and training company (and NAF Supporting Sponsor) that runs community-adjacent training and develops Nautobot. It overlaps with NAF's mission of advancing network automation adoption and shares practitioner audiences, but is a commercial services firm rather than a community forum.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Network Automation Forum social profiles
Digital presenceNetwork Automation Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Network Automation Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Network Automation Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Network Automation Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Network Automation Forum
What does Network Automation Forum do?
Network Automation Forum (NAF) operates a practitioner-focused community centered on the AutoCon conference series, which delivers multi-day events with hands-on workshops, technical talks, and networking for network automation professionals across North America and Europe. The organization also publishes the NAF Framework, a vendor-neutral modular reference architecture for network automation, and supports supplementary resources such as the NetDevOps Primer and Autonomicon glossary. Revenue is generated through event ticket sales, sponsorships, and branded merchandise.
Is Network Automation Forum a public or private company?
Network Automation Forum is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Network Automation Forum founded?
Network Automation Forum was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Network Automation Forum based?
Network Automation Forum is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Network Automation Forum make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Event Tickets are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and event Sponsorships.
Who are Network Automation Forum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DevOpsDays, ONUG, NANOG and Packet Pushers. Broad incumbents are KubeCon + CNCF, Cisco Live, HPE Discover and AnsibleFest (Red Hat). RIPE Meetings is listed as a regional player. Network to Code is listed as an emerging player.
Does Network Automation Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Network Automation Forum.
What industry is Network Automation Forum in?
Network Automation Forum's product category is Professional Conferences and Events for Network Automation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAM, Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management. Its NAICS code is 561920.