Forward Networks develops network digital twin software that gives organizations a mathematically accurate model of hybrid networks spanning on-premises infrastructure and public cloud. Its platform is designed to show how the network actually behaves so teams can verify intent, understand exposure, troubleshoot faster, and test changes before deployment with greater confidence.
The company centers its portfolio on Forward Enterprise, with Forward AI adding natural-language, evidence-backed interaction and Forward Predict extending the model into pre-deployment change verification. Across networking, security, cloud, and compliance use cases, Forward Networks positions its software as a shared source of truth for complex, multi-vendor environments where outages, policy drift, and configuration mistakes create operational and business risk.
Offerings, Capabilities, and Integrations
Forward Networks provides a deterministic model of network behavior built from live configuration and state data across routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and cloud networking instances. Its capabilities span path analysis, segmentation and policy validation, vulnerability exposure analysis, change impact modeling, continuous compliance verification, and end-to-end visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud estates. The platform is available as SaaS or for on-premises deployment.
Its integration approach is API-first and designed to fit into existing operational workflows. Verified integrations and partner workflows include ServiceNow, Itential, Ansible, Infoblox NIOS DDI, NetBox Cloud, Rapid7, Slack, and Axonius, enabling customers to connect network intelligence with ITSM, automation, source-of-truth, asset, and collaboration processes.
Products and Services
- Forward Enterprise: Flagship network digital twin platform that builds a mathematically accurate, continuously updated model of the hybrid network from device and cloud configuration and state data. It supports network verification, security posture analysis, vulnerability prioritization, troubleshooting, and shared visibility across operations teams.
- Forward AI: AI capability built on Forward Enterprise that lets teams ask network questions in natural language, receive evidence-backed answers, inspect the supporting path or policy data, and verify automated actions before execution.
- Forward Predict: Recently launched change verification capability that tests proposed routing, ACL, NAT, firewall, and segmentation changes against a production-equivalent digital twin before deployment to identify connectivity, security, and compliance risk.
- Network Query Engine (NQE): Query engine that exposes normalized network data in a structured schema so users can search the network like a database, build reusable query libraries, and create verification checks for operational and compliance use cases.
- Forward Cloud: Cloud-focused offering for hybrid and multi-cloud environments that provides end-to-end path visibility, policy and segmentation verification, secure application provisioning support, and analysis of inter-cloud routing and connectivity behavior.
Target Customers
Forward Networks targets organizations with large, complex, and mission-critical networks that span data centers, branch environments, and multiple public clouds. Its primary buyers and users include networking, security, cloud, and compliance teams that need a verified operating picture rather than inferred telemetry or manual documentation.
The company is especially aligned to large enterprises, service providers, government agencies, and regulated or high-stakes sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, telecommunications, energy, and pharmaceuticals. These customers typically need stronger change control, continuous compliance evidence, faster incident resolution, and tighter validation of security posture across multi-vendor hybrid estates.
Cloud Integrations and Marketplace
- AWS Marketplace: Forward Networks has a verified AWS Marketplace seller presence and uses AWS Marketplace as a procurement and review channel for its offering.
- Microsoft Azure: Forward Networks supports Azure as part of its hybrid and multi-cloud model, providing visibility, path analysis, policy validation, and change verification across Azure-connected environments.
- Google Cloud: Forward Networks supports Google Cloud within its digital twin model so teams can trace flows, validate policy, and verify network behavior across hybrid and multi-cloud estates.
- IBM Cloud: Forward Networks also models IBM Cloud environments as part of the same verified estate, extending cloud visibility and policy validation beyond AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Key People
- David Erickson: CEO
- Brandon Heller: CTO
- Bobby Condon: CRO
- Yasser Ganjisaffar: SVP of Engineering
- Chiara Regale: SVP of Product Management
- Sanjay Mehta: CMO
- Tyler Olsen: VP of Finance & Accounting
- Steve Pace: VP of Talent Acquisition & HR
Key Facts
- Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States
- Employees: Approximately 230
- Annual Revenue: Undisclosed
- Parent Company: None
- Subsidiaries: Forward Networks India Private Limited
- Publicly Listed: Private / not publicly listed
Analyst Recognitions
- Gartner: 2024 Gartner Hype Cycle for Enterprise Networking — Sample Vendor for Network Digital Twin Technology. 2021 Gartner Emerging Technologies and Trends Impact Radar: Communications — recognized under Digital Twin Tools for Enterprise Campus Networks.
- IDC: 2024 IDC Solution Brief: The Business Value of Forward Networks (IDC #US52128624) — featured company in IDC business value study.
