Earlier this year, we invited the MANRS community to share their feedback on the future evolution of the MANRS Actions. The goals were to understand (1) whether the current requirements remain fit for purpose and (2) how the Actions could be improved to better serve a rapidly evolving routing security landscape.
We’re grateful to everyone who participated. Your input is already helping shape the next phase of MANRS.
Who Participated?
A total of 38 respondents provided a solid cross-section of the MANRS community:
- 71% Network Operators
- 16% IXPs
- 8% CDN / Cloud providers
- A small number of prospective or non-participants
The responses reflect a mature and experienced community:
- Nearly half (47%) have been involved in MANRS for 1–5 years
- Over one-third (34%) have participated for more than 5 years
This depth of experience adds significant weight to the insights gathered.
Are MANRS Actions Still Fit for Purpose?
The overall response is yes — but with room for improvement.
Respondents broadly agreed that all MANRS programs remain relevant and effective. However, there is a strong call to:
- Improve clarity and precision of requirements
- Strengthen auditing and conformance language
- Focus on how requirements are interpreted and verified, rather than significantly raising the bar
Interestingly, there was no strong demand to make requirements stricter, suggesting the current level is appropriate but could be better articulated and enforced.
Where Should We Start?
When asked to prioritize, respondents pointed to the NetOps Program (50% ranked it as top priority) and the IXP Program. This gives us a clear path forward: begin with the NetOps Program, where both impact and community interest are highest, then move on to the IXP Program.
Adoption and Compliance: Community Preferences
The survey also explored how changes should be introduced and enforced.The results show a balanced perspective:
- A slight preference for introducing new requirements with a grace period, meaning that participants should be given a predefined period of time to comply with the new baseline. An alternative option when a participant can indicate the specific version of the Actions they commit to (e.g. an organization that conforms to an older version of the program Actions is still in compliance) was considered less attractive.
- A similarly slight preference toward a more flexible compliance approach: non-conformant participants can voluntarily leave MANRS or continue to be listed with potentially negative publicity for their non-conformance. For example, Network Operators’ scores are already publicly available (Ready, Aspiring, Lagging).
Key Takeaways
Across all responses, we see that the priority is not to reinvent the MANRS Actions, but to refine, clarify, and strengthen how they are defined and audited.
There is a clear appetite for an editorial and operational review, grounded in a decade of implementation experience and feedback from both participants and auditors from the MANRS Secretariat.
What Happens Next?
Based on the survey results, we will launch a review of the NetOps Program using the MANRS Development Process.
The Secretariat will submit a proposal, based on the results of this survey, to the Steering Committee for consideration. The review will concentrate on:
- Improving clarity and precision of requirements
- Strengthening auditability and conformance criteria
- Ensuring consistency in interpretation and implementation
If the Steering Committee launches the review, it is likely that a dedicated working group will be formed.
We plan to kick off this process next week (March 9-13, 2026), so please stay tuned.
Stay Involved
This process will be community-driven, and continued input will be essential. Whether you participated in the survey or not, your input to the review of the Actions is very welcome.
Together, we can ensure that MANRS Actions remain practical, effective, and aligned with today’s routing security challenges.
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