By 2025, AI had become widespread in businesses, with growing investments from major corporations and vendors. This new use case has shifted the attack surface; recent incidents have shown that SaaS solutions or partners can become attack vectors if the fundamentals are not in place. By 2026, the priority shifts from rapid innovation to maximizing the value of existing solutions: governed AI, integration of generative AI into business operations, effective cybersecurity, responsible digital practices, and building trust in hybrid and post-quantum environments. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
The real agenda for 2026 is to transform AI into a fully-fledged business capability. This means focusing efforts on a few use cases that really matter, aligning the people who share responsibility for them, and integrating AI into everyday work. Selon le Global AI Survey 2025 de Wavestone, 90% of companies are incorporating AI into their business strategies, and 13% of IT budgets are allocated to AI.
What priorities should we set for 2026?
The experimental phase of generative AI has primarily relied on large, general-purpose models accessible via chat-based interfaces. In 2026, the question is how to integrate this generative AI into the heart of the business. You must choose between features built into SaaS solutions, neutral platforms that you control, or a mix of both, and decide how far to go with agents capable of interacting directly with systems.
What priorities should we set for 2026?
Le rapport CERT-W 2025 de Wavestone indicates that the majority of incidents stem from common vulnerabilities, such as inadequately secured SaaS access or the use of easily obtainable credentials. Attacks now target the perimeter (subsidiaries, partners), while defenses remain focused on the core IT infrastructure. By 2026, it will therefore be necessary to reduce these exposed areas and use AI to effectively strengthen security without creating new blind spots.
What priorities should we set for 2026?
By 2026, organizations will manage non-financial performance with the same rigor as financial performance. IT must improve its ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) data and provide reliable tools. IT leaders must monitor the impact of infrastructure and provide platforms that enable robust management of non-financial indicators. The challenge lies in balancing the rapid development of AI with reducing the carbon footprint.
By 2026, the dilemma will no longer be limited to choosing between a public cloud and a sovereign cloud: it will now be a matter of determining the appropriate level of regionalization for your architecture, identifying the areas where it should be applied, and ensuring sufficient flexibility to adapt to potential changes in the environment.
What priorities should we set for 2026?
AI workloads require more computing power, more data, and low latency, but many cloud infrastructures are ill-suited to handle them. By 2026, the goal is to be “AI-ready” without adding more GPUs: expand the cloud where needed, improve the observability of distributed platforms, and manage AI performance as a constraint to be optimized.
What priorities should we set for 2026?
Starting in 2026, quantum computing poses a threat to current cryptography, leaving RSA and ECC algorithms vulnerable to future quantum computers. CIOs and CISO must address this risk now to prevent it from escalating into a crisis in a few years, and move from the research phase to operational readiness.
As we approach 2026, organizations find themselves at a strategic turning point where technological innovation alone is no longer enough: it is now the ability to integrate, govern, and secure these advancements that will make the difference. AI is becoming a true driver of transformation, provided it is embedded in business processes, ethically managed, and secured end-to-end. At the same time, cybersecurity covering your entire digital ecosystem, IT regionalization, sustainable IT, and preparation for the post-quantum era demand a new discipline: that of responsible, sovereign, and high-performance technology. CIOs and technology leaders must therefore adopt a holistic vision, combining innovation, resilience, and sustainability. The companies that will succeed are those capable of simplifying, streamlining, and intelligently orchestrating their technology choices to create sustainable value.
Source : Wavestone