Many companies are familiar with this situation: The infrastructure somehow works, but no one can really explain why anymore. Applications are moving to the cloud, employees are working from anywhere, and the traditional network increasingly feels like a stopgap solution that was never built for this hybrid IT reality. It is precisely to address this gap that a concept has emerged that amounts to nothing less than a structural reboot: Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).

IT security incidents are no longer the exception, but rather a sad reality in everyday corporate life. You know the saying that applies here: The crucial question is not whether an incident will occur, but when – and how well a company is prepared for it.

Incident response describes the structured handling of security incidents. The approach encompasses the detection, containment, recovery and follow-up of security incidents. In light of increasing attacks, growing dependence on IT systems and stricter legal requirements, incident response is becoming a key management discipline, which we will examine in more detail here.

For many IT departments, 2026 may feel less like a “vision” and more like a “reality shock.” Some of the technological promises of recent years have become established, as have tangible requirements and problems. This raises specific questions in day-to-day business: What can and must we afford? What do we need to secure or renew? And in which areas do we want to become more independent?

In 2026, IT will be less experimental and much more strategic. Companies are facing regulatory pressure, rising costs, and new expectations regarding stability, transparency, and resilience. Our outlook is not intended to highlight the big tech buzzwords such as green IT, quantum computing, AI, and the like. We want to take a pragmatic look at the issues that are actually shaping everyday IT this year. We also summarize the areas in which almost every company will have to find real solutions by this year at the latest.