2026 still feel a little way off? It’s closer than you think. The pace of change in tech means next year’s trends are already taking shape, and they’ll set the tone for how your organisation runs and grows in the new year and beyond.
AI is becoming a bigger part of everyday decisions, and automation is reaching new parts of business it’s never touched before. Change is already happening, and the first step is understanding what’s driving it.
This checklist highlights five tech trends we’ll see in 2026, and how to best prepare for them.
What 2026 is set to bring
Next year will test how well organisations can adapt.
The systems that carried businesses through the last few years are under pressure from tighter data rules, remote and hybrid working, AI, automation and behaviour-first design.
Organisations that prepare early will be in the strongest position. If you want to get ahead and take advantage, consider these five focus areas.
- Agentic AI becomes the norm
AI is moving away from being used simply for prompts and chatbots. Agentic AI refers to systems that can act on their own. They can manage workflows and make simple decisions without any human input.
By 2026, Gartner expects around 40% of business systems to include autonomous AI agents (Gartner). They’ll book meetings, update systems, monitor live data and flag risks before they happen.
The real test with agentic AI is how we control it. As these agents take on more responsibility, governance will matter more than ever. You’ll need clear rules on what they can do and where and how they can access data.
- Cybersecurity for hybrid workspaces
The shift to hybrid working has made collaboration easier but raised new security risks. When teams work across different networks and devices, it’s harder to keep full control.
AI-driven threats are increasing, and attackers are using the same intelligent tools businesses rely on, making traditional defence techniques less effective. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) now rank metadata visibility and ‘Zero Trust’ frameworks as top priorities for keeping data safe across hybrid setups (TMCnet).
Now’s the time to review your security setup.
- Behaviour-first digital transformation
Transformation is easier when it fits how people work. The focus is shifting away from automating processes, and more so on understanding human behaviours – how teams make decisions and adapt to change.
This approach starts with people. Emotional AI – AI that enables machines to recognise and respond to human emotions – and behavioural data shape tools that are easier to use, whether that’s guiding customers through a journey or helping employees get tasks done with fewer errors. When change feels familiar, people adopt it.
- Smarter systems built around your business
AI is changing how teams use their everyday tools. The platforms that run finance, HR, customer service and internal workflows are learning from everyday use and finding new ways to lighten workloads.
IBM reports that 64% of AI budgets are being diverted to core systems to remove duplication and speed up routine tasks (IBM). Software with built-in AI is becoming better at learning from how it’s used, and we’ll see the frequency of AI-enabled workflows increase from 3% in 2024 to 25% in 2026 (IBM).
- Automation grows faster and wider
Automation is being used to manage entire customer journeys and keeping key systems up to date automatically.
Gartner predicts that by 2026, around 30% of organisations will have automated half of their network activity, an increase from 10% in 2023 (Gartner). Intelligent automation (IA) is an emerging technology that applies AI techniques, including Generative AI (GenAI), to automate decision-making and improve efficiency end-to-end.
According to Gartner, IA is set to be widely incorporated in the next five to ten years, but it’s already being used by certain companies and industry leaders to improve how work gets done. This level of automation needs structure and clear oversight to stay reliable.
What 2026’s tech trends mean for you
The changes set to influence 2026 are already shaping how businesses run. The steps you take now will decide how ready you are when they become the norm.
Take a moment to think about:
- Whether your systems can handle autonomous AI
- How secure your setup is for hybrid work
- If your tools still fit how your people work
- Where automation could help you scale safely
But how do you stay ahead?
Move Up to 2026
Next year’s technology will bring new challenges and opportunities. The key is bringing it in carefully and keeping control as you grow.
Move Up, and a range of other initiatives, are how we help you take that next step – safely and with your team at the heart of it.
It’s built around what you already have. We’ll look at where automation and AI can make life easier, without disrupting the work that’s already working so well.
Together, we design improvements that strengthen what’s in place and keep everything secure as you grow. Keep your progress ready for what’s next.
Ready to plan your next step?