# Top IT Trends to Watch This Year

- Link: https://dbr-soft.com/top-it-trends-to-watch-this-year/
- Published: 2026-10-24T16:59:37+00:00
- Author: David Botero

Technology predictions are easy to make and hard to act on. Here are the trends 
from Gartner’s 2026 list that matter most to small and mid-sized businesses, and
what they mean in practice.

**AI everywhere, but more specialized**

Gartner predicts that by 2028 more than half of the generative AI models used by
enterprises will be domain-specific, tailored to a particular industry or function.
_What it means for you:_ general chat tools are only the start. Expect industry-
specific AI features in your accounting, legal, healthcare, and engineering software.

**Protecting AI itself**

Gartner expects more than half of enterprises to use AI security platforms by 2028.
_What it means for you:_ if staff use AI tools, you need rules, monitoring, and 
data controls around them.

**Preemptive security**

By 2030, Gartner expects preemptive solutions to account for half of security spending,
as organizations shift from reacting to attacks to preventing them. _What it means
for you:_ patching, exposure management, and identity controls matter more than 
adding another alarm.

**Hybrid computing**

Gartner predicts that over 40% of leading enterprises will use hybrid computing 
architectures in critical workflows by 2028, up from about 8% today. _What it means
for you:_ a mix of local, cloud, and specialized processing will be normal, not 
an exception.

**Confidential computing**

By 2029, Gartner expects more than 75% of operations on untrusted infrastructure
to be protected while data is in use. _What it means for you:_ ask cloud providers
how your data is protected while it’s being processed.

**Digital provenance**

Proving where software, data, and content came from is becoming a compliance matter.
_What it means for you:_ know your software suppliers and keep records of what’s
in your systems.

**Smaller, AI-augmented teams**

Gartner expects most organizations to shift from large engineering teams to smaller
AI-augmented ones by 2030.

**What to do now**

1. Write an AI use policy

2. Strengthen identity and patching

3. Review your cloud and data location choices

4. Ask your suppliers how they secure their own software

_[Source: Gartner, Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2026 (October 2025).](https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-10-20-gartner-identifies-the-top-strategic-technology-trends-for-2026)_

**DBR Soft can turn these trends into a practical plan for your business.** **[Contact us for more information.](https://dbr-soft.com/contact/)**

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