6 business tech trends to adopt in 2026

The rise of cyber threats and the increasing prevalence of automation across all business functions has resulted in the critical need to increase security whilst remaining agile and productive. Emerging business tech trends are aimed at supporting these demands, enabling companies to transform their systems and processes. Managed IT services and business technology solutions are becoming essential for organisations looking to stay competitive whilst protecting their operations. Here are six trends that business leaders should invest in to drive stable and resilient business growth in 2026.

1. AI-Powered Security Operations

Artificial Intelligence has moved from an emerging technology to an essential security tool. By 2026, 42% of enterprise-scale companies with more than 1,000 employees have actively deployed AI in their business operations. AI-powered security tools are revolutionising threat detection and response, enabling security operations centres (SOCs) to process large volumes of identity data, endpoint signals, and vulnerability information at machine speed.

More significantly, organisations must now defend against AI-driven attacks that can adapt instantaneously to defensive measures. This has transformed cybersecurity into a continuous AI arms race. Success depends on organisations implementing AI-powered defence capabilities that can identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they become publicly known, whilst maintaining strong human oversight for context and judgement.

2. Unified Security Platforms

The era of fragmented security tools is ending. Research shows that 45% of organisations are projected to use fewer than 15 cybersecurity tools by 2028, compared to just 13% in 2023. Current fragmented systems, burdened with isolated workflows and manual processes, cannot match the speed and sophistication of modern cyber threats.

Businesses are consolidating their security infrastructure into unified platforms that provide comprehensive visibility across distributed environments. This shift towards integrated, AI-driven platforms enables organisations to unlock powerful insights whilst elevating their resilience against unprecedented cyber threats. For organisations managing complex IT environments, comprehensive ICT services that provide this unified approach deliver both operational efficiency and enhanced security.

3. Zero-Trust Architecture Evolution

The traditional security perimeter has become a distributed landscape of applications, identities, and data sources. In 2026, zero-trust architectures are being tested by the rise of agentic AI, where non-human identities now outnumber human employees by 82 to 1.

Organisations are moving towards cloud-native architectures built with continuous authentication and monitoring capabilities. This shift involves feeding real-time data into AI systems that can learn, adjust, and improve protections automatically. The challenge for 2026 is ensuring zero-trust frameworks have no implicit trust in unexpected places, as any gap could lead to significant security breaches when autonomous AI agents operate across enterprise environments.

4. AI Governance and Risk Management

With 78% of Australian enterprises having adopted AI tools, most organisations still lack adequate governance frameworks. This creates significant exposure to both cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny. In 2026, securing AI models has become a board priority, with organisations recognising that model integrity is the new data integrity.

Businesses are prioritising AI risk management initiatives, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, education, retail, and transport. This includes implementing continuous discovery and posture management for all AI assets, along with AI firewall capabilities at runtime. The focus is on embedding security into AI development and governance from day one, ensuring agents operate within ethical and operational boundaries.

5. Total Experience Strategy

Total experience combines customer experience (CX), employee experience (EX), user experience (UX), and multi-experience (MX) into a holistic business strategy that aims to provide a positive experience for all people. This approach recognises that different stakeholder experiences don't occur in silos—they often depend on and influence one another.

With an integrated approach, businesses can create a unified, coherent experience for all users, driving greater satisfaction and loyalty through deeper insight-gathering. Organisations can preemptively identify trends and patterns ahead of their industry competitors, making this an ongoing business tech trend for 2026 and beyond. Modern business solutions that support seamless collaboration are central to delivering these integrated experiences.

6. Sustainable Technology Integration

The demand for greener organisations continues to intensify. Sustainable technology refers to digital solutions designed to enable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes for both enterprises and their customers. This extends to ensuring responsible and transparent business practices and facilitating new business models that better serve customers and the planet.

As organisations increasingly embrace sustainable technology, its impact goes beyond individual companies, influencing diverse aspects of business and contributing to a more sustainable and responsible future. From energy-efficient office equipment to comprehensive digital transformation strategies, businesses are recognising that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive.

Companies that are quick to adopt these six business tech trends will see tangible results such as cost reductions, improved efficiency and productivity, enhanced consumer and employee experience, reduced downtime, and other competitive advantages.

Rapid changes in the workplace and acceleration in the adoption of digital technologies has fast-tracked the future of work. It's time to act now and prepare your business for the future.

KYOCERA Document Solutions supports Australian and New Zealand businesses on their digital transformation journey with innovative products and software solutions.