Predicting the future of technology is rarely straightforward. Just when a trend seems permanent, a new innovation or disruption shifts the landscape entirely. To help IT leaders navigate these changes, Last month 11:11 Systems hosted our annual webinar featuring a panel of experts from 11:11 Systems, Cohesity, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Our subject matter experts unpacked the trends that defined the past year and explored what lies ahead for 2026. From the sustainability of the AI boom to the evolution of cloud strategies, here is a look at the critical insights shared during the session.
Is the AI bubble about to burst?
Artificial intelligence dominated headlines in 2025, with massive venture capital funding and soaring tech valuations sparking comparisons to the Dot Com bubble. However, our panelists argue that while a market correction might happen, calling it a “bubble” is inaccurate. Unlike the Dot Com era, driven by revenue-less startups, today’s AI surge is led by profitable tech giants.
The key differentiator in 2026 will be data. Companies that leverage proprietary internal data to fine-tune AI models will see the biggest returns. As public internet data for training becomes limited, private datasets will drive future innovation.
Moving from cloud first to cloud smart
For years, IT departments followed a “cloud first” approach, aiming to move everything off-premises quickly. Today, the focus has shifted to being “cloud smart.”
While the cloud offers flexibility, it doesn’t always guarantee cost savings. Simply lifting and shifting legacy applications can lead to inefficiencies and higher costs. A cloud-smart strategy means evaluating applications to determine the best environment for performance, security, and cost.
Successful IT leaders now prioritize three key areas:
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- Management: Using platforms that span private and public clouds to prevent vendor lock-in.
- Observability: Creating frameworks to track events and metrics across hybrid environments.
- Protection: Ensuring fast recovery times across complex multi-cloud setups.
Avoiding the trap of AI “work slop”
As AI tools become widespread, “work slop” is on the rise—AI-generated content or code that looks fine at first but lacks accuracy or depth. To avoid this, organizations must prioritize human oversight. Relying solely on AI can lead to errors and security risks.
The best results come when AI is used for specific, well-defined tasks instead of as a universal solution. Experts recommend better prompt design and providing models with high-quality, expert-level data. Clear context and strong training inputs significantly improve output quality, reducing the risk of slop.
Resilience in the face of outages and attacks
Even the largest cloud providers experience downtime. Whether due to network issues or cyberattacks, outages are inevitable. A key takeaway for 2026 is understanding the shared responsibility model. While cloud providers ensure their infrastructure is available, customers are responsible for their data’s integrity and architecting for redundancy and security.
True cyber resilience requires both prevention and a strong recovery strategy, including:
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- Digital Jump Bag: A secure, off-site repository with the essential tools, software, keys, and playbooks needed to respond to an attack.
- Clean Rooms: An isolated environment for forensic investigation and data recovery without risking reinfection.
- Regular Practice: Testing recovery plans at a realistic scale is crucial to meeting your recovery SLAs during an actual incident.
Prepare your organization for 2026
Predicting the IT landscape is always extremely difficult as it evolves rapidly. Whether you are refining your AI strategy or fortifying your cyber resilience, staying ahead requires actionable insights and the right partners.
If you want to dive deeper into these topics and hear directly from the experts at 11:11 Systems, Cohesity, and HPE, we invite you to watch the full IT predictions webinar on demand.
