In 2026, data will continue to play a critical role in how organisations operate, scale, and stay secure. Growing data volumes, increasing cyber risk, and rising compliance demands are reshaping how data is managed and protected.
Drawing on our day-to-day work with organisations across the UK, the 101 Data Solutions team shares its key data trends for 2026. Highlighting the data trends we believe will have the biggest impact on data management, cybersecurity, and resilience in the year ahead.
AI Will Force a Shift from Hardware Growth to Infrastructure Optimisation in 2026
In 2026, AI’s growing demand for compute and memory will collide with supply chain uncertainty, driving a shift from constant hardware refreshes to smarter optimisation. Organisations will focus on extending the lifecycle of existing infrastructure and reclaiming underutilised resources through AI-driven orchestration, predictive maintenance, and circular IT practices. So, while new infrastructure will still be deployed, the trend towards optimisation and reclamation is very real and likely to accelerate in 2026.
Brett Edgecombe, CEO
Why Domain Security and DMARC Will Become Essential in 2026
My prediction for 2026 is that security standards will start to increase and that companies will be required to take ownership of their domains to protect their brand and customers. Following on we are likely to see standards like DMARC being included as part of their Cyber Essentials assessments. Protecting your domain using DMARC is a good standard for this.
Beckiy Savage, Head of Business
AI Regulation Will Tighten as Accountability Shifts in 2026
2026 will see greater need for regulation in the Artificial Intelligence sector. We will potentially see new legislation, as the number of lawsuits relating to AI-generated content rises, and big tech firms race to shift responsibility to the user rather than the model. Development of AI models will continue, but the release of these models will likely be postponed owing to the necessity to undertake thorough due diligence, deeper testing, and wider-reaching data protection impact assessments.
Dan Luxton, Senior Solutions Engineer
From More Data to Better Data: Why Quality Will Win in 2026
I think companies will shift from “collect everything” to prioritising high‑quality, well‑curated data. AI models trained on poor data produce poor results and companies are finally feeling the cost of bad data. With the rising cost of bad data becoming impossible to ignore, 2026 will be the year businesses finally realise that better data matters more than bigger datasets.
Anthony Aprile, Head of Business
Rising Cloud Costs Will Drive Demand for Simpler Storage Models in 2026
By 2026, companies will realise that cloud storage isn’t as cheap or simple as it once seemed. As costs rise and pricing models get more complicated, businesses will be forced to rethink how and where they store data. As a result, many organisations will look to partners like Wasabi to help simplify cloud storage, offering clearer pricing models and helping reduce overall storage costs.
Adam Case, Account Manager
Cyber Essentials Will Expand Beyond Early-Adopter Sectors in 2026
In 2026, Cyber Essentials is likely to become a requirement across a far wider range of industries. Following the Legal Aid Agency mandate for law firms, I expect more regulators, public bodies, and large organisations to introduce similar expectations for their suppliers and partners.
With high-profile cyber incidents continuing to dominate headlines, basic cyber hygiene is no longer seen as optional. Cyber Essentials provides a clear, government-backed baseline and as scrutiny increases, more sectors will be required to demonstrate compliance as a condition of doing business.
Natasha Waldron, Marketing Specialist
Data Trends Conclusion: Preparing for a Smarter Data Future
The data landscape in 2026 will be defined less by rapid expansion and more by smarter decisions. Across infrastructure, storage, security, and data quality, the common theme is ownership, understanding what data you have, where it lives, how it’s protected, and whether it is genuinely delivering value.
Organisations that succeed will be those that optimise before they expand, prioritise quality over volume, and treat security standards as a foundation rather than a checkbox. These shifts are already underway, and 2026 will be the year they become impossible to ignore.
The question is no longer if change is coming, but whether your organisation is prepared to respond.