2026: The Year Cybersecurity Users Need to Face Reality
Europe’s largest cybersecurity trade fair, it-sa 2025, once again positioned itself as the European cybersecurity industry’s loudspeaker.
The messaging at the conference coalesced around AI-enabled defense, consolidation toward integrated security platforms and regulatory alignment, with a pronounced emphasis on modern security operations center (SOC) services and post-quantum encryption (PQE) readiness. Exhibitors and sessions highlighted how AI/machine learning is being embedded across detection and response solutions, security orchestration automation and response (SOAR)-driven workflows, and triage to curb alert fatigue and accelerate investigation.
But, beyond the polished demos and crowded booths, a hard truth emerged: the German market is moving into 2026 with rising regulatory pressure, widening talent gaps and an urgent need to turn buzzwords into operational reality.
How will the technologies, tensions and market shifts highlighted at the it-sa conference shape the year ahead?
Compliance: Europe’s Hard Market Driver, Not a Side Note
Unlike in previous years, compliance dominated the discussion. The NIS2 Directive, which establishes a unified legal framework to uphold cybersecurity, is putting pressure on enterprises across industries. NIS2 and sector frameworks such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) are reshaping buying behavior, tooling strategies and board-level reporting. Cybersecurity providers showcased templates, automation workflows and reporting dashboards — but still too few user companies can demonstrate truly integrated compliance-driven security solutions.
And, in reality, many German organizations underestimated the depth of NIS2’s impact. Having become national law in December 2025, NIS-2 will force enterprises to spend 2026 scrambling for controls, evidence and staff they don’t currently have.
AI-Enabled Detection & SOC Modernization: Promise Meets Pressure
Vendors flooded the halls with AI-infused detection and response solutions, including:
Behavioral analytics in enpoint/extended detection and response (EDR/XDR)
Machine-learning-augmented security information and event management (SIEM)
Automation-rich security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) workflows
LLM-assisted triage to reduce alert fatigue and accelerate incident response
The message is clear. This year will separate service providers that operationalize AI in the SOC from those that are still working on implementation.
The shift toward managed detection and response (MDR) and comanaged SOC models continues, emphasizing curated threat intelligence, identity threat detection and measurable metrics like MTTD, MTTR and containment times.
The next twelve months will expose which service providers can scale.
“Platform-ization:” Consolidation Meets Harsh Buyer Expectations
The industry’s response to tool sprawl is predictable but necessary: unified platforms spanning endpoint, identity, email, network and cloud security. Tighter integrations across SIEM, SOAR, vulnerability management and attack surface management promise higher signal fidelity and reduced overhead.
But buyers increasingly demand:
True interoperability, not proprietary lock-in
Lower operational complexity, not “yet another dashboard”
Business-aligned outcomes, not technical feature lists
2026 will be a decisive filtering year for platform vendors: only those that deliver measurable consolidation benefits will maintain momentum.
Identity-First Zero Trust and OT: Theory vs. Industrial Reality
Zero trust has matured into an identity-first paradigm. Vendors highlighted advances in multi-factor authentication (MFA) hardening, privileged access management, continuous verification and session-risk scoring across user and workload domains.
The ambition to carry these principles into operational technology (OT) environments is commendable — but the gap between aspiration and production often remains wide. Industrial operators still struggle to reconcile uptime, safety and modern detection capabilities. 2026 requires that the cybersecurity industry not underestimate the challenges of OT security.
Post-Quantum Encryption: Awareness Phase Over — Action Required
Post-quantum encryption (PQE) discussions shifted from theoretical risk to concrete programs, including:
Cryptographic asset inventories
“Harvest now, decrypt later” risk assessments
Crypto-agility roadmaps
Hybrid classical-plus-PQE mechanisms being piloted
ISG’s decision to introduce and test a dedicated quadrant for PQE consulting in the vendor benchmark Cybersecurity Provider Lens for Germany and the U.S. in 2026 is not only timely — it’s necessary. The market lacks standardization, skills and readiness.
2026 will be the year when PQE transitions from novelty to obligation.
The ISG Perspective: What Enterprises Should Prioritize in 2026
Based on observations and ongoing ISG Provider Lens research, enterprises should shift focus toward:
Compliance-driven security architectures: Align security investments directly with NIS2, DORA and reporting obligations.
SOC modernization with automation at the core: Filter vendors by measurable reductions in alert noise, response time and staffing requirements.
Consolidation with discipline: Avoid “platform washing;” demand cost, performance and operational ROI.
Identity as the control plane: Prepare for pervasive identity threat detection and continuous access verification.
Post-quantum encryption preparation now — not later: Start with inventories and crypto-agility across applications and hardware.
Provider Lens: Survey & Call for Participation
The provider survey for the 2026 Cybersecurity Provider Lens has launched, with results publishing in the summer of 2026. In the study, we will evaluate SOC/MDR providers and — brand new — post-quantum encryption consulting providers, among others. The project brochure can be downloaded here.
The 2025 study remains available here. Please also contact us if you offer cybersecurity products or services in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland, U.K. or the U.S. and have not yet received an invitation to the provider survey.
Enterprises seeking guidance on cybersecurity providers in these regions are encouraged to reach out for advisory support.
Final Word
The it-sa 2025 conference showcased a cybersecurity industry full of ambition — but also exposed the gap between technical possibilities and the current state of implementation at user companies. This opens up market potential, especially regarding SOC/MDR services and post-quantum encryption consulting.
2026 will be the year when providers can prove they can deliver real integration, real automation and real compliance outcomes. As analysts, ISG will be watching closely — and evaluating rigorously.
About the author
Frank Heuer
Frank Heuer is a Senior Advisor at ISG Germany. His main areas of coverage include the digital workspace, communications, social business & collaboration, cloud computing with a special focus on workspace/unified communications & collaboration as a service, and security.
The focus of his work is on advising ICT providers on strategic and operational marketing and sales issues. Mr. Heuer act as speaker on conferences and in web casts and is a member of the IDG expert network.
