Planning Your IT Strategy for 2026
As 2025 draws to a close, forward-thinking organisations are already planning their IT priorities for the year ahead. A well-crafted IT strategy aligns technology investments with business objectives, ensuring every pound spent on IT contributes to organisational success. Here's how to approach IT strategic planning for 2026.
Start With Business Strategy
IT strategy should flow from business strategy, not exist in isolation. What are your organisation's growth plans, market challenges, and competitive priorities for 2026? Understanding these allows IT to position itself as an enabler rather than a cost centre. Technology decisions should answer the question: how does this help the business succeed?
Key Areas for 2026 Planning
- AI operationalisation: Moving from experimentation to scaled implementation of AI capabilities
- Security posture: Continuing evolution toward Zero Trust and enhanced threat detection
- Cloud optimisation: Balancing innovation with cost management as cloud estates mature
- Data foundations: Improving data quality and accessibility to support AI and analytics
- Technical debt: Addressing legacy systems that impede agility and create risk
- Talent and skills: Building capabilities in emerging technologies while retaining core expertise
The best IT strategies are living documents that adapt to changing circumstances, not rigid plans that become outdated within months of creation.
Budgeting Considerations
IT budgeting in 2026 should balance run (keeping current systems operational), grow (enhancing existing capabilities), and transform (building new capabilities). Many organisations target a 70/20/10 split, but the right balance depends on your strategic position and competitive pressures.
Partner With VortexHive
At VortexHive, we help organisations develop and execute IT strategies that drive business results. From strategic planning workshops through implementation support, we bring experience across industries and technologies to help you make the right technology decisions for 2026 and beyond.
Ready to plan your 2026 IT strategy? Contact VortexHive for a strategic planning consultation.
