Keepit has outlined its technology and security perspective for 2026, noting that the escalating AI-driven threats, the changing hybrid infrastructure strategies, and the tightening regulatory frameworks have a significant impact on the enterprise priorities.
Keepit is an advanced SaaS data protection software designed specifically for the cloud. Protecting data in a cloud that is independent of vendors increases cyber resilience and future-proofs data security.
In addition to ensuring continuous data access, business continuity, and quick and efficient disaster recovery, unique, separate, and immutable data storage without sub-processors guarantees compliance with local requirements and lessens the impact of ransomware.
More than 20,000 businesses rely on Keepit, which has its headquarters in Copenhagen with offices and data centers all around the world, for its user-friendliness and simple cloud data backup and recovery.
The company’s management sees a very distinct transition happening in various sectors. Protecting cloud data is turning into a must-have feature, the use of AI is shifting towards practical security-related scenarios, and compliance is increasingly influencing how the SaaS environments are structured and rated.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- AI-powered cyberattacks are outpacing traditional defense models.
- Hybrid infrastructure usage is rapidly increasing as a result of sovereignty and revenue pressures.
- Enterprises are still skeptical about large-scale AI autonomy.
- Compliance requirements like NIS2 and DORA are becoming standard expectations in SaaS procurement.
Kim Larsen, Chief Information Security Officer at Keepit, warns that AI-enabled attackers will significantly raise the bar by 2026.
Larsen comments that attackers will have at their disposal AI tools that will allow them to scan entire enterprise environments in a matter of seconds, find weak spots along the supply chains, and alter their attack methods dynamically in real-time.
On top of that, these capabilities will be intertwined with international political conflicts, thus escalating the possibility of combined hybrid threats.
The CISO believes that security AI must feature not only advanced capabilities but also transparency and accountability.
As a result, security managers put more effort into understanding how AI-powered security tools come to a decision, what data they use, and how they form risk evaluations. The companies that employ AI-driven solutions aimed at human control rather than elimination will most likely survive the storm.
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Jakob Østergaard, Chief Technology Officer at Keepit, foresees a return to hybrid IT architectures with more strength than ever.
When it comes to cloud-only strategies, companies are now more willing to take a step back and reevaluate them due to regulatory requirements, political instability, and cost-saving measures, which push critical workloads to be run on-premise again.
The rise of traditional infrastructure elements like servers, storage units, and paid software is the outcome of companies looking for a well-balanced way of deployment.
Along with the shift, Østergaard brings a mounting talent problem into the spotlight. The need for skills in networking, Linux, and systems engineering grows, while at the same time, the pool of qualified professionals continues to contract. The shortage of skills at the 2026 level will affect the resilience of the system, the modernization timetable, and innovation potency.
Niels van Ingen, SVP of Business Development and Strategy, believes that the implementation of AI in 2026 will still be gradual and not revolutionary.
The majority of companies remain committed to the use of agent-based AI only, whose primary functions are task automation and workflow facilitation. No one has ventured far into the field of fully autonomous intelligence because of unresolved problems related to data quality, governance, infrastructure readiness, and cost control.
Van Ingen shares the view that modernization will be the main theme on the IT roadmaps. Companies are engaging in platform replacements, lessening their dependence on legacy virtualization technologies, and at the same time, selectively integrating SaaS where it brings clear operational benefits. Meanwhile, compliance pressure is increasing, which requires leaders to deal with sovereignty demands and the transition of their operating models.
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Jan Ursi, VP of Global Channels at Keepit, talks about a fundamental change in the way SaaS offerings are judged.
In 2026, adherence to standards like NIS2 and DORA will not be a matter of choice but rather the default setting when requesting SaaS data protection. Industry verticals under regulation progressively put more and more stringent requirements for local data storage, minimal or zero sub-processors, and assured access to data even when an outage occurs in the primary SaaS provider.
Ursi believes that local partners will be instrumental in making it possible for organizations to adopt SaaS in a compliant manner. As the compliance deadlines draw near, their knowledge of regional regulatory requirements and infrastructure limitations becomes more and more indispensable.
Why This Matters
Keepit’s 2026 perspective is indicative of a wider change in the enterprise that is moving less towards trial and more towards operational readiness.
AI is looked at from the perspective of security and control. Hybrid infrastructure is coming back as a sensible option. Compliance is no longer just a checkbox but a design principle.
Data protection, resilience, and regulatory alignment are turning into essential prerequisites for the viable use of AI and cloud.
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FAQs
1. What is Keepit saying about 2026?
The company expects data protection to stop being a secondary IT concern. It will be treated as a core business requirement, especially as AI use and regulation increase.
2. Why does Keepit see AI attacks becoming more common?
Attackers are already using automation to move faster than most security teams. By 2026, that will widen unless companies understand and control the AI they rely on.
3. Why are companies moving back to hybrid IT?
Pure cloud strategies are proving expensive and restrictive. Many organizations want more control over where data sits and how critical systems are run.
4. Is enterprise AI losing steam?
Not really. What’s fading is the belief that AI will run everything on its own. Most companies are sticking to practical uses that actually work.
5. How will NIS2 and DORA change SaaS buying?
Compliance won’t be a bonus anymore. Vendors will be expected to meet these rules upfront, or they won’t make the shortlist.
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