
IBRSiQ February 2026
February focuses on pivoting from adoption to pragmatics, prioritising operational excellence, rigorous AI governance, and cost-optimised infrastructure to secure tangible value.

February focuses on pivoting from adoption to pragmatics, prioritising operational excellence, rigorous AI governance, and cost-optimised infrastructure to secure tangible value.

2026 will be a watershed year as AI efforts shift from experimentation to value-based investments. As the technology continues to evolve, CIOs will need to pivot and ensure that they are aligned with the changing board and executive positions.

December’s focus shifts toward pragmatic governance, balancing AI adoption and cyber resilience by simplifying processes and prioritising foundational security controls.

Adobe’s $1.9bn Semrush acquisition integrates SEO and GEO into the creative workflow, ensuring brands remain visible in AI-driven search results.

Navigating 2025 required balancing accelerating AI, rigorous governance, and cost control to translate market hype into actionable executive strategy. Our report on the year that was.

2025 showed real value comes from mastering business basics, cost control, and owning your data strategy.

Google’s new Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers fundamentally enable structured AI orchestration at the cloud infrastructure layer, accelerating predictable, governable automation for enterprises.

Most annual trend predictions are little more than marketing disguised as foresight. Market modelling designed to drive consumption rather than economic modelling designed to drive value.

Manage-in-place information management offers a strategic approach to governance, allowing organisations to control data directly across all their existing repositories.