2026 Predictions from Jan Bee, TeamViewer’s Chief Information Security Officer

By 2026, cybersecurity will evolve into a core business discipline. The organizations that lead won’t just invest in technology — they’ll align boards and CISOs around a shared understanding of risk and resilience.

 

Today, many boards see security as a compliance cost while CISOs speak in risk terms, leaving gaps attackers can exploit. As cyber risk becomes business risk, leaders must translate technical threats into financial and operational impact.

 

Success will depend as much on governance as on technology. CISOs should focus on storytelling, not reporting — and boards must treat cyber resilience as a strategic advantage, not a line item.

By 2026, the strongest security programs won’t be those that stop every breach, but those that spot them first. As cloud systems expand and supply chains stretch further than ever, the idea of total prevention is fading fast. What will matter most is how quickly organizations can detect and respond when something slips through.

 

CISOs are already shifting from a fortress mindset to a visibility mindset, asking not “Are we protected?” but “How fast can we see what’s happening?” In the age of agentic AI and hyperconnected SaaS, that speed will be everything. Organizations that can see trouble coming in seconds will outpace even the most heavily defended but slower peers.

By 2026, the interconnected web of SaaS applications will represent the biggest vulnerability for enterprises. As organizations move from on-premise infrastructure to cloud-based ecosystems, attackers are shifting focus to third- and even fourth-party suppliers. The era of isolated legacy systems is over, and with it, the old approach to enterprise security.

 

Adversaries are already using AI to automate reconnaissance and exploit discovery across supplier networks, dramatically accelerating the speed and scale of attacks. CISOs will need to match that pace. The challenge isn’t just knowing which applications are in use, but securing them fast enough to stay ahead of automated threats.

 

The priority for 2026 is velocity: strengthen the security posture of core applications first, then expand systematically across the supplier ecosystem. The companies that move quickest will be the ones that stay secure.

Identity must be secured end-to-end, from the employee account to every connected application. Enterprises should treat identity management as the starting point for every security initiative, not an afterthought. Beyond SSO, visibility into who connects — including administrator names, emails, and affiliations — will be essential to maintain trust across organizational boundaries.

 

The technology already exists; the real challenge is closing the implementation gap. Making identity the core security layer will be a defining step toward resilience in 2026.

By 2026, forward-thinking organizations will begin phasing out passwords entirely in favor of platform and biometric authentication. The complex password policies that once improved security are now slowing progress and creating more frustration than protection.

 

The shift to passkeys, device-based authentication, and biometrics will divide organizations into two camps: those clinging to outdated compliance rules and those adopting modern, frictionless security. Platform authentication that verifies managed, compliant devices — combined with biometric verification — offers stronger protection and a better user experience.

 

While some compliance frameworks still mandate passwords, they no longer reflect today’s threat landscape. Security teams should work with compliance leaders to demonstrate that new authentication methods exceed the intent of those requirements. The organizations that make this transition in 2026 will stand out for both their security maturity and usability.