BS Teh, Chief Industrial Officer at Seagate Expertise, outlines the safety, edge and price pressures pushing organisations past cloud-first.
The pace at which knowledge is generated, used and saved at the moment is unprecedented, and it continues to develop. In 2026, this pattern will speed up additional, putting even better calls for on companies.
Globally, that is reshaping not solely the IT panorama but additionally the way in which corporations innovate. Knowledge has lengthy been the inspiration for innovation: it allows the event of latest enterprise fashions, the automation of processes, and the customisation of merchandise to satisfy particular person buyer wants.
Groups are more and more data-driven, utilizing clever analytics to make sooner, extra knowledgeable choices. On the similar time, new types of collaboration are rising, powered by AI instruments that consolidate information and foster artistic trade.
Within the age of AI, the worth of information is extra evident than ever: it’s crucial asset within the digital financial system. AI algorithms depend on analysing massive and various datasets to establish patterns, generate forecasts and create worth.
The higher corporations seize, construction and retailer their knowledge, the extra successfully they’ll leverage AI’s potential. This implies companies able to managing and storing massive, advanced datasets effectively achieve important aggressive benefits. These in a position to deal with knowledge securely, flexibly and sustainably are laying the inspiration for innovation, agility and long-term success.
Consequently, the info storage business is at a turning level. It should not solely sustain with exponential knowledge development, but additionally ship options that meet calls for for sustainability, scalability and price effectivity. This transformation is basically pushed by speedy advances in AI, which generate and course of ever-growing volumes of information and set new necessities for storage infrastructure.
Hybrid methods for the subsequent technology of the info financial system
The function of AI as a development driver and ‘knowledge multiplier’ is plain. AI has made knowledge essentially the most useful asset within the digital financial system, prompting a elementary shift in enterprise computing – one that’s already shaping knowledge centre planning and funding at the moment, and can proceed to take action in 2026.
Practically 75% of enterprise leaders are transferring from a ‘cloud-first’ method to a hybrid mannequin that mixes public cloud, non-public infrastructure and edge computing. The reasoning is obvious: corporations need to improve safety, allow real-time edge functions and cut back prices, whereas assembly the rising calls for of AI-driven workloads.
The conclusion is straightforward: all knowledge has worth at the moment. Unlocking that worth requires a better, hybrid method to IT infrastructure and storage—one which meets each at the moment’s and tomorrow’s wants.
Generative AI accelerates the content material explosion
One other key driver of the info explosion is GenAI, which is fuelling a growth in digital content material creation. GenAI is democratising content material manufacturing: workers throughout departments can now generate textual content, photos and movies inside minutes. This essentially modifications workflows and introduces a brand new, data-driven actuality for companies.
The impression is already clear. Practically three-quarters of companies report that GenAI allows workers outdoors conventional artistic roles to create content material independently – for instance, in gross sales, HR or product administration.
This outcomes not solely in additional content material, but additionally in new codecs that had been beforehand too pricey or time-consuming to supply, equivalent to personalised movies, coaching supplies or advertising property. Over two-thirds of corporations report an total improve in content material recordsdata, with sooner manufacturing speeds and better selection.
Many now create a number of variations of the identical content material to focus on audiences extra exactly. On the similar time, common file sizes are rising, and practically half of corporations are storing bigger volumes of comparable or redundant recordsdata, additional rising storage calls for.
To maintain up, many corporations plan to retain their knowledge for longer and are more and more adopting data-tiering and archiving methods. Whereas a majority have already expanded or modernised their storage infrastructure, solely one-third really feel totally ready for the calls for of GenAI workloads at the moment.
By 2026, it’ll grow to be clear which corporations have set the proper course for sustainable knowledge administration, and which threat being overwhelmed by the content material explosion.
Future-proof storage methods will decide success in 2026
The content material explosion pushed by GenAI is each a possibility and a problem. Corporations that align their storage methods accordingly will profit twice: they’ll unlock the total potential of AI-generated content material whereas sustaining management over their knowledge property.
Knowledge is turning into a strategic useful resource, as AI is reworking creativity, productiveness and whole industries at an unprecedented tempo. Companies ought to deal with each single byte of information as useful, as a result of it actually is.
This text is a part of our DCR Predicts 2026 collection. Test again subsequent week for our ultimate week with a brand new prediction each day.
