EMA Research Blog: Navigating IT and Security Horizons

It comes up in many conversations I have with network engineers and architects these days. They want AI-enhanced management tools.

The cybersecurity world descended on San Francisco's Moscone Center this week for RSAC 2026, the 35th annual flagship event – and the numbers alone tell you this is no niche gathering. Around 43,500 attendees, 700 speakers, 600 exhibitors, and 400 members of the media converged on the conference, which spans multiple stages and countless hands-on experiences. That's a lot of people, and a lot of opinions; some of which are ones I hope you are paying attention to, and some that I would prefer you ignore. After spending the week meeting with some of the best vendors at the conference, as well as a few passing conversations in elevators and airplane queues, four themes kept coming up again and again – and if you're serious about your security program, they're worth paying attention to.

Network operations teams are increasingly seeking AI tools to improve their ability to build and manage infrastructure. In fact, they now expect AI features and products from their network infrastructure and network management vendors.

In early 2026, the world of IT fleet management is undergoing its most radical transformation since the 2020 remote work pivot. The original intent of device management solutions was to make managing multiple computers that required the same configuration easier. Today, it has become the frontline of corporate survival.

Late last night, Mr. William Chalmers from Lloyds Banking Group in the United Kingdom sent me quite an unusual email. With the subject “Mutual Investment,” I absolutely expected yet another boring investment scam email which would promptly go into the spam bin. However, upon opening this email I was pleasantly surprised to see that this scammer had not sent me an “investment opportunity” (read that as investment scam) but accidentally emailed me his source code. Oops. I won’t include the full code here, but I will include some interesting snippets.

If 2025 was the year the industry aggressively deployed agentic AI to automate everything from code deployment to customer service, 2026 is shaping up to be the year we pay the security debt for that speed. We have effectively built an "AI-native" enterprise ecosystem, but in doing so, we have introduced a new class of insider threat that doesn't sleep, doesn't take breaks, and crucially doesn't think like a human.

EMA turns 30 this year. We're not the largest analyst firm, and we’re not the loudest. What we have always strived to be is honest, independent, and reliable.

The network infrastructure and operations industry is on fire. How do I know? Just look at how busy the Network Infrastructure and Operations practice at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) was in 2025.

As I sit here watching the very soggy Rose Parade, my thoughts drift to the cybersecurity topics and trends we will talk about in 2026 (yes, that is how much of a nerd I actually am).