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27.10.2026
How do companies plan their IT for the coming years as technological developments continue to advance faster? Artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities, cyberattacks increase the pressure to act, and cloud decisions influence future flexibility. At the same time, budgets, personnel, and time are limited.
Companies therefore have to decide which topics are prioritized – and which projects can wait. Dr. Andreas Herch, Managing Director of Netz16 GmbH and part of the accompio Group, deals with IT strategies and the further development of corporate infrastructures. In the interview he explains why long-term IT planning becomes more difficult, why cybersecurity forms the foundation, and why companies need above all innovation courage when it comes to AI.
How companies can align their IT roadmap for the coming years, strategically prioritize cybersecurity and the cloud, and invest in innovation despite limited resources is explained. Dr Andreas Herch in the full interview.
In the past, companies could often plan their IT investments over several years. A software solution was introduced and was intended to operate stably for as long as possible. Today, the framework conditions are changing much faster.
Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important prerequisite for business operations. At the same time, AI is changing both the technical infrastructure and the processes within companies. What is considered a sensible investment today may already bring new requirements in just a few years.
For Dr. Andreas Herch, this does not mean that long-term planning becomes unnecessary. Companies must, on the contrary, become much more flexible and regularly review their strategic decisions. An IT roadmap should provide guidance, but it must not become a rigid plan that ignores new developments.
It is crucial to recognize technological changes early on and to set up your own IT in such a way that adjustments remain possible.
When companies set their IT priorities, Herch recommends a clear order of priority: First, the systems must be secure. Next, companies should clarify their infrastructure and cloud strategy. Based on this, they can focus more on innovations through AI.
These topics should not be mixed indiscriminately. An excessively long discussion about infrastructure and security details must not lead companies to unnecessarily delay their entry into new technologies.
Especially in Germany, IT planning is often driven by a strong need for security and control. This is understandable: companies need to assess risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure the reliable operation of their systems.
At the same time, an overly cautious approach to new technologies can limit innovation. In the field of AI, it is still not possible to reliably predict in all areas which applications and business models will prevail in the long run.
Herch therefore advocates more courage to try new things. Companies must be willing to test new approaches – even if not every initiative proves successful. For example, an AI project can show that a planned application does not provide sufficient added value and should be discontinued. This insight can also be valuable.
The goal is not to ignore security requirements or to take on uncontrolled risks. Rather, companies should build a sustainable security foundation and experiment specifically within this framework. In this way, they can gain experience and take advantage of new opportunities without having to fully secure every project from the outset or to set long-term goals.
An IT roadmap not only describes what should be implemented; it also identifies which projects do not have priority at first.
If a company wants to open up new markets, modernize its infrastructure, redesign internal processes, and at the same time develop AI products, these goals compete for the same resources. Budget, skilled workers, and time cannot be multiplied indefinitely.
Therefore, companies must first clarify their business goals. Only then can it be assessed which IT investments will make the biggest contribution and which projects can be postponed.
For IT organizations and CIOs, this means making goal conflicts transparent and consistently prioritizing decisions. Those who pursue all projects simultaneously risk high costs, overloaded teams, and slow implementation.
Recommendation: Treat cybersecurity as a top priority, specifically build the necessary security foundation, and then shift the focus more towards new technologies. Security remains an ongoing task – but it should not become an endless project that blocks all innovation efforts.
According to Herchs, the role of traditional IT organizations will also change by 2030. Instead of implementing large software systems and hoping that they will remain unchanged for decades, companies must increasingly connect different applications, interfaces, and processes with one another.
This ability to orchestrate becomes more important: New requirements from customers, markets, and employees must be able to be translated into functional solutions more quickly.
For this, companies need flexible architectures, efficient processes, and an IT organization that actively shapes changes. The IT roadmap thus becomes less a detailed blueprint for a long-term unchanged system state. It becomes rather a strategic framework that sets priorities and enables regular adjustments.
accompio helps companies assess their IT infrastructure, identify security requirements, and make technological decisions.
A sustainable IT roadmap for 2030 needs clear priorities and the willingness to adapt decisions to new developments. Cybersecurity forms the foundation for stable business operations. The cloud strategy provides clarity about infrastructure and data. Building on this, companies can specifically deploy AI and unlock new business opportunities.
It is not crucial to predict every technological development. What is more important is to remain flexible, use resources wisely, and try new things in a controlled manner.
„The first point is to make the security system safe. The second point is the infrastructure, the cloud, and then we can just focus on the AI issue.“
Dr. Andreas Herch, Managing Director of Netz16 (part of the accompio group)
As a Managing Director, Andreas has extensive experience in the IT sector, evaluating IT infrastructures, categorizing security requirements, and identifying technological trends.
An IT roadmap should consider the business goals, the necessary security measures, the infrastructure and cloud strategy, as well as planned innovation initiatives. Clear priorities and the ability to respond to technological changes are important.
Cybersecurity protects systems and data from attacks and helps maintain business viability. A reliable security foundation is therefore an important prerequisite for further IT investments and innovations.
Companies should identify suitable use cases, specifically test new possibilities, and gather experience. It is important not to unnecessarily delay innovation projects while ensuring the necessary safety base and clear responsibilities.
They should consistently implement basic safety requirements and enable controlled experiments based on them. This way, new technologies can be tested without ignoring safety risks or hampering any innovation through excessive testing processes.
Budget, resources, and time are limited. If companies pursue too many strategic initiatives simultaneously, costs and complexity can increase, while implementation becomes slower. Clear prioritization focuses resources on the most important business goals.
