February 25, 2026
AI, Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing: the 5 Trends Reshaping Business in 2026
The key themes from GoBeyond Milan: from preventive security to data sovereignty and quantum advantage
GoBeyond Milan — an IT ecosystem event organised by iKN Italy — is one of those events where trends stop being forecasts and become real conversations, brought to the stage by the people who deal with these challenges every day inside their organisations. The 2026 edition, held on 24 February at the Nhow Hotel in Milan, made one thing unmistakably clear: companies that want to stay competitive can no longer treat artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data governance as separate issues, or ones that can be pushed down the agenda.
This article brings together the five most significant themes that emerged throughout the day, with the voices of the speakers and a reflection on what they mean in practice for businesses operating in today’s environment.
1. From reactive to preventive security: the new AI-driven paradigm
Cybersecurity has been at the heart of enterprise debate for years, but GoBeyond 2026 marked a genuine shift in the conversation. Barbara Poli of Grandi Navi Veloci brought into focus the change of approach that artificial intelligence now makes not only possible, but necessary.
The line that stayed with the room:
“A preventive rather than reactive approach to security with AI.”
This is not a matter of semantics. It means moving from systems that detect and respond to threats after they have already materialised, to systems that anticipate them — continuously analysing patterns, anomalous behaviour and weak signals in real time. According to the World Economic Forum Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, more than 66% of organisations expect AI to have a significant impact on their security posture over the next two years — yet the majority are still operating in a response mindset rather than a prevention one.
AI compliance is tightly bound to this shift: with the European AI Act now in force, organisations must embed security and transparency requirements at the design stage of their systems, not as an afterthought. Those who start building now will carry an advantage that compounds over time.
2. Integrating AI into real-world processes: testing, failure and tangible results
Alongside the big strategic visions, GoBeyond also made room for something equally valuable: the account of those who are actually adopting AI operationally, with everything that entails. Simone Chedda of Madi Ventura offered the perspective of a food company in the middle of a genuine testing and integration journey.
The value of these contributions tends to be underestimated. Case studies from large international corporations carry weight, but they are far removed from the operational reality of most Italian businesses. Hearing a mid-sized manufacturing company describe how it structured its own adoption path — setbacks, early failures and all the adjustments along the way — is more useful than any theoretical benchmark.
According to Confindustria Digitale, in 2025 only 18% of Italian SMEs had launched structured AI projects. The gap with large enterprises — where adoption exceeds 60% — is not a question of willingness. It is a question of methodology: scalable adoption models are lacking, adequate technical support is hard to find, and there is no clear starting point. Hearing directly from those who are making it work is one of the most effective tools for lowering that barrier.
3. The CISO as a strategic role: security is no longer a cost centre
Matteo Macina, Head of Cybersecurity at TIM, delivered a message that many already know but few act on: the Chief Information Security Officer is not a technical support function. It is a strategic asset that every organisation — regardless of size — must take seriously.
The data makes this unambiguous. According to the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025, the global average cost of a data breach has reached $4.88 million — the highest figure ever recorded. Organisations with a CISO who holds genuine decision-making authority and adequate resources consistently report significantly shorter detection and containment times.
The problem is cultural before it is organisational: as long as cybersecurity is perceived as a cost to be minimised rather than an investment to be optimised, organisations will remain exposed. The CISO needs a seat at the board table, not just a desk in the IT department.
Why the CISO must report to the top of the organisation
Where the CISO sits in the hierarchy is not an administrative detail. When this role reports to the CIO or CTO, its mandate is inherently constrained by the logic of technological efficiency. When it reports to the CEO or the board, it can exercise genuine cross-functional oversight across risk, compliance, reputation and operational continuity. The difference in outcomes is measurable.
4. CIO and CISO: the friction that protects
One of the day’s most thought-provoking contributions came from Giacomo Morelli of Enegan, who holds both the CIO and CISO roles within his own organisation. Drawing directly on that experience, he raised a question that many growing companies eventually have to confront: does it make sense to concentrate responsibility for both technological innovation and security in a single person?
The answer that emerged from the discussion was clear: no — at least not beyond a certain threshold of organisational complexity.
The reasoning is almost counterintuitive. One might assume that a single integrated perspective would make alignment easier. In reality, the two roles are structurally in tension: the CIO is oriented towards openness, integration and acceleration; the CISO towards control, attack surface reduction and caution. This constructive friction between innovation and protection is not a problem to be solved — it is a mechanism that, when managed well, raises the quality of decisions on both sides.
Separating the roles means institutionalising that tension and giving it the weight and visibility it deserves. The result is an organisation that is both more secure and more efficient.
5. Data sovereignty, AI agents and quantum advantage: the frontiers closing in
The final part of the day opened onto broader horizons — none of them any less urgent for it. Three themes in particular dominated the roundtable and the closing sessions.
Third-party dependency and data sovereignty
Dependency on external technology vendors and the loss of control over proprietary business data have moved firmly to the centre of the enterprise conversation. This goes beyond regulatory risk tied to GDPR — it is a deeper question of strategic autonomy: whoever controls the data controls the competitive advantage.
Awareness is growing fast. Companies that continue to delegate the management of sensitive data to foreign cloud infrastructures without adequate governance in place are accumulating a risk that, within a few years, may prove very difficult to unwind.
AI agents and data governance
Massimo Fedeli, CIO of ISTAT, introduced a scenario already operational in some large organisations: AI agents interacting with other agents, orchestrating complex workflows in a semi-autonomous way. In this context, data governance becomes even more critical: when AI systems are making operational decisions — even partial ones — the quality, traceability and control of the data they act on is no longer a technical concern. It is an organisational responsibility.
Quantum advantage: not science fiction, but applied engineering
Davide Moretti of IBM, quantum ambassador, mapped the current state of quantum computing with careful attention to the line between hype and reality. The concept of quantum advantage — the ability to solve certain problems in timeframes impossible for classical computers — is becoming concretely measurable in specific applications.
Daniele Capanni, Senior Service Director at Baker Hughes, provided the most immediate example to convey its scale:
Simulating molecules to develop more efficient pesticides would take a supercomputer a thousand years. A quantum computer: a matter of minutes.
This is not a projection. These are predictive tests already underway. For sectors including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, logistics and finance, the implications are enormous — and the competitive gap between those who start exploring these tools now and those who wait will be hard to close.
What these themes mean for businesses today
GoBeyond 2026 confirmed a trajectory worth naming explicitly: the topics that until recently were seen as the preserve of large multinationals have become operational priorities for any company that wants to compete. Preventive cybersecurity, a CISO with a genuine strategic mandate, data sovereignty, controlled AI architectures — these are no longer advanced options. They are prerequisites.
Organisations that are behind do not need to catch up on everything at once. But they do need to start building: with the right organisational structures, with technology partners who guarantee control and transparency, and with a data governance framework that lays the foundations for integrating even the most advanced architectures in the future.
Conclusions: the AI that respects your infrastructure is the AI that lasts
The five themes that emerged at GoBeyond converge on a single principle: the artificial intelligence that creates lasting value is the kind that integrates into existing processes without taking control away from the organisation — over its data, its security, its decisions.
For organisations looking to begin or accelerate their AI adoption journey in line with these principles, Aidia develops tailored solutions for the enterprise market: designed to work within your infrastructure, with your data, on your terms.
Sources
- iKN Italy (2026). “GoBeyond 2026 — Italy’s IT ecosystem event” — ikn.it/go-beyond
- World Economic Forum (2026). “Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026” — weforum.org
- IBM Security (2025). “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025” — ibm.com
- Confindustria Digitale (2025). “Digital competitiveness of Italian businesses” — confindustriadigitale.it
- European Commission (2025). “AI Act — Regulation on Artificial Intelligence” — digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
- McKinsey & Company (2026). “The state of AI in 2026: Adoption and value creation” — mckinsey.com
- IBM Research (2025). “Quantum Computing Progress Report” — research.ibm.com
- Gartner (2026). “Top Strategic Technology Trends 2026” — gartner.com
Carolina Magrini
Marketing Specialist senior. Specialista in Marketing analitico strategico omnicanale - Business data analysis | Prompt engineer.b
At Aidia, we develop AI-based software solutions, NLP solutions, Big Data Analytics, and Data Science. Innovative solutions to optimize processes and streamline workflows. To learn more, contact us or send an email to info@aidia.it.
