c-suite

The boardroom scoop 2026


Strategic technology trends.
insight
November 12, 2025
9 min read
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End of year reflections: Strategic technology trends for 2026

At the beginning of 2025, our leaders identified key forces shaping the year’s strategic technology trends, combining technology foresight with deep leadership insight. They anticipated the resurgence of foundational technologies such as cloud, IoT, and mobile, along with the rise of agentic AI and hyper-personalized experiences enabled by generative AI. They also examined how work was evolving, from purpose-driven collaboration to the emergence of AI companions and new organizational models that blend agility with autonomy.

What seemed bold then now serves as an accurate map of how 2025 developed. As the year ends, we revisit those early predictions, not as forecasts but as milestones of a transformation already in progress. 

Once again, our leaders connect the signals, distill the noise, and chart the path forward. Their latest reflections on technology trends go beyond observation; they provide direction in a time of relentless innovation and offer a lens for preparation as we move into 2026.

Technology trend I

Beyond prompts: AI that understands and acts

The focus is shifting from generative AI to agentic AI. The goal is no longer just to simplify interfaces, but to give AI the ability to understand objectives, take action across systems, and follow through.

Instead of just turning instructions into output, AI can now pursue goals in real-world situations, making decisions, coordinating tasks, and adapting as things change, much like a capable teammate.

 

ANURAG

 

"We’ve crossed a threshold from AI that responds to you to AI that acts for you. Agentic AI doesn’t just follow commands; it understands goals, takes the initiative, and adapts like a digital teammate."
— Anurag Sahay, CTO, Nagarro
Agentic AI assistant
Technology trend II

MCP gains ground as AI agents move into production

As AI agents move from concept to reality, enterprise integration is being pushed to its limits. Traditional frameworks were never built for speed and flexibility, these systems demand. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) changes that. Much as REST shaped the SaaS era, MCP provides large language models with secure access to tools, APIs, and enterprise services.

It’s more than an interface; it’s the foundation for intelligent automation at scale. In industries from finance to healthcare, MCP is enabling modular, agent-led architectures that evolve as fast as AI itself.

EUGEN

 

"As enterprises move from AI experiments to real impact, MCP offers the integration layer they’ve been waiting for. It’s the key to building modular, secure, AI-native systems at scale."
— Eugen Rosenfeld , CTO, Nagarro

 

MCP_Model Context Protocol
Technology trend III

The strategic comeback of in-person collaboration

In 2025, as complexity grows while global tensions rise, one simple truth is coming back into focus: some challenges still need a handshake.

Hybrid work continues to support daily operations, but leaders are turning to deliberate, face-to-face collaboration for high-stakes dialogue, trust-building, or complex problem-solving.

This isn’t a return to the office for tradition’s sake; it’s using presence with purpose to strengthen relationships across the value chain.

 

RAM

 

"In a world of growing complexity, some problems still demand a handshake; intentional in-person collaboration has a strategic advantage."
— Ram Reddy, CTO, Nagarro
Collaboration trend 2026
Technology trend IV

AI-ready teams need AI-ready structures

A new type of team structure is emerging in the enterprise: smaller, autonomous groups powered by AI. These teams are moving beyond traditional boundaries, taking ownership of larger parts of the value chain, and operating at greater speed and with greater independence. The next step is to design organizations around people rather than processes.

The DP2 model is Dynamic, Purpose-Driven, and People-Centric, and reflects this shift, creating environments where collaboration flows naturally, decisions are made closer to where value is created. It also makes work align with human potential within an intelligent, adaptive enterprise.

 

THOMAS_A

 

"Technology is evolving fast — to harness its power, our systems and structures need to evolve faster. DP2 is a model for exactly that."
— Thomas Aardal, CTO, Nagarro
AI ready teams
Technology trend V

Not just smarter tools; smarter teammates

A new kind of teammate is emerging in the enterprise: ‘AI companions’ that work smartly with us. These systems are stepping into skilled roles as human assistants, supporting requirement gathering, design, coding, review, or testing. Built on powerful foundation models, they are tuned for stronger context understanding, sharper reasoning, and more accurate outcomes. AI companions are taking on routine work, giving people the freedom to focus on what truly matters.

This is not a shift to automation; it’s about unlocking human potential to reshape the workplace into a creative, purposeful, productive space.

 

GANESH

 

"AI companions are moving beyond support roles to become true collaborators. As they take on not just routine tasks, but smartly assisting in unlocking human focus, creativity, and productivity across the enterprise."
— Ganesh Sahai, CTO, Nagarro
AI- Smarter teammates
Technology trend VI

AI’s expanding footprint across the SDLC

AI is no longer on the sidelines of software development; it is now an integral part of the team. From writing code to testing, AI tools are embedded in daily workflows, improving both speed and quality. Developers use AI for engineering, code reviews, debugging, pair programming, making collaboration between people and machines feel natural.

The real advantage comes when companies treat AI not as a quick boost but as a core partner that sharpens human judgment, raising the standard for what great software can be.

 

THOMAS_S

 

"AI is transforming every level of software development — from coding to testing to collaboration. It’s not just speeding things up; it’s redefining the way we build. The biggest breakthroughs will come from how we use it."
— Thomas Steirer, CTO, Nagarro
AI in SDLC
Technology trend VII

AI is giving enterprise architecture a human pulse

Enterprise architecture is not a static plan; it’s becoming a living system that senses change, responds quickly, and improves on its own. With AI, digital twins, and process intelligence, architects are shifting from fixing problems to shaping outcomes.

They can now anticipate disruption, guide decisions, and build systems that move with the business. In fields like manufacturing and finance, this shift is already reducing firefighting and increasing confidence in how organizations operate.

 

STEFAN

 

"AI is reshaping enterprise architecture from the ground up. What was once manual and siloed is now predictive, adaptive, and designed for real-time decision-making."
— Stefan Bär, CTO, Nagarro
AI for enterprise architecture
Technology trend VIII

AI agents go strategic with Autonomous Multi-Agent Playbooks

A new generation of AI systems is taking shape in Autonomous Multi-Agent Playbooks. Unlike static workflows, these are dynamic, knowledge-driven teams of AI agents that collaborate, adapt, refine strategies in real time. Powered by deep enterprise insight spanning data, customer behavior, product intelligence, ecosystem context, these agents can reason, infer, act autonomously.

They anticipate issues, personalize at scale, create seamless experiences across platforms with minimal human input. The outcome goes beyond efficiency, it’s about intelligent, human-centered interactions that build trust, boost agility, reshape how organizations decide, operate, grow in an accelerating world.

 

RAHUL

 

"Autonomous Multi-Agent Playbooks represent the next frontier, where AI agents collaboratively design predictive, intelligent experiences that transform ecosystems, elevate customer value, and redefine operational excellence."
— Rahul Mahajan , CTO, Nagarro
Multi agent playbooks
Technology trend IX

From interns to cogs: Structuring AI for the fluid enterprise

AI often starts small in organizations, an assistant here, a co-pilot there, but scaling it company-wide requires structure, not enthusiasm. The real impact comes when AI moves from individual tools to an integrated part of workflows, decisions, and systems.

This shift depends on a solid data foundation, clear governance, and teams with the right skills to build effectively. The companies that succeed won’t be the ones experimenting the most, but those integrating AI with clear goals and discipline.

 

MARTIN

 

"AI transformation starts with individual experimentation, but the real impact comes when organizations structure it into the way they work. The goal is not more models, but more meaning."
— Martin Hack, CTO, Nagarro
Structuring AI
Technology trend X

Micro-Agents, monumental shifts in enterprise automation

AI agents may be small in code, but their impact is enormous. Acting as digital teammates, they manage tasks, optimize their own performance, and hand off work seamlessly without human micromanagement. This lightweight architecture cuts coordination overhead and lets businesses build new workflows in hours, not weeks. For example, a procurement agent can audit demand signals while a sourcing agent negotiates with suppliers in real time.

Each agent runs its own micro-domain yet operates in a shared language, giving the enterprise a self-adjusting system that’s fast, context-aware, and resilient. The leadership role now lies in defining goals, setting guardrails, then allowing this network of agents to continuously improve how the organization works.

 

VIKAS

 

"AI agents are rewriting the value chain: one micro-task at a time. They automate; they coordinate, adapt, and elevate how work gets done."
— Vikas Burman , CTO, Nagarro
Micro agents in enterprise

The momentum is real, but direction now matters more than speed. Leadership in 2026 will be defined by focus, empathy, and intent.
The boardroom scoop 2026

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