Q1: What has changed most in the way organisations think about infrastructure in 2026?
S.S.: I would say security and backup have become the biggest areas of change. Organisations have experienced security problems, data loss and issues that caused their operations to stop for different reasons. Because of this, they now understand the importance of security much more clearly and are trying to take more action in that area.
Backup is also very important here. Some of the problems organisations face come from security, and some come from other sources, but in the end they can all lead to losing data completely. When that happens, business stops and continuity is interrupted. These are among the clearest problems we see today.
Another thing we observe is a much faster shift toward external resources. In the past, many things were managed by a single IT team. Today, those same areas require more than one type of expertise. Organisations are also accepting that they cannot keep all of these capabilities within their own teams. Because of this, they are moving more quickly toward getting some of these resources and expertise from outside.
So, in general, I would say the main change is around these two points: security and backup on one side, and the need for broader expertise and external resources on the other.
Q2: What should financial institutions, telecom operators and public institutions question before choosing their next cloud, storage or data centre strategy?
S.S.: In the past, when we talked about data infrastructure, the conversation was mostly around a single structure or a single data warehouse. Today, artificial intelligence has also entered the picture. Because of this, the same data is now being accessed and used from more than one point and through more than one path.
Previously, access to data was mostly related to business applications. Today, IoT devices and AI-based services also create new access points. This means institutions need more flexible structures. They should not be tied to a single protocol or a single system. Instead, they need structures where multiple protocols can run at the same time and multiple applications can operate at the same time.
The layers in these systems are also growing very quickly. For this reason, there is a need for infrastructure that is based on flexibility. From what we see, the decision-making logic is moving in this direction.
The main points that stand out are flexibility, easy growth, the ability to divide or separate the structure when needed, and compatibility with applications used for backup and redundancy. In general, this is how we see customer needs developing.
Q3: Digital sovereignty is becoming a more visible topic in Europe. How do you interpret this shift from an infrastructure perspective?
S.S.: From an infrastructure perspective, this is important because data is no longer just data. When you develop a technology, you are also developing a commercial secret or a form of business value. You turn this into business through your customers, employees and private information.
Because of that, data has become something that affects companies’ commercial activities, employees’ work and countries’ overall income. At this point, the issue is not only the value of the data. Continuity has also become very important.
Regional developments, especially wars, have made this much more visible. In a physical failure scenario, you may think, “The data is in the cloud anyway.” But if there is a problem with the cloud itself, or if there is a problem accessing the cloud, then local data becomes more usable and more practical. So the issue is no longer only about the confidentiality or value of the data. It is also about accessibility.
The digital economy is also a part of infrastructure. It is similar to electricity. If you cannot meet your own electricity or energy needs within your own country, then you become dependent on outside sources. That dependency can affect the country in other areas as well. The same situation now applies to data.
Today, we see this very clearly in artificial intelligence applications and in very valuable chip technologies. We also see it in technologies that develop under the control or demand of a particular country. If a country does not want you to use certain technologies, you may no longer be able to use them.
For this reason, to avoid these kinds of situations, the first step is to make sure that data is kept close to us, within our own geography. It should also be protected from being affected by external factors as much as possible.
There is also another side to this. If there is a crime or an illegal situation, and the data is outside the country, then accessing that data and identifying the responsible person creates another dependency. But if the data is here, and if the systems working with that data are also here, then local law enforcement and the local legal system can follow the process much more directly.
So, the value of data security has more than one dimension. This may change from sector to sector, but in general, localising data and making it independent from external sources is becoming a necessity for countries.
Q4: Looking ahead, what kind of infrastructure mindset will matter most for organisations that want to stay competitive and prepared?
S.S.: From a competitiveness perspective, the main topic is flexibility. Of course, there are other parts as well, such as budget, but if we look at the core of the issue, flexibility is becoming more important.
For example, a company may need a certain amount of digital resources under normal conditions. But on special days or in special situations, this need may change. Companies now have to be able to manage that change.
A very simple example is a flower seller. On special days such as Mother’s Day, Teachers’ Day or Valentine’s Day, even a flower seller may face demand that is much higher than usual, in some cases, many times higher than the resources normally needed for those days. If the company cannot solve this, it loses sales and loses business. It cannot operate properly on the day it needs to operate the most.
This is actually an example that applies to many sectors. For example, think of a company in production. You see a benefit related to artificial intelligence and decide to invest resources in that area. This is something we see very often today. When an organisation says, “We want to invest in artificial intelligence,” it may face procurement processes that take one or even two years. Costs can become very high, and the process can even move into shortage-driven or black-market-like conditions.
This creates the main problem: scaling. The infrastructure needs to be suitable for working smoothly when the business grows or when the workload becomes larger.
Another part of competitiveness is speed. Today, through digital channels, a customer can find thousands of suppliers or producers in a second. They can compare them and reach them directly. If you reach that customer at the right speed, at the right time and at the right stage, and if you solve their needs correctly, then you start making the sale.
So the issue is not only about having a suitable price. Unfortunately, price alone is not enough. Speed is also one of the important answers on the competitiveness side.
Q5: What does a future-ready infrastructure strategy look like?
S.S.: Unfortunately, there is no single answer to what a future-ready infrastructure strategy should look like. But when we look at where the future is going, one thing is clear: the size of data has increased incredibly.
In the past, data was created by people. Then it moved toward what we call IoT devices. Now, it has moved toward artificial intelligence models and agents. Because of this, data is growing incredibly fast.
Also, there is no such thing as completely useless data anymore. A piece of data that we thought was unnecessary five years ago can now be reviewed again by artificial intelligence. From that data, it may be possible to create a new benefit, learn something new or make a business process easier.
For this reason, data is constantly increasing, and it has the potential to increase faster every day. From this point on, one of the main things organisations need to pay attention to is not getting stuck because of this growth. In other words, they should not experience problems at the point of growth.
The other important issue is talent, especially when we talk about digital infrastructure. In the past, the expectation from an IT manager was much more limited. It might have been enough for that person to manage the operating system. At most, they were expected to know office applications, or maybe have a general understanding of accounting, production and similar business software.
Today, the range is much wider. It is no longer enough to deal only with hardware, software or operating systems. There are applications inside these systems, communication with the internet, and many sub-layers created by the spread of the internet. This can no longer be solved by a single person.
Because of this, talent becomes a very important point in these structures. Another important issue is making sure that the right capabilities are kept available. This may be through external resources or local teams. One way or another, the total need has to be understood.
The market also needs to understand that security cannot be solved simply by installing antivirus software. IT capabilities need to be continuously monitored, continuously observed and continuously improved with new skills.