The era of unlimited technological testing is giving way to a much more strategic and realistic approach. In 2026, organizations will begin to move past the inflated expectations commonly associated with new technologies, focusing instead on solving real challenges related to system integration, security, and governance. In this new landscape, competitive advantage no longer relies on aimless experimentation but on building secure, resilient digital ecosystems that deliver tangible, measurable business value.
Within this context, digital experience platform (DXP) provider Liferay has identified six key trends shaping 2026. Their analysis highlights a landscape where control, security, and clear ROI take center stage, marking a decisive shift in how companies design and build their tech architecture. Additionally, smart reuse of existing technological resources and the ability to accelerate market deployment will be critical for success.
The maturation of composable architecture paves the way for the rise of the open suite
Composable architecture is reaching a phase of greater realism and consolidation. The original idea of having total freedom to assemble a digital ecosystem using numerous “best-of-breed” tools has been constrained by excessive complexity and high costs. Looking ahead to 2026, the dominant model will not be the traditional monolithic system nor uncontrolled composability, but an intermediate, strategic solution: the so-called open suite.
This approach relies on a central platform that natively and seamlessly integrates a robust set of core functionalities such as content management, analytics, and data administration, significantly reducing integration and maintenance efforts. Unlike traditional monolithic models, this “suite” is based on an open architecture that allows organizations to connect specialized third-party tools for high-value use cases or replace modules with more advanced options as they become available.
AI becomes a controlled service layer, not an isolated function
The emerging paradigm for 2026 is not adding isolated AI functions, but integrating artificial intelligence as a key, controlled service layer within existing enterprise platforms. The DXP acts as a secure intermediary. Instead of sending sensitive corporate data directly to third-party AI models, the platform manages the flow—sending controlled instructions and prompts to external AI services while keeping critical business data within the company’s security perimeter. The key is that the AI model inherits permissions from the user making the query, ensuring access only to authorized information and eliminating risks of unauthorized data exposure.
Digital sovereignty as a competitive advantage
By 2026, digital sovereignty will solidify as a competitive differentiator, especially in heavily regulated markets like Europe. Companies will no longer see regulations such as the EU AI Act or GDPR as burdens but as opportunities to build trust. The decision of where data resides and under what jurisdiction the infrastructure operates will shift from a technical detail to a top-level strategic decision. Technologies enabling maximum deployment flexibility—such as platforms that can run seamlessly across hyperscaler public clouds, European cloud providers, private infrastructure, or on-premise—will be crucial. Open source will play a vital role, as its inherent transparency allows government agencies and financial sectors to audit the source code, providing a security and compliance level that private systems cannot match.
The rise of non-technical developers in controlled environments
The historic conflict between the agility demanded by business units and the control needed by IT will reach a balance in 2026. The solution won’t be relaxing security measures but empowering business users within a controlled framework. The proliferation of low-code and no-code tools integrated into enterprise platforms will boost the role of “non-technical developers,” enabling business analysts, marketing managers, and HR personnel to build simple applications without writing a single line of code. These tools will increasingly be integrated into platforms that allow IT to set governance policies—defining who can develop, what data can be used, and where applications can be deployed. As a result, IT can focus on complex strategic projects, while the organization gains unprecedented speed to market.
Unified strategy becomes the new power of the CMO
Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) face unprecedented pressure to deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences and demonstrate clear ROI. However, their ability to achieve this vision has been hampered by fragmented tech ecosystems, with customer data scattered across silos and disconnected content tools. By 2026, digital experience platforms will meet the strategic needs of CMOs by unifying information from all sources to create a single, comprehensive view of each customer. This intelligence foundation is essential for the CMS to function as a complete content marketing platform, integrating campaign planning and asset creation capabilities. This enables marketing teams to act on insights and execute customer experience strategies swiftly and coherently.
High-performance technology accessible to SMEs
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly require robust, scalable, and open high-performance technology. The emerging trend allows SMEs to acquire “enterprise-grade” software modules individually. Instead of investing in a full suite to access a powerful e-commerce engine, they can now purchase just that module. This disaggregation provides an affordable entry point for addressing urgent challenges with tools that won’t become obsolete as their business and ambitions grow.
This trend not only opens a new market but also redefines how SMEs compete. It empowers them to build a solid, scalable technological foundation piece by piece, enabling them to deliver customer experiences that rival those of industry leaders.