At Beaming, we have always believed that looking ahead is the only way to keep your business data safe. As we move further into 2026, the threats facing UK businesses are becoming more sophisticated, but the tools we have to fight back are also evolving.

To help you navigate this shifting landscape, here are seven key areas that should be on your radar as you review your security strategy this year.

1. Fighting AI with AI

As the Beaming cyber threat analysis suggests, we are now seeing cybercriminals use AI to automate attacks and phishing at speeds no human team can match. To counter this, your business needs to deploy AI-driven threat hunting tools. These systems work tirelessly in the background to spot the tiny, malicious patterns that human analysts might easily overlook.

2. Beating the Deepfakes

Social engineering has taken a sinister turn. Last year showed us just how convincing AI-enhanced scams can be. Today, a video call or a quick phone chat is no longer proof of identity for major financial transactions. I recommend that UK businesses move toward mandatory second-channel verification. This could be as simple as a pre-agreed code word or a physical security token. Don’t let a deepfake of your Finance Director trick your team into an unauthorised transfer.

3. Reinforcing the Supply Chain

In 2026, your security is only as strong as the weakest link in your supply chain. We are seeing a major shift toward transparency, where businesses must treat third-party risk as their own. One practical way to do this is by demanding a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) from vendors. Much like a list of ingredients on a food label, an SBOM allows your IT team to see instantly if a newly discovered vulnerability affects your systems. However, true supply chain security also means making security a “non-negotiable” in every contract. Whether it is requiring ISO 27001 certification or setting strict “right to audit” clauses, you must ensure your partners are as committed to safety as you are. Total visibility across your entire provider network is now a necessity.

4. Identity as the New Perimeter

We have moved past the days when a strong network boundary was enough. Today, identity is the primary target. Hackers often prefer “logging in” with compromised credentials over “breaking in” via technical exploits. This is why we are seeing a shift toward Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). It goes beyond basic passwords; it is about monitoring user behaviour to spot when a “validated” account starts acting suspiciously before any damage is done.

5. Resilience and Recovery

The spate of high-profile attacks in 2025 highlighted that businesses need to plan how to continue or re-establish operations in the event of a breach. Disaster recovery and business continuity plans need to include a strategy known as “resilience engineering”, which focuses on creating processes that can anticipate, absorb, recover, and adapt in the event of an attack.

Plans should be stored in paper form or offline so there is a “grab bag” of instructions and key information to guide you in the early stages of an incident. Working with your trusted provider, you should be able to restore a backup of your key data, if this has not been compromised. The data backups you should be using in 2026 to protect your data are immutable (so data cannot be altered or deleted) and air-gapped (data is isolated from the network), This should ensure data is recoverable if other areas of your network are breached.

6. Preparing for the Quantum Age

You might think quantum computing is a problem for the distant future, but the threat is already here. Some actors are using a “harvest now, decrypt later” approach, stealing encrypted data today in the hope of cracking it once quantum tech matures. If your business handles highly sensitive, long-term data, 2026 is the time to start a cryptographic inventory. Taking these early steps toward quantum-resistant standards will ensure your most valuable secrets stay secret for decades to come.

7. Navigating Compliance

As security moves from “best practice” to a “licence to operate.” With the April 2026 update to Cyber Essentials, requirements around multi-factor authentication (MFA) and identifying which cloud services interact with your business data have become much stricter. Ticking a box once a year is no longer enough. Clients will be demanding real-time evidence of your security posture. To stay competitive and “tender-ready,” you need to move toward continuous compliance monitoring rather than waiting for an annual audit.

Build your 2026 resilience

At Beaming, we don’t just provide rock-solid connectivity, but also the security and peace of mind that allows your business to thrive. Whether you are looking for Managed Firewalls to filter out the noise, Cisco Secure Endpoint for intelligent threat detection, Microsoft Entra ID to assist with your access Management or our ProtectNet Private Network to secure your remote workers, we are here to help.

If you have a nagging sense that your 2026 strategy needs a second pair of eyes, please do get in touch. We have a “no robots” policy here, so when you call, you’ll speak to a friendly human who will get to know your unique challenges. Get in touch