As organizations prepare for 2026, CIO and CISO priorities are converging around a single strategic imperative: data minimization.
CIOs are charged with accelerating business outcomes through technology innovation. CISOs are responsible for protecting the company’s people, products, brand, and intellectual property from growing cyber risk. While their mandates differ, one powerful force aligns their missions—budget efficiency.
After 2025’s explosive year of AI innovation (and record-setting returns for AI-driven companies), 2026 will demand smarter investments in AI, cyber resiliency, and infrastructure optimization. One foundational strategy will lead the way across all three: data minimization.
Why Data Minimization Is a 2026 Priority
1. AI Performs Better With Less—but Better—Data
AI engines don’t thrive on volume alone. They require relevant, high-quality, low-risk data—free of redundancy and unnecessary copies.
Data minimization enables:
- Higher AI accuracy
- Faster model performance
- Lower storage and processing costs
- Reduced exposure of sensitive data
In AI, less is more. Minimizing data improves outcomes while delivering results at a fraction of the cost.
2. Cyber Resiliency Starts With Reducing the Attack Surface
“Why do you rob banks? Because that’s where the money is.”
The same logic applies to cybercrime. Organizations with massive volumes of unmanaged data are prime targets. Reducing risk starts with reducing what attackers can exploit.
By identifying and removing Redundant, Obsolete, and Trivial (ROT) data, organizations can:
- Reduce data management costs by 50% or more
- Shrink the attack surface by up to 50%
- Improve incident response and recovery times
- Strengthen regulatory compliance and governance
Data minimization is one of the fastest ways to improve cyber resilience without adding new security tools.
3. Cloud Optimization Depends on Data Minimization
Whether you’re migrating to the cloud, from the cloud, or optimizing hybrid environments, data minimization is essential.
Best practice:
- Move only business-critical data into production cloud environments
- Relocate ROT data to secure, privileged object storage
- Avoid paying premium cloud costs for low-value data
The result:
- Lower operational expenses (OPEX)
- Reduced migration costs
- Improved performance and security posture
Cloud efficiency isn’t about where data lives—it’s about which data deserves to live there.
One Strategy, Shared Success
“In December alone, I met with more than 25 industry executives—including CIOs, CISOs, CEOs, and CROs. Over 80% told me that controlling and reducing data management costs is one of their top three priorities for 2026. Data minimization is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative. I’m proud to be working alongside organizations committed to transforming data from a liability into a strategic advantage.”
— Mark Ward, COO, Congruity360
For 2026, data minimization delivers:
- Faster, more accurate AI
- Stronger cyber resilience
- Lower cloud and infrastructure costs
- Alignment between CIO and CISO priorities
2026 belongs to organizations that master data minimization.
