Welcome to 2026 – Starting the new year with optimism
At the turn of the year, most organizations take time to reflect on the past twelve months, analyze developments, and plan for the year ahead. At netfiles, we are no exception. We, too, are asking ourselves what the coming months will bring – politically, economically, and especially from a technological perspective. In this outlook, we explain why we are entering the new year with a healthy degree of optimism despite ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
M&A market 2026: Cautious optimism
After a period of restraint, signs of a modest recovery in the M&A market are emerging. Industry experts expect transaction activity to increase again in 2026 – albeit under changed conditions. As early as 2025, a trend toward fewer but higher-volume deals became apparent, and this development is likely to continue.
At the same time, the market environment remains challenging. Rising numbers of corporate insolvencies aand heightened risk awareness mean that transactions are being reviewed more thoroughly, prepared more carefully, and managed in a more structured manner. Speed remains important, but it must not come at the expense of quality, transparency, and security. Solid preparation and a stable IT foundation are therefore more critical than ever.
Virtual data rooms: Still essential in 2026
As transactions grow more complex, so do the demands placed on the underlying digital processes. Virtual data rooms (VDRs) have become indispensable in this context. They bring structure to complex review processes, enable controlled information flows, and support well-founded decisions – even as time pressure and regulatory requirements increase. Today, VDRs are far more than simple document repositories; they serve as central working environments for all parties involved.
Essential are VDR solutions that
structure information clearly and make it easy to navigate,
accelerate review and decision-making processes, and
provide a high level of security, control, and traceability.
The provider’s hosting and headquarters location, operational model, and security architecture are becoming increasingly important – particularly in a globally connected yet politically tense environment. Organizations must be able to maintain control and sovereignty over their data – at all times.
Data sovereignty: A strategic issue
Data sovereignty has become a strategic issue that can, in the long term, determine the continued viability of organizations. IT and compliance teams, as well as executive management, should keep this topic firmly on their radar.
Dependencies on international platforms and cloud providers are being scrutinized more critically – not because the underlying technology is inherently problematic, but because organizations are increasingly losing control over what happens to their data and under which legal frameworks access may occur. What may sound abstract is already very real, as prominent examples illustrate.
Karim Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, temporarily lost access to his Microsoft email account following an order by the US government. Reports also indicate that French judge Nicolas Guillou was affected as well: not only were his Amazon and PayPal accounts closed and hotel bookings via Expedia cancelled, but he was also unable to use credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard.
These cases highlight that digital dependencies can have direct consequences for operational capability, communication, and institutional effectiveness.
AI: Data inside the processing black box
Another factor significantly sharpening awareness of data sovereignty is the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI). In the M&A environment, organizations are increasingly willing to deploy AI-supported solutions – for example, to analyze large volumes of documents or to support due diligence processes. Efficiency gains, time savings, and improved comparability are seen as key drivers.
At the same time, AI fundamentally changes how data is handled. Information is no longer merely stored and shared; it is actively processed, analyzed, and reused. This raises new questions: Where does this processing take place? Which data flows into which systems? And how transparent and controllable are these processes?
When it comes to sensitive corporate and transaction data, this lack of transparency becomes a critical issue. Even when providers assure purpose-limited use, many organizations remain unclear about the technical, organizational, and legal frameworks operating in the background. Responsibility and control cannot be outsourced – they remain with the data-owning organization and, with the increasing use of AI, will represent a central challenge in 2026.
Corporate IT landscapes: reassessment required
For many organizations, these developments are prompting a fundamental reassessment of their IT landscapes. Data sovereignty is not about individual tools, but about deliberate strategic decisions: ensuring controllable data flows, clear responsibilities, and transparent security and compliance structures.
What is needed are IT solutions that combine security, efficiency, and trust while also accounting for legal and geopolitical risks. Against this backdrop, European – and particularly German – providers are gaining importance, especially when they pair technological performance with long-term reliability. In an environment defined by change, uncertainty, and rising requirements, the value of experience and continuity becomes increasingly evident.
25 years of netfiles: Pioneering spirit meets experience
More than half a million users already rely on netfiles as a solution for secure data exchange and efficient collaboration. Since 2001, we have been supporting organizations with secure virtual data rooms from Germany, positioning ourselves as a reliable partner on equal footing. This long-standing experience forms the foundation for the continuous development of netfiles.
In response to our customers’ growing demand for maximum control over sensitive data, we launched two new products last year: the audit-proof netfiles Online Data Room Archive for the long-term storage of important files, and netfiles Data Vault – a fully end-to-end encrypted digital vault. And development continues, always with the goal of balancing security, efficiency, and user-friendliness.
Conclusion: Choosing optimism – and security
In the months ahead, we expect organizations to further align their priorities around security and sovereign IT structures.
We are happy to support you in this journey throughout 2026 and beyond as a trusted partner for secure data exchange – ensuring that your sensitive information remains secure and under your control, even in challenging times.
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