Security trumps AI in companies' priorities.

Brazil redefines its technological strategy: security first.

While the global market focuses on the race for artificial intelligence, Brazilian companies are charting a different course. Data released this Thursday (November 13th) by the IT Trends Snapshot 2025 study, promoted by Logicalis in partnership with the consulting firm Stratica, reveals a clear reordering of technological priorities for 2026: cybersecurity leads with 80% of companies, leaving AI in third place with only 42%.

What do companies really want to invest in?

The research paints a pragmatic picture. While 80% of organizations prioritize strengthening digital security, 49% focus on process automation to gain operational efficiency. Artificial intelligence, despite the global hype, comes in third place—and far from being a unanimous choice.

“Clients say that what’s missing to fully embrace AI is processing capacity, quality data, and deciding whether to do it in the cloud or in their own data center,” explained Márcio Caputo, CEO of Logicalis, during the presentation of the study. The message is clear: it’s not a lack of interest in AI, but a lack of infrastructure and strategic clarity.

The paradox of artificial intelligence adoption.

Here's the critical point: only 3 out of 10 companies have managed to extract tangible results from AI initiatives. This means that 70% of companies are still in the experimental phase, without a defined ROI or well-structured use cases. For Caputo, 2026 will be the year in which AI needs to "go beyond experimentation," requiring clear governance and measurable objectives.

Fabio Hashimoto, quoted in the study, summarized the two major challenges facing Brazilian IT: “There are two clear issues in IT: the adoption of AI and the challenges with information security.” But there is a tension here—only 1 in 3 companies involves digital security teams in the development of new products. A calculated risk or strategic negligence?

The talent and budget bottleneck

CIOs expressed legitimate concern: budget increases may not cover rising costs for skilled labor, inflation, and potential exchange rate impacts. Brazil leads in technology salaries in Latin America—engineers and data scientists earn an average of US$67,000 annually—but 841,300 of technology contracts are for freelancers, creating structural instability.

There is also internal disparity. While technical fields have competitive salaries, professionals in sales, marketing, product, and design are still far from global standards. Men in engineering and data earn US$88,000 compared to US$62,000 for women—a gap of £2,000 that persists.

Brazilian startups gain global recognition.

While large corporations recalibrate their priorities, the startup ecosystem continues to expand. Brazil brought more than 370 startups and companies to Web Summit Lisbon 2025, notably Neoron, a startup from Paraíba specializing in Dialogue Intelligence for healthcare, which presented its project on the event's main stage.

Simultaneously, the Impacta Brasil Portal launched a virtual showcase featuring 351 socio-environmental impact businesses during COP30 in Belém. Finep, the federal innovation agency, has already allocated R$ 12 billion since 2023 to research and development projects focused on mitigating emissions — 27% of its total investments.

What changes for you?

For businesses: expect consolidation of AI initiatives in 2026, not accelerated expansion. Invest in security now or pay the price later. For professionals: skills in data, AI, and strategic analysis remain differentiators, but governance and security open new opportunities. For startups: the market remains receptive, but with increasing demands for clarity in business models and measurable results.

Photo by Ales Nesetril on Unsplash