By: Bryan Johnson, IT Director, 星空传媒

With the new year upon us, it鈥檚 time again for my annual roundup of tech trends to watch in the months ahead. After over 20 years in software development and IT, I can safely say that technology best practices are changing all the time鈥攐ften with blazing speed. It鈥檚 essential for businesses to stay aligned with the latest developments. By following these recommendations, you can do just that and ensure your technology stack fires on all cylinders in 2026.

Make 2026 the year you get AI right

While the constant stream of AI coverage has become overwhelming in the last few years, don鈥檛 tune it out. AI really can have a transformative effect on your business. Many have already recognized its potential, with three in four companies using AI to optimize at least one business function.[i] In 2026, this trend will only accelerate, with more businesses adopting AI agents to:

• Automate production workflows bysearching and summarizing documents, generating emails and tracking deadlines, all of which can accelerate closings.
• Boost security by flagging anomalies, verifying identities and maintaining communication, which enhances trust.
• Support compliance by using AI to check disclosures and maintain audit logs.

If you haven鈥檛 started using AI yet, you don鈥檛 need to be intimidated. To get started, just pick one or two high-volume, low-risk tasks where you can test out a pilot program. Assign a staff member to 鈥渙wn鈥� the program, choose your tool and define your metrics of success. After 30 days, if you like what you see, you can expand the program. If not, simply retool and try something else.

Zero trust = fewer security issues

I鈥檝e talked about zero trust a few times on this blog, but it remains a critical security protocol for agencies to adopt in 2026. For a while now, the cybersecurity field has basically adopted 鈥淢urphy鈥檚 law.鈥� We assume data breaches are a matter of when鈥攏ot if. This framework is smart because it prioritizes protecting identities and data when these inevitable breaches occur.

Agencies would be well advised to align with this security approach, as the data shows, breaches are becoming far more common. Sixty-five percent of organizations were, in fact, hit by a ransomware attack in 2024.[ii] If you are ever unlucky enough to be one of those statistics, you can mitigate the fallout if you have highly stringent security protocols in place, such as:  

• Universal MFA adoption for email, production software, escrow platforms, remote access and cloud tools. Collectively, this reduces the likelihood of a stolen password compromising your entire operation.
• A strong 鈥淶ero Trust鈥� mindset, which assumes every device, user and connection could be compromised, and that users should only be given the minimum access required to do their jobs.
• Thoughtful, cautious third-party controls that treat every IT vendor, platform and integration as a potential attack vector. To safeguard against potential vulnerabilities, agencies should ask vendors for security documentation, avoid shared logins, limit vendor access and make sure incident-response expectations are baked into any contracts.

Once you have security controls like these set up, you鈥檒l be in a strong position to prevent wire fraud and reduce downtime. You鈥檒l also demonstrate to stakeholders that your agency is taking cybersecurity seriously in 2026.

Go 鈥渄igital first鈥� in 2026

Perhaps the most substantive IT change over the past few years in the title industry has been the normalization of all-digital closings. Remote online notarization (RON) usage, for example, has dramatically surged, with one study showing an astounding 40% increase.[iii] Agencies that stay current with these shifting expectations will gain in 2026. Not only is it a great competitive differentiator, but digitizing your operations can also improve your operational efficiency, strengthen compliance and even expand your customer pool.

Just like with AI, digitizing your process doesn鈥檛 need to feel overwhelming. You can begin by tackling just one closing with one customer. Work with your IT team and/or provider to confirm what RON or e-signing tools you have at your disposal and how you can use them compliantly. Then, chart out your process and implement it.

Don鈥檛 forget to compile data on how digitalization impacted your turn times, what pain points you encountered and what feedback you received from your customers. That last part is arguably the most important, as you will need it to iterate for future improvement.

Be open to opportunity

The poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce once wrote, 鈥淲e will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called 鈥極pportunity,鈥� and its first chapter is New Year鈥檚 Day.鈥� I think this is a good way to sum up what I鈥檝e been trying to convey with this blog. We鈥檝e covered just a few of the ways to improve your agency鈥檚 technology stack in 2026, and by extension, how you deliver for customers and grow your business. If you鈥檙e open to experimenting with new technologies and laying the groundwork for more secure systems, you can seize these opportunities as the holidays end and the new year begins. Rest assured, your customers will thank you for it.

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Aristotle supposedly once said, 鈥淚t is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.鈥� Although the ancient philosopher died nearly 2,000 years ago, his statement remains highly relevant to how businesses should approach security issues today, particularly regarding third-party applications. Digital apps are essential to workplace productivity and profitability in 2025, but that doesn鈥檛 mean we can take anything an app vendor says at face value. Rather, businesses that wish to maximize the benefits of their applications while minimizing risk need to deploy a strategic, thoughtful process. Here鈥檚 how you can do that in three easy steps. 

1.) Initial screening process

Properly vetting a third-party application鈥檚 security begins with an initial screening of needs and capabilities. Start by asking yourself a simple question: Is there an actual business need here for this application? Once established, you can start figuring out what the application is (cloud service, browser extension, etc.), which data sets it will touch (financial, personal customer information, etc.) and who is going to end up using it (internal-only versus customer-facing). Answering these questions early helps you gauge risk and define the safeguards you鈥檒l need.

2.) Security, privacy and data access review

Following your initial screening, check if the application you鈥檙e considering adheres to reputable security and privacy frameworks like SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. These certifications show that the app provider follows industry best practices for controls, monitoring and governance. Don鈥檛 stop there, though. To cover all your bases, you will also want to review an app鈥檚:

• Penetration test results
• Privacy policy
• Encryption practices
• Data storage and access processes

Finally, round out your investigation by examining whether the app meets any relevant regulatory requirements such as those stipulated in the GDPR, CCPA or HIPAA. For a data heavy industry like title insurance, these expectations should be largely non-negotiable.

3.) Internal governance and continual monitoring

Once you collect and review this information, you can proceed with implementing your app. However, that doesn鈥檛 mean you should consider the project complete. Whenever you launch a new IT initiative, there is always the possibility that something may go awry. Continual monitoring can help you quickly remediate any problems that arise with your app down the line. To make this process easier, take the time to determine who owns the relationship with the application vendor ahead of time. Then, establish a process for keeping tabs on updates, misuse, and security vulnerabilities. Performing this due diligence before launching the application can prevent future headaches.

Get the answers you need   

To wrap this all up, I want to leave you with another quote from Aristotle, who said, 鈥淭he roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.鈥� I think this goes to the heart of what this blog is discussing. Vetting third-party app risk undoubtedly requires effort, but the rewards justify the work involved. And by following the three steps outlined here, I promise you鈥檒l get the answers and results you need. 

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