Modernize. Secure. Innovate. Lead with the power of Agentic-AI.
The IDC CIO Summit Portugal 2026 is the leading event for senior technology and business executives shaping enterprise strategy and digital leadership in one of Europe’s most dynamic digital markets. Designed for CIOs, CTOs, and senior IT and transformation leaders, this one-day summit delivers actionable insights on Portugal’s top priorities for 2026: technology modernization, cybersecurity resilience, AI adoption, and aligning IT with measurable business outcomes in a fast-changing regulatory environment.
Agenda
IDC analysts and industry experts will share guidance on how to architect adaptive technology foundations, reduce technical debt, and operationalize AI responsibly while aligning IT with strategic business goals. Through keynote presentations, panels, and peer-led discussions, the Summit equips Portugal’s CIOs with the research, frameworks, and leadership tools to build resilient, secure, and innovation-ready enterprises for 2026 and beyond.
2026 Prediction
By 2027, 55% of G1000 CIOs will be tasked to create enterprise AI value playbooks, featuring expanded ROI models to define, measure, and showcase AI impact across efficiency, growth, and innovation.
Main Themes
The CIO as Business Strategist
CIOs have evolved from operational leaders to enterprise strategists. As digital transformation reshapes every business model, technology leadership now defines competitiveness. Today’s CIO must align IT priorities with business outcomes, influence the boardroom agenda, and drive innovation that delivers measurable value.
Modernization, Legacy and Technical Debt
Managing technical debt is no longer just a maintenance concern, it’s a strategic priority. Modernizing legacy systems, simplifying architectures, and optimizing cost structures allow organizations to shift resources from upkeep to innovation. Streamlined technology portfolios create the agility needed to compete in a digital economy.
The Agentic AI Revolution
Agentic AI marks a shift from automation to autonomy. How CIOs can govern, scale, and integrate autonomous AI systems responsibly (balancing opportunity with oversight to create intelligent, self-directed enterprises).
Resilience by Design
Resilience is emerging as the defining capability of modern enterprises. Adaptive architectures, secure infrastructure, and integrated continuity planning enable organizations to withstand disruption (whether from economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, or cyber threats) while sustaining growth and trust.
Cybersecurity, Trust, and Digital Sovereignty
As digital ecosystems expand, trust becomes a critical currency. CIOs must address cybersecurity, data sovereignty, and compliance in tandem, ensuring that cloud strategies and cross-border operations align with evolving regulations. Building digital trust creates both protection and competitive advantage.
Building the Intelligent Enterprise
Data is the foundation of every intelligent organization. Reliable, governed, and accessible data architectures enable AI, automation, and analytics to operate at scale. Enterprises that invest in strong data foundations are better positioned to extract insight, anticipate change, and deliver smarter, faster business outcomes.
2026 Prediction
By 2027, G1000 organizations will face an up to 30% rise in underestimated AI infrastructure costs, driving CIOs to expand the scope of FinOps teams to optimize expenses and enhance business value.
IDC Analysts
Martina Longo
Research Manager, C-Suite Tech Agenda
IDC
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Martina Longo
Martina Longo is a research manager in the IDC EMEA Digital Business and AI Transformation Strategy Research Group. In her role she advises ICT players on how organizations create business value using digital technologies. She also leads the IDC EMEA Digital Native Business research, focused on a mix of start-ups, scaleups, and more mature digital natives. She also collaborates with the EMEA C-Suite Tech Agenda research, analyzing technology investments and buyer preferences across C-suites in the EMEA region. She also examines how C-suite leaders are evolving as a result of key market trends and technology innovations (e.g., AI).
Luis Fernandes
Senior Research Manager, Infrastructure
IDC Europe
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Luis Fernandes
He has more than 15 years’ experience in the ITC sector, in technical sales, covering several vertical sectors with a focus on telco, public sector, and defense.
Before joining IDC, he worked for an infrastructure manufacturer as a senior solution architect for servers and storage, with a focus on hyperconverged infrastructures.
He has a degree in computer science from the University of Lisbon.
Knowledge Hub
The AI homework nobody asked for (but everyone’s getting anyway)
Artificial Intelligence has officially reached the “you can do anything with it” stage of technological hype. Judging just by AI vendor narratives, and by some of the media, it’s the golden key to productivity, efficiency, optimization and innovation.
The Agentic Business Future: Driving Resilience, Sovereignty, and Innovation in EMEA
As organizations navigate an era defined by economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and relentless technological change, one truth stands out: the future belongs to those who can harness AI, automation, and sovereignty to build resilience, drive innovation, and unlock growth.
EMEA’s Tech Evolution – 7 Key Themes Transforming Business in 2025
The technology landscape across Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is changing rapidly in 2025, with innovations actively reshaping industries and creating new business opportunities.
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