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Key Takeaways from the Gartner Identity & Access Management (IAM) Conference
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The compute and storage market in 2026 is defined by one word: volatility. What used to be a predictable cycle of refreshes and incremental growth has given way to fluctuating pricing, constrained supply, longer lead times, and rapid shifts in how infrastructure is purchased and consumed. At the same time, organizations are facing unprecedented growth in data, increasing AI adoption, and rising expectations around cyber resilience and operational efficiency.
This convergence of market volatility, explosive data growth, and cyber-risk is forcing IT leaders to fundamentally change how they plan, procure, and architect infrastructure moving forward.
Scarcity Is the New Normal
One of the biggest news stories in IT so far in 2026 is the ongoing shortage of critical components, particularly DDR5 RAM and high-end SSDs. Hyperscalers and large AI companies continue to absorb massive amounts of GPUs, high-end memory, and flash storage, leaving traditional enterprise buyers exposed to constrained availability and frequent and large price increases. Industry speculation is that the current strain on memory and flash drive availability could potentially last several years as well, so this could be the new normal fore the foreseeable future.
Server and storage vendors have had to raise prices, shorten quote validity windows, and adjust quoting policies in order to account for the scarcity of available RAM and SSD’s. They are also shifting from 30 and 45-day quotes down to 14-day quotes with the right to change the pricing at any time as well. Lead times for certain configurations now stretch well beyond what customers are used to and reflect more covid-era lead times for network equipment.
Procurement Has Become More Complex—and More Risky
In addition to price increases and longer lead times, buying compute and storage in 2026 also requires additional consideration and is no longer a straightforward transactional exercise. Vendors are increasingly requiring separate quotes for compute and storage, discouraging memory-only upgrades, and limiting configuration flexibility. These changes are designed to manage vendor risk—but they introduce new challenges for customers.
This environment places a premium on early engagement, accurate forecasting, and right-sizing. Customers who wait until capacity is exhausted may be forced into suboptimal configurations or extended delays, while those who plan ahead retain more flexibility and control. It may be beneficial to move compute and expansion projects forward to early 2026 that were scheduled for later in the year or in 2027 to avoid future price increases and supply chain issues.
The Rise of AsaService and Consumption Models
One of the most important structural shifts in the 2026 market is the accelerating move toward asaservice and consumption-based models. StorageasaService (STaaS) and infrastructure platform consumption services are no longer just financial alternatives—they are strategic tools for navigating uncertainty in the market and also help free up engineering resources to focus on strategic initiatives and upskilling.
This aligns directly with Gartner’s prediction that in 2026 more than 45% of storage refresh and renewal capacity will shift to storageasaservice models driven by SLAbased outcomes and lifecycle guarantees. For many organizations, consumption models offer greater predictability in an otherwise unpredictable market.
Architecture Matters More Than Ever
In 2026 leading organizations may want to consider shifting focus from buying more hardware to using the compute and storage that they already have more effectively. With the unpredictability of the cost and supply of RAM and SSD this year, IT leaders are faced with re-evaluating their current architecture and implementing strategies such as:
• Leveraging existing serverlocal NVMe in compute and GPU clusters
• Tiering data intelligently between flash, disk, and cloud
• Consolidating and extending existing NAS and object storage
• Adopting softwaredefined and disaggregated storage architectures
These approaches reduce dependency on specific hardware SKUs and give organizations flexibility when supply or pricing changes.
Unstructured Data, AI, and the Next Wave of Growth
Another major driver in 2026 is the rapid growth of unstructured data, which increasingly underpins AI, analytics, and digital initiatives.
This trend is pushing organizations to rethink file and object storage platforms, GPUready architectures, and data visibility tools. It also reinforces the need to ensure that highperformance resources are reserved for workloads that truly require them—while colder data is placed on more costeffective tiers.
Cyberstorage and Autonomous Operations
Security and resilience are now embedded expectations for storage platforms. Gartner projects that by 2029, 100% of enterprise storage products will include cyberstorage capabilities, moving beyond recovery into active defense and threat mitigation.
At the same time, automation and AI are reshaping operations. Autonomous storage, SLAdriven management, and AIassisted administration are helping organizations reduce operational overhead while improving consistency and resilience—an important consideration as data volumes continue to grow.
In a market defined by volatility, customers need more than a reseller—they need a trusted advisor. Sayers helps organizations navigate the fluid compute and storage market in 2026 by:
• Engaging early to forecast compute and storage needs and avoid lastminute surprises
• Educating customers on vendor pricing changes, lead times, and quoting realities
• Rightsizing environments using assessment and data visibility tools
• Evaluating OpEx and asaservice options to improve predictability and offloading day-to-day maintenance
• Designing flexible architectures that reduce dependency on scarce components and look at software-defined solutions
• Preparing for AI, unstructured data, and cyber resilience requirements to build a secure foundation for your AI transformation.
In 2026 and beyond, success in compute and storage isn’t about chasing hardware—it’s about planning, architecture, and partnership. Sayers stands ready to help customers navigate uncertainty, adapt to change, and build resilient infrastructure for the future.
