Amid tightening regulations and growing cyber threats, demand for information security and IT services continues to grow across industries. The field is a strategic priority for FBK CyberSecurity, a member of the FBK Group.
Dmitry Livshin, the firm’s CEO, shared his insights on how the company is redefining its strategy, the challenges shaping the market in 2026, and why IT infrastructure today has evolved from being a technical necessity to becoming a cornerstone in business resilience and competitiveness.
What was the moment that stood out for you this year?
Although FBK CyberSecurity had provided information security and IT services to entities across various economic sectors as part of the FBK Group since 2018, 2025 was a true launch for us. We build a new team and initiated a transformation of our cybersecurity practice – thus rebooting the business in a new format.
This is not just a personnel change – it is a strategic shift: we have deepened our expertise, restructured processes, and directed our focus to solving tasks that truly matter to clients in today’s environment marked by heightened regulations and growing cyber threats. Essentially, we are not starting from scratch but moving forward, building on our experience with fresh energy and ambition.
Which project was the most significant?
While we are in the transformation stage, we have focused on foundational projects – compact, yet critical. It is through these that we get to refine our approaches, establish processes, and earn client trust.
However, we are confident that the most significant initiatives will unfold in Q2-Q3 2026. We are already engaged in major projects related to migration to domestic platforms and building secure IT architectures for industrial and financial clients. So, our momentum is building.
What unexpected lesson from 2025 has influenced the way you approach work the most?
2025 taught us to look beyond macroeconomic shifts and pay closer attention to their ripple effects on the IT market and client behavior.
Back in the day, we could concentrate on operational flexibility, but 2025 showed that even short-term changes in regulations, exchange rates, or technology availability require the revision of strategic priorities.
Now, our planning incorporates both growth scenarios and mechanisms to adapt quickly to the ‘spinoff effects’ of external challenges.
What do you believe will define the industry in 2026?
With monetary policy easing in the second half of the year, many clients will be able to unlock previously deferred IT and cybersecurity budgets to modernise infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity, and implement new technological solutions. This could become an impetus for growth not only for individual companies but for the entire IT market.
Additionally, demand is growing for localised, reliable, and scalable solutions – and we are ready to support clients from strategic planning to operational execution of their digital initiatives.
Which regulatory changes will matter most to business in 2026?
Two events shaping the development of the Russian IT industry come to mind: the qualitative deepening of state oversight and the official shift towards long-term import substitution.
The market is no longer focused on forced replacement of individual products, instead, it is now consistently building sovereign technological ecosystems. Moreover, this process is being led not only by regulators but also by major national companies.
Still, at this stage, the main drivers of import substitution are state regulators – the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, FSTEC of Russia, and for the banking sector – the Central Bank of Russia, whose requirements continue to reshape the market and set goals to transition to domestic software.
What trend in your field could become a breakthrough in the next 12 months?
In the current economic environment, the top client demand is maximum efficiency combined with minimal operational support costs. Therefore, the breakthrough will not simply be using AI or automation per se, but their targeted application to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT infrastructure.
This involves solutions that optimise routine processes, cut downtime, reduce IT personnel workload, and relocate resources for strategic tasks. The approach is strictly individual: for one client – autonomous monitoring systems, for another – AI assistants in service support, for a third – automation of software deployment and updates.
The key to success lies in fitting technology to the business, not in chasing trends for their own sake.
What should businesses do now to prepare for 2026 challenges?
We recommend that businesses already reassess not only sales plans and cost structures but also the role of IT in ensuring resilience.
If 2026 proves to be genuinely challenging – and it can reasonably be expected to be just that – then a flexible, automated, and secure IT infrastructure will serve as a buffer against operational risk.
Look for ways to turn IT spending from a cost item into a value driver: for instance, through automating routine processes, consolidating services, or switching to more predictable subscription models.
Our clients who started this journey in 2025 are already seeing a 20-30% reduction in operational costs without compromising service quality.
The era of ‘just maintaining systems’ is over. Today, IT is about survival and competitiveness.
What are your New Year’s wishes for colleagues and clients?
Don’t give up and keep moving forward no matter how challenging the path is. Crises don’t last forever, and those who stay focused, disciplined, and committed to their vision will be the first ones to recognise opportunities in the new reality.
Be persistent – not with stubbornness, but with a willingness to learn, adapt, and take the next step, even if it’s a small one. It is from such steps that you build a sustainable future.
