Short answer: in 2026, secure file sharing changed from an IT convenience into a demonstrable control. The Dutch Cybersecurity Act took effect on 15 August, third parties played a role in 48% of breaches according to the Verizon DBIR 2026, and 45% of employees used AI at work. The seven trends below show what that means for sharing files with external parties: more focus on identity, temporary access, central rules and evidence.
Updated on 2 November 2026
At the end of 2025 we predicted seven secure file sharing trends for 2026. The year is almost over, so it is time to take stock. Which trends continued, what changed in legislation, and what does that mean for organisations that share sensitive files with customers, suppliers and supervisors every day?
In this article we list the secure file sharing trends of 2026, with this year’s facts. We wrote it for IT managers, CISOs and compliance officers.
Trend 1: identity is the new perimeter
Zero Trust, “never trust, always verify”, is no longer a buzzword. Access belongs to a verified identity, a role and a time limit, not to a link anyone can open. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2026 shows why: credential abuse was the first step in only 13% of breaches, while exploiting vulnerabilities became the main route at 31%. Attackers look for the weakest spot, and an uncontrolled file link is one of them.
For secure file sharing this means: no anonymous links, access based on identity and the ability to revoke access immediately.
How Msafe helps: Single Sign-On via Microsoft Entra ID, MFA, automatic user provisioning via SCIM and verification of external recipients with, for example, an SMS code or authenticator. Read more about two-factor authentication for file sharing.
Trend 2: AI on both sides, and in employees’ pockets
Attackers use AI for more convincing phishing. At the same time, employees use AI on a large scale. According to the DBIR 2026, 45% of employees are now regular AI users on a corporate device, up from 15% a year earlier. 67% do so with a non-corporate account. That made shadow AI the third most common non-malicious insider action in DLP data.
For secure file sharing this means: decide which documents must never go into an external AI tool, and make sure there is an approved, easy route for sharing sensitive files.
How Msafe helps: Msafe logs every upload, download and share, so you can see which files leave the organisation and to whom.
Trend 3: legislation became practice
2026 was the year rules took effect instead of being announced:
- NIS2 and the Dutch Cybersecurity Act (Cbw): in force in the Netherlands since 15 August 2026, together with the Critical Entities Resilience Act, for over 8,000 organisations in 18 sectors. Registration with the NCSC is mandatory (Dutch government, Dutch source).
- DORA: its second year of application in the financial sector, with the focus on ICT risk management and control over ICT providers.
- AI Act: the transparency obligations have applied since 2 August 2026. The Digital Omnibus postponed the high-risk AI rules to 2 December 2027.
- Cyber Resilience Act: since 11 September 2026, manufacturers of products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities.
The common thread: policy alone does not count, evidence that it works does. Read more in demonstrable compliance and on our page about NIS2 and secure file sharing.
Trend 4: data sovereignty became a procurement question
Digital sovereignty (Dutch source), control over where data resides, who can access it and under which rules, moved from policy papers into tenders. Organisations increasingly ask suppliers where they store data, who has administrative access and how they manage dependencies.
How Msafe helps: Msafe is a Dutch company, hosts in the Netherlands and is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Also read data sovereignty in 2026.
Trend 5: temporary access became the standard
A major risk in file sharing is residual data: old copies that stay in mailboxes and shared folders for years. The GDPR requires data minimisation and retention periods, and NIS2 requires appropriate measures. That is why temporary access became the norm: a file is only available for as long as it is needed.
How Msafe helps: you set an expiry date per share, revoke access as long as the file has not been downloaded and set retention periods centrally.
Trend 6: from separate tools to one platform
Many organisations still worked with SFTP servers, email attachments and separate cloud folders. These sometimes offer encryption, but fall short on central logging, policy and automation. The trend is a managed platform with central rules, an API and integration with the workplace.
How Msafe helps: sharing from Outlook with the Msafe Connector, central policy since Msafe 2.5, files up to 1 TB as standard (larger on request) and an API to build file sharing into your own processes.
Trend 7: the supply chain became the biggest risk
The DBIR 2026 reports that third parties played a role in 48% of breaches, an increase of 60% compared with a year earlier. Suppliers, advisers and supply chain partners have access to sensitive information, and every transfer outside the organisation is a moment where control can be lost.
For secure file sharing this means: share only what is needed, with named recipients, and record per transfer who received what. Read how to approach this in secure file and document sharing with external parties.
What do these trends mean for 2027?
The trends of 2026 continue, but the emphasis shifts from implementing to testing. 2027 is the first full year under the Dutch Cybersecurity Act, and at the end of 2027 the AI Act’s high-risk rules and the main obligations of the Cyber Resilience Act follow. Organisations that make file sharing demonstrably controlled now will be in a strong position in 2027.
Frequently asked questions about secure file sharing trends
Secure file sharing is the controlled sharing of files with internal and external recipients, with recipient verification, encryption, temporary access and an audit trail. Unlike a regular attachment or cloud link, the sender keeps control and evidence.
Identity as the basis for access, AI used by attackers and employees, new legislation such as NIS2, data sovereignty, temporary access as the standard, the move from separate tools to one platform and the supply chain as the biggest risk.
Mainly the GDPR, NIS2 (in the Netherlands the Cybersecurity Act), DORA for the financial sector and the AI Act. They all require appropriate security and evidence that measures work.
Because according to the Verizon DBIR 2026, third parties played a role in almost half of all breaches. Every transfer outside the organisation is a moment where you lose control if there is no verification, expiry date and logging.
Want to know where your organisation stands? Book a no-obligation demo and see how Msafe Secure File Transfer brings file sharing demonstrably under control.
