I have a lot of Windows PCs in my life. Some are dedicated to work, others run media servers around the house, and one of my favorites is an old machine I turned into a retro gaming arcade cabinet. When you manage that many systems, you end up collecting all kinds of utilities over the years. My toolbox is full of apps for repairs, maintenance, diagnostics, and the usual experiments that come with being a lifelong tinkerer.

In 2026, you face a perfect storm of multi-cloud complexity, IT/OT convergence, and tightening regulation. This article gives you a practical outlook on what will change in monitoring, how AI and security trends will shape your decisions, and where solutions like Paessler PRTG can help you turn visibility into advantage for sysadmins responsible for their company's IT infrastructure and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) alike.