Cybersecurity Readiness Remains Flat as AI Transforms the Industry
The Index evaluates companies’ readiness across five pillars—Identity Intelligence, Network Resilience, Machine Trustworthiness, Cloud Reinforcement, and AI Fortification— and encompasses 31 solutions and capabilities. Based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 private sector security and business leaders in 30 global markets, respondents detailed their deployment stages for each solution. Companies were then categorized into four readiness stages: Beginner, Formative, Progressive, and Mature.
Findings
The lack of cybersecurity readiness globally is alarming, as 71% of respondents anticipate business disruptions from cyber incidents within the next 12 to 24 months. Further:
-
AI’s Expanding Role in Cybersecurity: An impressive 89% of organizations use AI to understand threats better, 85% for threat detection, and 70% for response and recovery, underscoring AI’s vital role in strengthening cybersecurity strategies.
-
GenAI Deployment Risks: GenAI tools are widely adopted, with 51% of employees using approved third-party tools. However, 22% have unrestricted access to public GenAI, and 60% of IT teams are unaware of employee interactions with GenAI, underscoring major oversight challenges.
-
Shadow AI Concerns: Sixty percent of organizations lack confidence in detecting unregulated AI deployments, or shadow AI, posing significant cybersecurity and data privacy risks.
-
Unmanaged Device Vulnerability: Within hybrid work models, 84% of organizations face increased security risks as employees access networks from unmanaged devices, further exacerbated by using unapproved Gen AI tools.
-
Investment Priorities Shift: While 96% of organizations plan to upgrade their IT infrastructure, only 45% allocate more than 10% of their IT budget to cybersecurity (down 8% year-over-year), emphasizing a critical need for more focused investment in comprehensive defense strategies, which is incredibly important as threats are not slowing.
-
Complex Security Postures: Over 77% of organizations report that their complex security infrastructures, dominated by the deployment of more than ten point security solutions, are impeding their ability to respond swiftly and effectively to threats.
-
Talent Shortage Impedes Progress: A staggering 86% of respondents identify the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals as a major challenge, with more than half reporting more than ten positions to fill.
To tackle today’s cybersecurity challenges, organizations must invest in AI-driven solutions, simplify security infrastructures, and enhance AI threat awareness. Prioritizing AI for threat detection, response, and recovery is essential, as is addressing talent shortages and managing risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI.
