Exabeam

95% of organizations are increasing cybersecurity budgets in 2026.

74% of organizations are seeing double-digit cybersecurity budget growth in 2026.

30% of security leaders in the Netherlands report that AI is already improving security operations.

In the Middle East, unauthorised GenAI is the top insider concern (31%).

More than three-quarters of organisations (76%) report some level of unapproved Generative AI (GenAI) usage.

Government organisations are bracing for the steepest rise (73%) in insider threats.

56% of security teams report that AI has improved productivity in threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR).

71% of executives report AI-driven productivity gains.

18% of organizations are expanding hiring for roles focused on AI governance, automation oversight, and data protection.

30% of security leaders cite a lack of board understanding of the link between cybersecurity investment and business resilience as their biggest challenge in defending spend.

32% of organizations identify AI as the most challenging cybersecurity spend to justify to business stakeholders.

44% of organizations identify AI as the top driver of cybersecurity budget increases.

63% of security leaders report using quantified ROI to measure cybersecurity investments.

59% of security leaders report using outcome metrics to measure cybersecurity investments.

75% of security leaders in Saudi Arabia report that AI is already improving security operations.

AI and automation serve as the primary catalyst for cybersecurity budget expansion for 44% of organizations, followed by cloud infrastructure growth (33%) and mainstream business AI adoption (32%).

87% of security leaders express confidence that their cybersecurity investments are delivering business value.

44% of organizations would cut AI investment first if cybersecurity budgets tightened.

27% of security leaders in Japan report that AI is already improving security operations.

The majority (54%) of organisations expect insider threat growth to continue.

Unapproved GenAI usage rates are highest in technology (40%), financial services (32%), and government (38%).

AI-enhanced phishing and social engineering are the most concerning tactics (27%) for insider threats.

53% of cybersecurity professionals expect insider threats to increase.

Healthcare expects a 53% rise in insider threats.

Over the past year, more than half of organisations (53%) have seen a measurable increase in insider incidents.

64% of cybersecurity professionals view insiders (whether malicious or compromised) as a greater risk than external actors.

88% of organisations state they have insider threat programmes.

74% of cybersecurity professionals report that AI is making insider threats more effective.

Just 44% of organisations use user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA) for insider threat detection.

97% of organisations use some form of AI in their insider threat tooling.

Two of the top three current insider threat vectors are now AI-related.

Asia-Pacific and Japan lead in projected insider threat growth (69%).

More than half of executives believe AI tools are fully deployed, contrasting with managers and analysts who report many are still in pilot or evaluation stages

Manufacturing expects a 60% rise in insider threats.

In the Middle East, nearly one-third (30%) of organisations anticipate a decrease in insider threats.

Only 29% of teams trust AI to act on its own.

37% of organizations report workforce reductions tied to automation.

Organizations in India, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (IMETA) report the highest productivity gains (81%) after adopting AI.

More than half of surveyed organizations have restructured their teams due to AI implementation.

Among analysts, only 10% trust in AI autonomy.

44% of North American organizations report improvements in productivity due to AI.

Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) reported 46% productivity gains after adopting AI.

The United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe (UKIE) reported 60% productivity gains after adopting AI.

Only 22% of analysts agree that AI has significantly improved productivity across their security teams.