Report by Swimlane

Why AI & Automation in SecOps Aren’t Delivering What Leaders Think

14 FINDINGSPublished Apr 29, 2026
View Original Report →

Key Findings

29% of enterprises report transitions between teams or tools as a meaningful source of workflow delay.

Team CoordinationWorkflow BottlenecksEnterprise

87% of enterprises have deployed AI and automation in security operations simultaneously.

Security OperationsAIAutomationEnterprise

52% of C-suite leaders at enterprises report that AI exceeded expectations.

AILeadership PerceptionEnterprise

78% of IT and cybersecurity decision-makers at enterprises say AI delivers greater financial return than automation.

AIAI ROISecurity OperationsAutomationEnterprise

Only 32% of enterprises apply AI and automation to clearly different tasks based on their distinct strengths.

AIAutomationWorkflowEnterprise

17% of managers at enterrpises report that AI exceeded expectations.

Practitioner PerceptionAIEnterprise

91% of enterprises experience workflow bottlenecks despite deploying AI and automation.

Workflow BottlenecksSecurity OperationsAIAutomationEnterprise

Only 9% of enterprises report no significant workflow delays.

Workflow BottlenecksOperational DelaysEnterprise

44% of enterprises identify decision-making and approvals as a top bottleneck in workflows.

Decision MakingWorkflow BottlenecksEnterprise

92% of IT and cybersecurity decision-makers at enterprises say automation has met or exceeded operational expectations in security operations.

AutomationSecurity OperationsEnterprise

67% of C-suite leaders at enterprises report being very confident in AI’s outputs.

Leadership PerceptionAIEnterprise

21% of managers at enterprises report being very confident in AI’s outputs.

Practitioner PerceptionAIEnterprise

39% of enterprises identify investigation and analysis as a top bottleneck in workflows.

Investigation And AnalysisWorkflow BottlenecksEnterprise

55% of teams at enterprises report that AI has met expectations in security operations.

AISecurity OperationsEnterprise