Security budgets were analyzed in a recent report by Axonius. According to the report, 74% of IT and security decision makers said their organization’s IT or security budget increased compared to the year prior, and nearly two-thirds (63%) said their organization’s IT or security team headcount increased. Fifty-one percent said their organization experienced an increase in security risks, and 49% experienced an increase in attacks or vulnerabilities.

Three-quarters (76%) of IT and security decision makers said their organizations are spending more on artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) compared to 12 months ago, and over four in five (85%) respondents said they were interested in applying AI in their organization's IT and security operations in the coming year.

Nearly two in five (39%) IT and security decision makers whose organizations have reduced their IT or security headcounts in the last 12 months say their organizations have adopted AI-based tools to streamline tasks to keep pace with workload in light of reduced headcounts.

Seventy-two percent of IT and security decision makers reported being concerned about the potential adverse effects of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) on their organization's cybersecurity. Generative AI might not be able to stand in for an actual human practitioner, but it can write a very compelling phishing email.

Read the full report here.