39% of middle market organizations prioritize detection and response in cybersecurity investment.

36% of middle market organizations prioritize cloud security in cybersecurity investment.

35% of middle market organizations prioritize broader risk management functions in cybersecurity investment.

90% of organizations increased their IT security budgets in 2026, with an average increase of 5.6%.

74% of security leaders say board inquiries are significantly shaping anti-ransomware investments.

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

42% of SMB owners and cyber leaders prioritized employee hiring, raises, and bonuses over new cybersecurity investments in the past year.

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

41% of SMB owners and cyber leaders prioritized employee training on non-security topics like customer service or sales over new cybersecurity investments in the past year.

42% of SMB owners and cyber leaders prioritized subscriptions to non-essential software over new cybersecurity investments in the past year.

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.

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

68% of CISOs prioritize investing in AI cybersecurity capabilities.

More than a third of UK SMEs (38%) invest less than £100 a year in cybersecurity .