“AI and cloud security continue to stand out as the most urgent skills needs from both hiring managers and cybersecurity professionals. Nearly everyone in the study reports at least one skills need, and most report significant ones,” Marks says. “That tells us capability development has become more critical than simply adding headcount.”
AI adoption accelerates
The research found that AI adoption is accelerating quickly, with 28% of respondents reporting that they have already integrated AI tools into their operations and 69% involved in some level of adoption, through integration, active testing, or early evaluation.
“What stands out is how fast AI has moved from experimentation into day-to-day operations. More than two-thirds of respondents are already using, testing, or actively evaluating AI tools in their security programs,” Marks explains. “For those who are using them today, the majority are already seeing measurable productivity gains. That tells us that AI is quickly becoming a practice part of how security work gets done, not a future concept.”
