Report: Cybersecurity, Not AI, is Businesses’ Top Concern

With data breaches making headlines on a near-daily basis, it may or may not come as a surprise to learn that cybersecurity is the top concern for chief information officers (CIOs) around the world.

According to a new study by Experis, which surveyed 1,393 decisionmakers in the tech space, 41% of CIOs cited cybersecurity as their top business concern. In response, 77% of organizations plan to increase their defense budgets this year.

The survey is a timely reminder of the enormous threat of malicious actors to businesses and individuals around the world. In 2024, the average cost of a data breach in the US was $9.36 million, a staggering figure that poses an existential threat to many businesses.

Cybersecurity, Not AI, The Top Concern for CIOs Globally

According to new research from Experis, it is cybersecurity – not the pressure to implement AI – that is keeping most top execs awake at night. Canvassing opinion from 1,393 senior leaders in the tech space, the “Experis 2025 CIO Outlook Study” found that 41% of CIOs cited cybersecurity as their top concern this year. In second place was “AI innovation and integration,” at just 19%.

Other challenges included “keeping up with new tech” (19%), “managing risks and compliance” (9%), “maintaining operations,” (7%), “responding to customer needs” (6%), “strategic planning” (5%), and “managing costs” (5%).

Undoubtedly, it will come as a surprise to many to learn that AI is not necessarily businesses’ top concern, in spite of all the fast-moving activity in this sector. In fact, businesses are more than twice as likely to be concerned about cybersecurity (41%) than they are about AI (19%).

Tech Businesses’ Priorities, Revealed

The respondents comprised 480 C-Suite executives and 913 senior IT decisionmakers across Israel, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK, Canada, and the US. Of this group, 76% reported difficulty finding skilled tech talent, with a further 52% planning to embed AI skills into existing roles, rather than creating new ones.

Other challenges included “keeping up with new tech” (19%), “managing risks and compliance” (9%), “maintaining operations,” (7%), “responding to customer needs” (6%), “strategic planning” (5%), and “managing costs” (5%).

Interestingly, the percentage of tech leaders in North America and Canada who fear cybersecurity challenges (56%) is significantly higher than the global average (44%). This not only sheds light on how widespread the issue of data breaches is in those countries, but also how paranoia is reaching fever pitch.

Skills Problem Not Easy to Solve

Strikingly, the report illuminates one of the key issues pervading the tech sector – a yawning skills gap. While businesses around the world are unanimous in their recognition of cybersecurity as a major concern, the remedy is eluding many organizations.

As mentioned above, the overwhelming majority of business leaders (76%) confirmed that they had experienced difficulty in procuring top talent, with cybersecurity the most in-demand skill (46%). As AI continues its rapid development, cybercriminals are deploying increasingly sophisticated methods to dupe unsuspecting victims and seize access to businesses’ confidential data.

The rate at which bad actors are able to perfect their craft is currently outstripping the rate at which businesses can combat them. If this trend continues unchallenged, a bad problem will only get worse. It’s essential that governments, businesses, and other bodies invest heavily in cybersecurity to bring through a new generation of defense specialists.

Why Is Cybersecurity The Top Concern for Businesses?

While the difference between the amount of CIOs concerned about cybersecurity and AI might raise some eyebrows, it is completely understandable given the current climate. A cursory glance at the news will reveal an enormous amount of illicit activity in this space, with companies and individuals subjected to massive data breaches on a regular basis.

Our own “Impact of Technology on the Workplace” report shone a light on some worrying cybersecurity trends. Among them, it was revealed that computer viruses and phishing attacks are the two fastest-growing kinds of data breach, constituting 53% and 40%, respectively, of the total cyberattacks recorded in 2024. This shows that criminals are always on the hunt for new methods in order to carry out their attacks.

To make matters, worse, the report also finds that a staggering amount of senior leaders (19%) are not able to correctly define “two-factor authentication” (2FA), one of the most basic security protocols at a business’s disposal. So not only is there a dearth of cybersecurity talent in the wider employment pool, but a sizable amount of existing business leaders are simply not well educated enough on cybersecurity matters.

What is The Solution?

The Experis report does not posit a particularly optimistic outlook for the business landscape where cybersecurity is concerned. However, it does offer some green shoots that should provide a bit of comfort for tech specialists everywhere. Firstly, nobody is under any illusion as to the scale of this problem, with 77% of organizations planning to give their defense spending a shot in the arm this year.

Furthermore, the increasing adoption of AI points the way towards a brighter, more secure future. One-third of organizations (33%) are actively exploring AI, with a further 27% already in the process of implementing it. The nascent technology is expected to play a key role in the future fight against cybercriminality, with the ability to analyze vast amounts of data to help identify potential threats and mitigate risks.

However, if organizations are to get the most from this technology, it’s vital that employees are adequately trained to take advantage of it. Encouragingly, 52% of tech leaders are embedding AI skills into existing roles, rather than seeking to create new ones. This will save time, as well addressing the general shortfall in AI and cybersecurity talent in the present workforce.