Global Corporate Survey 2026: CISO Priorities, Pressures And Preparedness
Bill Pennington
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Executive Summary
This report helps IT risk and cybersecurity leaders benchmark their firms' priorities, pressures and preparedness strategies relative to their global peer group. The data also support strategic decision-making and resilience planning for executives at cybersecurity consulting and technology firms. The 2026 Verdantix chief information security officer (CISO) global corporate survey spans 25 countries and 10 industries, with respondents comprising 102 senior cybersecurity and IT risk leaders. Insights reveal that cybersecurity strategies are under mounting pressure to become more adaptive and recovery-focused, as AI-powered threats and expanding third-party networks render traditional technical playbooks increasingly inadequate. This is driving a greater emphasis on enterprise-wide resilience; with vulnerability points multiplying and sensitive data becoming harder to protect, the CISO mandate is shifting from technical defence to strategic risk leadership at the board level.
Figure 1. Survey respondents: geographical breakdown
Figure 2. Survey respondents: industry breakdown
Figure 3. Most urgent challenges to meeting cybersecurity goals
Figure 4. How cybersecurity priorities are set in an organization
Figure 5. Factors increasing spend on cyber security
Figure 6. Cybersecurity budget changes 2025-26
Figure 7. Most material cybersecurity risks
Figure 8. Most significant cybersecurity threats over the next 12 months
Figure 9. Views on the impact of AI on cyber security
Figure 10. New technology, attack surfaces and cybersecurity spend
Figure 11. How third-party vulnerability assessments are prioritized
Figure 12. Use of threat intelligence tools to assess cybersecurity exposures
Figure 13. CEO involvement in the cybersecurity function
Figure 14. Confidence in handling a major cyber incident without external escalation
About the Authors
Mahum Khawar
Analyst
Mahum is an Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in AI integrations within risk management software and operational resilience. She advises technology buyers and software vendor...
View ProfileBill Pennington
VP Research
Bill is VP Research at Verdantix, where he leads analysis on the evolving and interconnected landscapes of EHS, quality, AI and enterprise risk management. His research helps ...
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