2026全球网络安全人才缺口研究报告

Global ResearchReport Contents 3Methodology4ExecutiveSummary5TheConvergenceCrunch:AIandtheCybersecuritySkillsShortage7OrganizationsAreLeaningHeavilyonAItoKeepThemSafe14BreachCostsandRecoveryTimesRemainHigh25BoardInactionIsDrivingCyberRisk34TheCybersecuritySkillsGapIsGrowingwithAI44CertificationsRemainHighlyValued53OrganizationsShouldContinueBroadeningCybersecurityRecruitingEfforts60Conclusion61AboutFortinet Methodology The findings in this report are based on responsesobtained from online interviews and an email surveyof 2,750 IT and/or cybersecurity decision-makers(compared to 1,850 in previous reports). The sampleclosely aligns with last year’s cohort, with a varianceof +/-1 to 3% across role, industry, company size,and gender. The research was conducted by SapioResearch in December 2025. Responses werecollected from participants across 32 locations, withexpanded coverage including Poland, Saudi Arabia,and Vietnam. Role Type Size of Company 11%of respondents held owner positions35%of respondents held C-level executive positions9%of respondents held vice president positions9%of respondents held head positions35%of respondents held director positions 100–499 employees23%500–999 employees25%1,000–2,499 employees22%2,500–4,999 employees16%5,000+ employees14% Top Three Business SectorsTechnology22%Manufacturing16%Financial Services11% Gender 65%of respondents were male35%of respondents were female •Argentina•Australia•Brazil•Canada•Colombia•France•Germany•Hong Kong•India•Indonesia•Israel•Italy•Japan•Mainland China•Malaysia•Mexico•The Netherlands•New Zealand•The Philippines•Poland•Saudi Arabia•Singapore•South Africa•South Korea•Spain•Sweden•Taiwan•Thailand•United ArabEmirates•United Kingdom•United Statesof America•Vietnam Total respondents: 2,750 Asia-Pacific29%Europe, Middle East, and Africa27%Latin America22%North America22% Executive Summary As organizations continue to grapple with ongoing skill shortages and the ever-evolving threat landscape, many arelooking to AI-enabled cybersecurity solutions to fill key gaps and strengthen their security posture. Organizations areleaning heavily on AIto keep them safe Breach costs andrecovery timesremain high Recruiting frombroader talent poolsremains a challenge The cybersecurityskills gap is growingwith AI Board inaction isdriving cyber risk Certifications arestill in high demand •86%of organizationsreport one or morebreaches in the past12 months. Over aquarter (29%) had5 or more.•52%say breachescost them more than$1 million—up from38% in 2021.•For the past threeyears, IT leaders saythat the top threecauses of securitybreaches are:–lack of cybersecurityskills (56%)–lack of securityawareness (55%)–lack of cybersecurityproducts (54%) •60%of respondentssay their top recruitingchallenge is findingcybersecuritytalent with specificexperience in AI.•63%expect moreneed for AI oversightand governanceroles on cybersecurityteams over the nextthree years.•51%say that,in general, theyneed senior-levelcybersecurity skillsmost of all. •71%have formaltargets forcybersecurity hiringfrom underutilizedtalent pools.•92%use internships,apprenticeships,partnerships, andprograms to attractunderrepresentedgroups.•75%have structuredrecruiting initiativestargeting women, upfrom 70% last year. •91%of respondentsare using orexperimentingwith AI-poweredcybersecuritysolutions.•84%say AI-enhancedsecurity tools arehelping IT andsecurity teams bemore effective andefficient—up from80% last year.•42%would trustAI to handle coresecurity functionsindependently. •91%of IT decision-makers prefercandidates withtechnology-focusedcertifications.•92%would payfor an employeeto get certified.•92%are likely toinvest in AI-relatedcybersecurity trainingor certifications inthe next 12 months. •73%of organization’sboards saycybersecurity isa high businesspriority, but only 59%prioritize spendingon it.•50%say boardmembers orexecutives havefaced penalties aftera cyberattack.•50%of leadersbelieve their boardmembers are “fullyaware” of potentialrisks from AI use. INTRODUCTION The Convergence Crunch: AI and the CybersecuritySkills Shortage Closing the skills gap continues to require outreach to underutilizedtalent pools. Many organizations seem to be aware of this, yet themakeup of the IT and cybersecurity workforce has not changedsignificantly, and the difficulty in finding qualified candidates appearsto be on the rise. Now in its fifth year, the FortinetCybersecurity SkillsGapsurvey continues to surface compelling insights andoccasionally unexpected findings. One key takeaway in2026 is that while organizations recognize the importanceof cybersecurity, their investments don’t always show it. As in previous years, we’ve added new questions and expanded othersto drill deeper into the data. We also expanded our survey from 1,850respondents to 2,750 and added three countries: Poland, Saudi Arabia,and Vietnam. The survey closely aligns with last year’s cohort, with avariance of +/-1 to 3% ac