96% of Security Teams Struggle to Implement Automation
Security Automation Faces Implementation Barriers
Survey Highlights
A recent survey conducted by Opinion Matters for ThreatQuotient, involving 750 senior cybersecurity professionals from the US, UK, and Australia, reveals a strong consensus on the importance of automation in cybersecurity. An overwhelming 97 percent of respondents view automation—especially those powered by artificial intelligence—as crucial for their organizations’ operations.
Despite nearly half of respondents (49 percent) receiving extra budget this year specifically for cybersecurity automation, 96 percent reported significant obstacles when putting these solutions into practice. They cited issues such as technological limitations, skepticism over automated outcomes, and the lack of sufficient time for integration as persistent barriers.
- 49% received additional budget for cybersecurity automation this year
- 96% still report obstacles to implementation
Measuring What Matters
The priorities for measuring automation effectiveness are also shifting. Whereas previous years ranked employee satisfaction as the primary metric, this year’s findings show a clear pivot: 56 percent now focus on data-driven indicators like Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) for performance evaluation. This marks a move towards more tangible operational standards as businesses seek measurable returns on investments in automation.
AI Adoption Drivers
Leon Ward, chief transformation officer at Securonix, notes that organizations are aiming to roll out autonomous AI-driven cybersecurity solutions to keep up with increasingly sophisticated threats. The main motivation for adopting AI is to boost productivity and faster threat response, matching the growing speed and complexity of attacks enabled by adversaries’ use of AI technology.
“Organizations are aiming to roll out autonomous AI-driven cybersecurity solutions to keep up with increasingly sophisticated threats. The main motivation for adopting AI is to boost productivity and faster threat response, matching the growing speed and complexity of attacks enabled by adversaries’ use of AI technology.”
— Leon Ward, Chief Transformation Officer, Securonix
Leadership Pressure and Buy-In
Board-level pressure is another key factor driving efficiency and productivity improvements, with 71 percent saying senior leadership actively pushes for AI adoption. Still, 28 percent report that convincing management to support these initiatives remains a challenge, reflecting an ongoing uncertainty about where and how to best deploy AI.
Risks, Ethics, and Operational Concerns
Other significant concerns include a gap in human expertise, instances of flawed AI decision-making, technical hiccups, and ethical questions such as data privacy and algorithmic bias—highlighted by 31 percent of respondents. Worries about accountability in AI operations also ranked among the top challenges. Meanwhile, only 23 percent saw falling behind competitors as a major risk.
- Technological limitations and integration time constraints
- Skepticism over automated outcomes and trust in AI decisions
- Human expertise gaps and technical instability
- Ethical considerations: data privacy, algorithmic bias (31%)
- Accountability concerns in AI operations
- Lower perceived risk of competitive lag (23%)
Access the Full Findings
The full findings can be accessed via the ThreatQuotient website. Visit:
https://www.threatq.com/
