December 12, 2017 By Shane Schick 2 min read

The quest for digital transformation coupled with an array of new regulatory concerns and cyberattacks is driving enterprises to invest in cybersecurity. According to Gartner, worldwide cybersecurity spending will climb to $96 billion in 2018.

Cybersecurity Spending Increases

In its annual forecast, the analyst group said that the number represents an 8 percent rise in overall investment in antivirus, intrusion detection, monitoring and other tools to safeguard data. Survey respondents noted that the driving force behind this cybersecurity spending is a fear of data breaches.

Perhaps as a result, identity and access management products ranked high among investment priorities, growing almost 10 percent next year. Overall, Gartner reported that 60 percent of cybersecurity spending will include the purchase of multiple tools, including protection for IT infrastructure and security services.

Given the recent high-profile incidents of data theft and loss at organizations, the rise in cybersecurity spending doesn’t come as a surprise, WeLiveSecurity pointed out. Not to mention, cybercriminals are also becoming more sophisticated — as evidenced by the NotPetya and WannaCry attacks launched earlier this year.

Preparing to Meet Compliance Standards

As companies try to make better use of digital channels to serve their customers, the potential risks they face rises in parallel. However, it’s not just headline-grabbing ransomware and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that are leading chief information security officers (CISOs) to re-examine their budgets.

According to Computer Business Review, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to go in effect in the EU next year is also driving an increased focus on cybersecurity. Organizations must ensure that they have the resources available for what can be an onerous effort to achieve compliance with various pieces of legislation.

Gartner isn’t the only firm that’s tracking trends in cybersecurity spending. According to Cyber Security Hub, Grand View Research predicted that spending on threat intelligence products and services will reach $12.6 billion by 2025. All signs point to an increase in cybersecurity spending and investment.

More from

New cybersecurity advisory highlights defense-in-depth strategies

4 min read - In 2023, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducted a red team operation against an FCEB (Federal Civilian Executive Branch) organization. In July 2024, CISA released a new CSA that detailed the findings of this assessment along with key findings relevant to the security of the organization’s network.One of the interesting findings of this SILENTSHIELD assessment was the renewed importance placed on defense-in-depth strategies. This was determined after the FCEB organization failed to respond effectively to the network breach…

CISA chief AI officer follow-up: Current state of the role (and where it’s heading)

4 min read - At the beginning of August, CISA announced that it had appointed Lisa Einstein, Senior Advisor of its artificial intelligence division, as its new chief AI officer. This announcement came following several new initiatives in the last couple of years focused on gaining a clearer understanding of the potential security impacts of AI.With the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the supporting National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan still evolving, there has been increased awareness of the value of organizations establishing an executive seat…

Cybersecurity risks in healthcare are an ongoing crisis

4 min read - While healthcare providers have been implementing technical, administrative and physical safeguards related to patient information, they have not been as diligent in securing their medical devices. These devices are critical to patient care and can leave hospitals at risk for cyberattacks, causing major disruptions to patient care. In fact, 88 million individuals were affected by large breaches, compromising vast amounts of electronic protected health information (ePHI) last year according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. This year,…

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today