Cybersecurity Spending Slows & Security Teams Shrink

The 2025 Security Budget Benchmark Report shows cybersecurity budgets slowing to 4% year-over-year—the lowest in five years—leading to widespread understaffing and delayed initiatives; sectors such as healthcare, retail, and hospitality face the weakest budgets while financial services, insurance, and tech see stronger growth. Organizations are prioritizing cloud security, identity and access management, SecOps automation, and zero‑trust, and some are experimenting with AI to cover entry‑level tasks, though researchers warn this is not a sustainable workforce strategy and recommend focusing limited resources on the most effective, risk‑relevant initiatives.