How CISOs Should Plan Security Budgets for 2026

Drawing on insights from 300+ security leaders, the 2026 CISO Budget Benchmark Report highlights that while 85% of organizations increased cybersecurity spending and most plan more in 2026, confidence lags; it recommends reframing ROI as **security yield**, optimizing staffing with managed/co-managed SOCs and automation, controlling cloud complexity through **contextual visibility** and platform consolidation, curbing tool sprawl via **decommissioning**, treating **AI** as targeted efficiency gains vs. longer-term innovation bets, and mapping **compliance** to real risk outcomes—urging CISOs to quantify risk-reduction targets, reinvest efficiency savings, and demonstrate measurable performance to boards.