InfoSec Reports and Insights

Explore our series of research reports containing the latest benchmark data and market insights. With each piece you’ll find actionable guidance and takeaways to help you and your security team make more informed decisions.

IANS Annual Leadership & Organization Benchmark Summary Report includes in-depth insights from a combined data set of 1,349 respondents to provide insights into industry standards and best practices.

Download this benchmark report to access organizational design and compensation for security leader roles one level down from the CISO.

Following an active market for CISOs, the demand for top security talent softened in 2023 and remained calm through the first half of this year. During that period, many companies tightened budgets and adopted more-cautious hiring practices, resulting in a quieter market with reduced CISO rotation and fewer aggressive counteroffers.

As such, CISOs want to know how their overall compensation, perks and job satisfaction compares to those of their peers.

Find objective insights and cross-industry CISO Compensation survey data from over 755 CISOs across the U.S. and Canada in this report.

 

Our fifth annual Security Budget Summary Report, jointly fielded with Artico Search. This summary version of the report provides budget data and objective insights from our survey of over 750 CISOs across multiple industries throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

Download the report featuring analysis of in-depth data to gain valuable insights on security budget trends and the drivers behind them, as well as justify budget asks within your organization with data on overall security budgets, breakdowns by industry, security budget as a percentage of IT budget, and the key factors influencing budget allocations. 

2024 Security Budget Benchmark Summary Report

Microsoft holds a lot of power and clout as the industry’s largest security vendor, and it commands a broad range of security products. However, its confusing licensing models and overcomplicated UI/UX can make Microsoft a chore to buy and use.

Download this vendor assessment community report to understand Microsoft’s five main security-focused platforms and find recommendations for when it makes sense to use them—and when it doesn’t...

It’s widely agreed that generative AI will play a transformational role in business operations. New technologies always represent some level of risk and business leaders are driving adoption before technical controls are available due to perceived benefits. Security leaders must be able to provide stakeholders with well-reasoned advice on the real risks of AI deployments without resorting to scare tactics.

Download this valuable report to find actionable advice on understanding security’s role in deploying AI-enabled applications, assessing AI risk, and managing that risk using established frameworks.

CISO compensation is increasing, but not immune to macro-economic challenges and slower security budget growth. Funding for cyber talent also took a hit. Fewer companies initiated a CISO search, resulting in a tightened market for CISO talent. Ongoing market turbulence makes it harder for CISOs to know where they stand.

As such, CISOs want to know how their overall compensation, perks and job satisfaction compares to those of their peers.

Find objective insights and cross-industry CISO Compensation survey data from over 600 CISOs across the U.S. and Canada in this report.

In 2023, the global macroeconomic uncertainty and recessionary fears led to significant cuts in enterprise spending, pressures which created a challenging security budgeting environment.  

Download the report to find objective insights and cross-industry security budget survey data from over 550 CISOs across the U.S. and Canada, including data on overall security budgets, breakdowns by industry, security budget as a percentage of IT budget, and the key factors influencing budget allocations. 

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2023 Security Organization and Compensation Benchmark Summary Report

The success of an organization’s security strategy depends on both the proper sizing of the security team and the caliber of the talent within it.  

Download this benchmark report to gain key insights on security org design and compensation for security leader roles one level down from the CISO. Security leaders can use this data to help make more informed decisions about team formation and talent recruitment. 

Find objective insights and cross-industry security organization survey data from over 660 CISOs across the U.S. and Canada in this report.

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State of the CISO, 2023–2024 Benchmark Summary Report

Tightening budgets, increased breach volumes, advanced AI tools and new SEC mandates - 2024 brings a unique mix of challenges and opportunities for CISOs. Navigating an exceptionally complex landscape, CISOs are having to do more with less and risk personal legal exposure.

The upside? Increased pressure on organizations gives CISOs more leeway to influence business leadership along with an unprecedented opportunity to argue for a place in the executive ranks.

Download this benchmark summary report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from over 660 CISOs regarding their background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction.

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Compensation, Budget and Satisfaction Benchmark for CISOs in Financial Services Summary Report

Infosec leaders have been facing a talent shortage for years. Growing financial demands and mounting responsibilities force CISOs to do more with less, making hiring and retention a critical topic.

Feedback from CISOs centers on a common theme: Typical corporate bands and role categorizations often do not align with the infosec talent market.

Download this benchmark summary report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from over 560 Infosec staff regarding their background, job level, compensation, gender diversity and job satisfaction as well as insights from over 100 CISOs.

The Compensation, Budget and Satisfaction Benchmark for CISOs in Financial Services, 2023–2024

The financial services sector is known for its mature cyber programs, driven by strict regulations, a constant high cyber threat level, and low-risk profiles. This industry’s high level of cyber sophistication helps to drive and influence market trends in CISO compensation, security budgets and satisfaction levels.

Download this industry-specific benchmark report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from CISOs in the Financial Services industry regarding background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction as well as breakouts for four financial services subsectors.

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The Compensation, Budget and Satisfaction Benchmark for Healthcare CISOs, 2023–2024

Healthcare organizations are prime targets for large scale cyber threats including data breaches, ransomware, and account takeovers. Recent upticks in healthcare cyberattacks coupled with the industry’s lower than average security budget growth have upped the stakes for healthcare CISOs.

Download this industry-specific benchmark report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from CISOs in the Healthcare industry regarding background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction as well as breakouts for key healthcare subsectors.

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The Compensation, Budget and Satisfaction Benchmark for Retail CISOs, 2023–2024

The retail industry’s early adoption of digital technology completely transformed the consumer shopping experience and also opened up a new wave of cyberthreats, both online and in-store. Financial and data losses, damage to buyer trust and brand reputation have upped the stakes for CISOs in retail. Recent retail cyberattacks, along with flat security budget growth places only adds to the pressures on CISOs and their security programs.

Download this industry-specific benchmark report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from CISOs in the retail industry regarding background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction as well as breakouts for key retail subsectors.

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CISOs as Board Directors, CISO Board Readiness Analysis

Upcoming SEC Cyber Rules will require public companies to publicly disclose the cybersecurity expertise of the board directors. On most boards, cyber understanding is insufficient and will likely result in a search for a board director with proven cybersecurity expertise. CISOs appear to be logical candidates to fill this gap, but questions remain as to whether CISOs possess the qualifications to serve as effective board members.

Download this report to access research-backed findings on the preferred traits of candidates for companies and aspiring board-ready CISOs.

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Risk profiles, cyber maturity, regulatory pressures and cyberattack threat levels vary across industries. Likewise, we find CISO compensation, security budgets and satisfaction levels vary across sectors. 

This industry-specific benchmark report can help CISOs in the tech sector better assess their situations against those of their peers. It offers breakouts for key subsectors, specifically, software, hardware and infrastructure, financial technology (fintech), healthcare tech, and cybersecurity vendors. 

Download this industry-specific benchmark report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from CISOs in the tech sector regarding background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction as well as breakouts for key tech subsectors. 

Compensation, Budget, and Satisfaction Benchmark for Tech CISOs

State of the CISO, Canada, 2023–2024

Risk profiles, cyber maturity, and cyberattack threat levels vary across industries and countries. Similar to most of the global market, Canada is still maturing in terms of cybersecurity programs and cybersecurity leadership.

Download this country-specific benchmark report to garner objective insights, cross-industry survey data and market trends from CISOs in Canada regarding background, job level, compensation, board engagement and job satisfaction.

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About IANS Research

For the security practitioner caught between rapidly evolving threats and demanding executives, IANS Research is a clear-headed resource for making decisions and articulating risk. We provide experience-based security insights for chief information security officers and their teams. The core of our value comes from the IANS Faculty, a network of seasoned practitioners. We support client decisions and executive communications with Ask-an-Expert inquiries, our peer community, deployment-focused reports, tools and templates, and consulting.

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About Artico Search

Artico Search’s team of executive recruiters focuses on a “grow and protect” model, recruiting senior go-to-market and security executives in growth venture, private equity and public companies. Artico’s dedicated security practice delivers CISOs and other senior level information security professionals for a diverse set of clients.