Cisco has released new research examining what separates top-performing security organizations from those struggling to keep pace with evolving cyber threats and the growing use of artificial intelligence.

The report, based on a survey of 8,000 security professionals across 30 markets, identifies a group Cisco calls “Relentless Defenders,” representing 8% of respondents. According to the research, these organizations distinguish themselves not primarily through larger security budgets, but through their ability to unify data, align teams, govern AI and respond decisively to threats.

The findings come as organizations face widespread cyber disruption. Cisco reported that 91% of respondents experienced at least one materially disruptive cyber incident during the past year, while 35% experienced an AI-related attack.

AI adoption outpaces governance

At the same time, AI adoption is moving faster than governance at many organizations. While 98% of respondents said their organizations are deploying or planning to deploy AI agents in security operations, only 41% have comprehensive controls consistently applied to AI agents, service accounts and automated systems.

“You cannot govern what you cannot see, and you cannot trust what you cannot govern,” said Sunil Potti, Cisco senior vice president and general manager of Security, Observability and Data Platform.

Increased spending also has not necessarily translated into fewer incidents. Cisco found that 45% of organizations that increased security spending saw incidents remain unchanged or increase.

Breaking down organizational silos

The research also points to organizational structure and data silos as potential obstacles. Cisco found that organizational barriers, including unclear ownership and difficulties coordinating across teams, can hinder incident response. Among Relentless Defenders, 83% operate as a single coordinated security team with shared visibility and tools across security, network and IT, compared with 37% of other respondents.

“AI is forcing technical concepts across boundaries that didn’t used to need crossing: technology, security, HR, legal, ethics,” said Lauren Wilson, field CTO and strategic advisor at Splunk, a Cisco company. “This report makes it crystal clear that the organizations getting ahead are the ones breaking down organizational silos and removing barriers, so the right people can make the right decisions together in the first place.”

Similarly, 39% of respondents said critical security insights are being missed because data resides in systems they cannot access. Among Relentless Defenders, that figure falls to 18%.

The full report can be downloaded here.