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New Report Reveals 93% of Companies Prioritize Cybersecurity, But More Than Half Have One or Fewer Security Staff

Secureframe's 2026 Cybersecurity & Compliance Benchmark Exposes Critical Staffing Gap as AI-Powered Threats and Manual Compliance Burden Push Organizations to Breaking Point

San Francisco, CA – December 9, 2025 – Secureframe, the leading compliance automation platform, today released its 2026 Cybersecurity & Compliance Benchmark Report, revealing a stark disconnect between cybersecurity priorities and organizational capacity to address them. While 93% of companies consider cybersecurity a top priority, more than half operate with one or fewer full-time security professionals—and nearly one-third have none at all.

The report, based on a survey of 255 security, compliance, and IT professionals conducted in October 2025, paints a picture of an industry at an inflection point: security teams are carrying unprecedented responsibility with insufficient resources, manual compliance work is consuming critical time, and the absence of verifiable security credentials is directly impacting revenue.

Key Findings

  • Staffing crisis meets rising threats: 68% of organizations have one or fewer full-time cybersecurity employees, even as 93% rank security as a top priority
  • AI emerges as dual force: 55% cite AI-powered attacks as a top concern for 2026, while 33% are already using AI tools to streamline compliance operations
  • Manual compliance drains resources: Teams spend an average of 8 hours per week on compliance tasks, with 23% citing manual audit preparation as their biggest challenge heading into 2026
  • Compliance drives revenue: 61% report that achieving compliance was required to win or renew contracts, while 47% say lacking certification has delayed sales cycles
  • Budget-resource mismatch: 61% of organizations increased cybersecurity spending in 2025, yet 75% still allocate less than 15% of annual budget to security and compliance

Priority Doesn't Match Capacity

"Our research confirms what forward-thinking security leaders already know: reactive compliance approaches are exponentially more expensive than proactive programs," said Shrav Mehta, Founder and CEO of Secureframe. "The gap between urgency and capacity is creating real business consequences, from lost deals to increased risk exposure. Organizations can no longer afford to treat security as a shared side responsibility."

The report identifies AI-powered attacks and phishing as the top two cybersecurity threats for 2026, with 65% and 55% of respondents citing each respectively. Yet many organizations lack the staffing to adequately defend against these sophisticated, evolving threats.

From Cost Center to Competitive Advantage

The research reveals a fundamental shift in how compliance functions within modern businesses. No longer simply a regulatory checkbox, compliance has become a trust signal and growth enabler:

  • 40% are pursuing certification specifically to reach enterprise customers
  • 38% have lost revenue or competitive bids due to lack of certification
  • 33% face external pressure from investors and partners to demonstrate security maturity

However, most organizations remain stuck in reactive mode: nearly 70% rely on time-consuming security questionnaires and RFPs to prove their security posture, while only 20% provide proactive visibility through dashboards or trust centers. This reactivity creates a significant drag on sales velocity and resource allocation.

“That process to get through a security questionnaire would typically take 2-3 weeks. Each time it would take me and my CTO 2-3 hours per deal to complete," said Thomas Mirmotahari, CEO and Co-Founder, PerkUp.

Multi-Framework Maturity and the Automation Imperative

The report shows clear maturity patterns: 52% of organizations maintain compliance with more than one framework, with larger companies averaging 3.2 frameworks compared to 1.6 for smaller organizations. This complexity, combined with limited staffing, makes automation essential rather than optional.

Organizations are responding by adopting modern security tools at high rates—91% use multi-factor authentication, 68% have vulnerability scanning, and 23% have implemented GRC automation solutions. Yet the manual burden remains substantial, with compliance timelines averaging 3 to 6 months for new frameworks.

Industry-Specific Insights

The report includes detailed benchmarking data across company size, revenue, and industry:

  • Software and tech companies represent 79% of respondents, followed by financial services (17%) and healthcare (11%)
  • Organizations with over $100M in revenue maintain an average of 3.2 compliance frameworks
  • Aerospace, transportation, and non-profit sectors lead in multi-framework adoption at an average of 3.0 frameworks

Methodology

This report is based on a survey conducted by UserEvidence from October 22–31, 2025, targeting members of Secureframe's customer community across multiple industries and company sizes. A total of 255 responses were collected from security, compliance, and IT professionals at organizations ranging from early-stage startups to large enterprises.

To learn more about Secureframe’s 2026 Cybersecurity & Compliance Benchmark Report, click here.

About Secureframe
Secureframe is the leading security and privacy compliance automation platform, helping organizations achieve and maintain continuous compliance with standards like CMMC 2.0, FedRAMP 20x, SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and more. Thousands of fast-growing startups and global enterprises trust Secureframe to simplify compliance, reduce risk, and build trust with customers and partners. Backed by top-tier investors including Kleiner Perkins, Gradient Ventures, and Base10 Partners, Secureframe is redefining what’s possible in security and compliance. Learn more at www.secureframe.com.