Cisco Finds Most Organizations Struggle With AI-Driven Cyber Defense

Cisco has released its Relentless Defense Report, which examines how organizations are adapting to the threat landscape being reshaped by AI. The report found that the global average score for organizations is 64 out of 100 in terms of their ability to protect their environment, detect and respond to threats, and remediate them quickly.

The report also identified organizational friction as a key barrier to stronger cyber defense. This friction can be caused by various factors such as ownership, approvals, and silos across IT, procurement, and executive leadership. As a result, security teams often struggle to act as one team with shared visibility and tooling.

Interestingly, the report found that AI is making defenders faster, but security concerns are delaying adoption. More than eight in ten practitioners globally have reported detection and response gains of at least 25%, and more than one in four say it has significantly reduced operational burden. However, fewer than half of organizations have extensively deployed AI-powered security capabilities due to concerns over data exposure, compromised systems, and third-party handling.

Relentless Defenders, who are the best performers according to the report, do more to reduce friction and control the AI they are developing. They operate as a single coordinated security team with shared visibility and tools across security, network, and infrastructure. Additionally, they apply consistent controls to AI agents and non-human identities.