The State of Trust Report 2024

To uncover the latest trends shaping security and compliance, we surveyed 2,500 business and IT leaders across the US, UK, and Australia. Find out why third-party risk and AI are making it harder to build and demonstrate trust.

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The security landscape has never been more challenging

More than half (55%) of organizations say that security risks have never been higher. At the same time, just 11% of a company’s IT budget is dedicated to security—but leaders say it should be 17% in an ideal world.

What types of risk is your organization most concerned about?
53
%
50
%
43
%
42
%
Cybersecurity 
risks
Data breaches and loss of sensitive information
Operational 
risks
Financial risks
Working weeks spent on compliance tasks per year have increased by a week since last year
2024
11
2023
10

The compliance burden continues to grow

Time spent on compliance tasks increased to over 11 working weeks—up from 10 working weeks last year. IT leaders also spend an average of 6.5 hours per week, or 7.6 working weeks a year, assessing and reviewing vendor risk.

Third-party risks undermine
overall security and trust

Regardless of their maturity, almost half (46%) of organizations say that a vendor of theirs has experienced a data breach since they started working together. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of organizations agree that third-party breaches negatively impact their reputation, and less than a quarter of organizations rate their vendor visibility as “very strong.”

50
%
One in two (50%) businesses say they have terminated a vendor relationship due to security concerns

Enter automation and AI

With automation, scaling security teams can free up time and improve efficiency. A majority (59%) of organizations say that the automation of manual work is a priority for their security and compliance strategy. And 42% of organizations think that vendor risk management can be streamlined through AI—up from 35% in 2023.

5
weeks
Security teams could save 5 working weeks a year by automating security and compliance tasks
48
%
of organizations believe good security practices
drive customer trust for their business—up from 41% in 2023
7
%
2023
2024

Good security is good business

Businesses face growing security expectations, with 65% of organizations saying that customers, investors, and suppliers increasingly require demonstration of compliance. Almost half (46%) of organizations recognize that good security practices lead to reduced financial risk.

Explore more trust trends

Get your free copy of the State of Trust Report 2024 for more findings on security, compliance, and the future of trust.