Cyber Security Outranks AI Concerns Among IT Leaders: BCS Survey Reveals
A comprehensive survey underscores cyber security as the paramount issue in the tech industry, highlighting resource and workforce enhancement needs.
In an era dominated by advancing technology and rapid digital transformation, cyber security emerges as a primary concern among IT leaders, surpassing worries about artificial intelligence (AI).
According to a recent survey by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, more than one-third (36%) of tech professionals identified cyber security as their foremost challenge, well ahead of AI and automation.
This annual survey reflects the sentiments of professionals across the computing sector and highlights the systemic nature of cyber threats, which now extend beyond conventional IT departments and infiltrate business operations, public sector functions, and critical infrastructure.
The rise in state-backed cyber criminal activities and the increasing boldness of attacks targeting businesses, hospitals, and schools underscore the evolving threat landscape.
Compounding these challenges, only 5% of industry professionals reported that their organizations had adequate resources to meet their strategic priorities for 2025. A significant 63% stressed the urgent need to enhance IT capabilities within their workforce to keep pace with the rapidly changing technological environment.
The survey results arrive amid broader discussions around AI and its impact on the job market.
While concerns over AI and automation prevailed, these issues were ranked as secondary, indicating that IT leaders perceive cyber security as a more immediate threat.
Steve Sands, the chairman of BCS’s information security specialist group, elaborated on the findings, saying, “Tech leaders tell us they’re more likely to be kept awake worrying about the resources and skills needed to cover cyber security than they are about AI alone.
This might be a surprising finding to some, but the sheer volume of reports last year about attacks on businesses, hospitals, and schools shows security is a systemic issue going far beyond the IT department.”
While the AI Opportunities Action Plan, released this week, emphasizes substantial investments in technology professionals to realize the UK’s ambitions in emerging technologies, Sands advocates for cultivating a robust cyber security culture across organizations, from boardrooms to frontline employees.
He underscores the importance of safeguarding the economy, protecting sensitive data, and preserving public trust.
Further intensifying the focus on cyber security, the UK Home Office launched a consultation on proposals to curb ransomware attacks, aiming to ban public sector bodies from making ransomware payments, which have become a prevalent form of cyber threat globally.
The ongoing deliberations on the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill highlight the urgency and the opportunity for Westminster and the tech industry to lead collaborative efforts in fortifying cyber defenses.
As threats evolve daily, the findings of the BCS survey herald a clarion call for decisive action and strategic investment in cyber resilience.
According to a recent survey by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, more than one-third (36%) of tech professionals identified cyber security as their foremost challenge, well ahead of AI and automation.
This annual survey reflects the sentiments of professionals across the computing sector and highlights the systemic nature of cyber threats, which now extend beyond conventional IT departments and infiltrate business operations, public sector functions, and critical infrastructure.
The rise in state-backed cyber criminal activities and the increasing boldness of attacks targeting businesses, hospitals, and schools underscore the evolving threat landscape.
Compounding these challenges, only 5% of industry professionals reported that their organizations had adequate resources to meet their strategic priorities for 2025. A significant 63% stressed the urgent need to enhance IT capabilities within their workforce to keep pace with the rapidly changing technological environment.
The survey results arrive amid broader discussions around AI and its impact on the job market.
While concerns over AI and automation prevailed, these issues were ranked as secondary, indicating that IT leaders perceive cyber security as a more immediate threat.
Steve Sands, the chairman of BCS’s information security specialist group, elaborated on the findings, saying, “Tech leaders tell us they’re more likely to be kept awake worrying about the resources and skills needed to cover cyber security than they are about AI alone.
This might be a surprising finding to some, but the sheer volume of reports last year about attacks on businesses, hospitals, and schools shows security is a systemic issue going far beyond the IT department.”
While the AI Opportunities Action Plan, released this week, emphasizes substantial investments in technology professionals to realize the UK’s ambitions in emerging technologies, Sands advocates for cultivating a robust cyber security culture across organizations, from boardrooms to frontline employees.
He underscores the importance of safeguarding the economy, protecting sensitive data, and preserving public trust.
Further intensifying the focus on cyber security, the UK Home Office launched a consultation on proposals to curb ransomware attacks, aiming to ban public sector bodies from making ransomware payments, which have become a prevalent form of cyber threat globally.
The ongoing deliberations on the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill highlight the urgency and the opportunity for Westminster and the tech industry to lead collaborative efforts in fortifying cyber defenses.
As threats evolve daily, the findings of the BCS survey herald a clarion call for decisive action and strategic investment in cyber resilience.
