Fortinet, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the findings of a new study* conducted by Forrester Consulting, revealing that organizations across Asia Pacific are struggling to keep pace as cybersecurity complexity and AI-driven
threats are straining their current ability to respond effectively.
The study highlights cybersecurity risks driven by more advanced attackers and increasingly complex environments, and continued investment in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI). The findings point to a clear shift toward simplifying security architectures, improving operational efficiency, and embedding AI into unified platforms.
Complexity and AI-Driven Threats Are Overwhelming Security Operations • Cyber risk is increasingly driven by both external threats and internal complexity. 57% of organizations cite AI-driven threats as a top concern, while 54% highlight fragmented tools and architectures and overwhelming alert volumes.
- Security operations are under pressure, with 50% of organizations reporting that alert volume makes it difficult to distinguish real threats, and 48% still relying on manual workflows.
- Cybersecurity maturity remains constrained, with 68% of organizations at an intermediate stage and only 16% reaching advanced levels.
These findings highlight a clear shift, as complexity moves beyond an operational challenge to become a core driver of cyber risk.
Shift to Platform-Based Security Gains Momentum
- Organizations are accelerating their move toward unified, platform-based security architectures. While only 20% operate a unified platform today, this is expected to rise to 59% over the next 12–24 months.
- The shift is being driven by the need to reduce tool sprawl (58%), improve integration (52%), and manage growing hybrid complexity (49%). • Despite these challenges, organizations continue to prioritize improving threat detection (40%) and incident response (39%), underscoring the growing gap between security expectations and operational reality.
- Future priorities reflect this transition, with organizations focusing on SOC automation, improved visibility, and platform consolidation to enhance efficiency and scale operations.
However, challenges remain:
- 51% cite migration cost and disruption as barriers
- 46% remain uncertain about platform capabilities across domains
Despite these concerns, organizations are expecting to see these benefits through consolidation.
- 90% of organizations expect improvements in operational metrics, with over 60% anticipating gains of at least 10% in areas such as detection and response times, analyst productivity, and overall, SOC efficiency.
The findings suggest that platform-based security is becoming an increasingly important operational approach for organizations seeking to reduce complexity and improve efficiency.
AI Investment Surges, but Readiness and Integration Lag
- AI is emerging as both a growing threat vector and a critical enabler of defence. 91% of organizations plan to increase AI budgets, with over half expecting double-digit growth.
- More than 60% expect AI to improve detection accuracy, accelerate response, and strengthen overall security posture.
- Organizations also see AI as key to reducing complexity, with 58% expecting consistent policy enforcement, 57% centralized control, and 56% reduced manual workflows.
However, readiness gaps persist:
- Fragmented environments, limited automation, and lack of unified data are hindering effective AI adoption
- Many organizations are still building the foundational capabilities required to operationalize AI at scale
This underscores that realizing AI’s potential in security operations depends heavily on having integrated environments and unified data foundations in place
Supporting Quotes:
Amelia Lau, Forrester Consulting Project Lead: Organizations across APAC are facing a dual challenge, rapidly evolving AI-driven threats and increasing internal complexity. While investment remains strong, many are still struggling to operationalize security effectively. Moving toward integrated, platform-based approaches will be critical to improving visibility, efficiency, and resilience.
Bambi Escalante, Country Manager, Fortinet Philippines: Customers today are dealing with increasingly complex environments, where fragmented tools, limited visibility, and growing alert volumes are making it harder to detect and respond to threats effectively. At the same time, they are looking to leverage AI to improve speed and efficiency but often lack the integrated foundation to do so. At Fortinet, we are helping organizations simplify their security architecture and strengthen resilience through a unified, platform-based approach that brings together visibility, automation, and AI-driven intelligence.
Rashish Pandey, VP of Marketing and Communications, APAC, Fortinet: Organizations are placing significant expectations on AI to transform security operations, from improving detection to accelerating response. However, AI can only deliver meaningful outcomes when it is built on an integrated foundation. Without
unified visibility and connected data across environments, AI risks amplifying complexity rather than reducing it. Integration is what enables AI to operate at scale and deliver real security impact.
