# Risk Management Tops Cyber Budget Drivers as Modernization Falls 11 Points

> Fernando Montenegro, VP & Practice Lead at Futurum, on why risk management strategy (47.8%) has overtaken modernization as the top cybersecurity budget driver, with modernization down 11 points.

- Canonical: https://trial.futurumgroup.com/press-release/risk-management-tops-cyber-budget-drivers-as-modernization-falls-11-points/
- Kind: Press Release
- Published: 2026-08-07T14:00:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-09T23:51:27.000Z
- Authors: [Fernando Montenegro](https://trial.futurumgroup.com/fernando-montenegro/)
- Practice areas: [Cybersecurity](https://trial.futurumgroup.com/practice-areas/cybersecurity-resilience/)
- Tags: budgets, CISO, cybersecurity, decision maker survey, risk management

Austin, Texas, USA, August 7, 2026 The vocabulary of cybersecurity spending is shifting from infrastructure refresh to enterprise-risk discipline. Among organizations expecting cybersecurity budget increases, risk management strategy is now the leading growth driver at 47.8% (top three), according to Futurum’s 1H 2026 Cybersecurity Global Enterprise Decision Maker Survey of 929 global enterprise buyers. Cybersecurity modernization, which led in 2H 2025, fell from 56.0% to 44.7%, the single largest movement in the data. Figure 1: Risk Management Overtakes Modernization as Top Budget Driver Q: Primary drivers of cybersecurity budget growth (top three), among the 624 respondents expecting an increase | Source: Futurum Research, May 2026. “Buyers are reframing why they spend. The incremental dollar is now justified in the language of cyber-risk quantification, board-ready reporting, and regulatory alignment rather than infrastructure refresh. Vendors who lead with modernization narratives are increasingly speaking to a rationale that has lost 11 points of mindshare in a single cycle.” — Fernando Montenegro, VP & Practice Lead, Cybersecurity & Resilience, The Futurum Group The survey reveals several developments reshaping how cybersecurity budgets are justified: Risk discipline displaces modernization: Risk management strategy edged ahead of modernization for the first time in the series, consistent with cybersecurity’s rise to a board-level topic. Compliance and transformation hold steady: Digital transformation initiatives (36.5%) and regulatory compliance requirements (34.1%) remain durable mid-tier drivers of incremental spend. Modernization spend is maturing: The 11-point drop is partly compositional, as prior-period modernization investments have now largely been committed. Subscribers can read more in the “1H 2026 Cybersecurity Global Enterprise Decision Maker Survey Report,” on the Futurum Intelligence Platform. Non-subscribers click here for more information . About Futurum Intelligence for Market Leaders Futurum Intelligence’s Cybersecurity & Resilience IQ service provides actionable insight from analysts, reports, and interactive visualization datasets, helping leaders drive their organizations through transformation and business growth. Subscribers can log in to the platform at https://app.futurumgroup.com/ , and non-subscribers can click here for additional information on Futurum Intelligence. Follow news and updates from Futurum on X and LinkedIn using #Futurum. Visit the Futurum Newsroom for more information and insights. Other Insights From Futurum: The Hard(er) Challenge in Agent Governance Is Authorization Futurum Research Finds API and AI Risks Top Application Security Concerns Futurum Research Finds Threats and Skills Shortages Dominate SOC Challenges