Gartner Survey Finds 85% of CEOs Say Cybersecurity is Critical for Business Growth

Survey Findings Illustrate that Cybersecurity Has Morphed into Critical Driver for Business Growth

Gartner recently released its annual CEO Survey on Gartner.com: CEO Survey 2025: The Year of Dynamic Capacity. This effort was led by David Furlonger and included Don Scheibenreif, Kristin Moyer, Stephen Smith, Gabriela Vogel, Jennifer Carter , and Angela Kreiter. In the analysis of this year’s results, it was found that CEOs are seeking new forms of growth by building what we call “dynamic capacity” into businesses.

Dynamic capacity is an organization’s ability to adapt quickly and flexibly to changing market conditions and build structural resilience to navigate uncertainty over extended business periods. CEOs want to use AI to create more dynamic capacity in five core areas of the business: geographic scope, business and operating models, customer engagement, risk management, and their people.

The report contains dozens of statistics, charts, and analysis that clients find useful when building business strategy or simply connecting with their CEO.

And according to Gartner's CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey, 85% of CEOs say cybersecurity is critical for business growth. The Survey covered findings from 456 CEOs and other senior business executives worldwide was conducted from June to November 2024.

The survey also found that 61% of CEOs are concerned about cybersecurity threats, driven in large part by AI’s growing role in commercial activity and the political debates about the sourcing and use of advanced technologies. As risk thresholds shift, they view cybersecurity as a key driver.

Expert Take:

“Cybersecurity is no longer just about protection; it’s a critical driver for business growth,” said David Furlonger, Distinguished Vice President Analyst and Gartner Fellow. “With 85% of CEOs recognizing its importance, security leaders have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the value of cybersecurity investments not only in safeguarding assets but also in enabling strategic business objectives.

“Effective communication is key,” said Furlonger. “CEOs should highlight the role of security leaders in both protecting the business and enhancing cybersecurity to drive growth. This involves, for example, assessing risks in foreign markets and intellectual property protection. Security leaders are positioned to significantly influence value generation, and they should communicate how cybersecurity aids enterprise growth.”

With regulatory changes and cybersecurity threats challenging competitiveness, CEOs said they see a direct linkage between cybersecurity capabilities and enterprise growth (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Gartner Data Snapshot: Cybersecurity Capabilities Are Critical to Driving Enterprise Growth