69% Say Cloud Tool Sprawl Weakens Security Efforts

The 2026 Cloud Security Report highlights significant challenges faced by organizations in cloud security, with 69% of respondents identifying tool sprawl and visibility gaps as the primary barriers to effectiveness. Conducted by Cybersecurity Insiders and Fortinet, the survey of 1,163 IT and cybersecurity professionals revealed a growing 'cloud complexity gap,' exacerbated by increasingly automated attacks. Key findings include:

1. **Fragmentation Hindering Security:** Disconnected tools create difficulties in prioritizing and responding to risks, with 88% of organizations operating in hybrid or multi-cloud environments.

2. **Increased Spending with Low Maturity:** Cloud security now represents 34% of IT security budgets, yet 59% of organizations rate their security maturity as low.

3. **Limited Automation:** Only 11% have fully autonomous remediation processes; 37% rely on basic alert-driven automation.

To address these issues, 64% of security leaders would prioritize a unified security platform if building their strategy from scratch.