AI Skills Gap Leaves Security Teams Stretched
Barracuda's survey of 2,000 decision-makers finds AI-era skills shortages are straining security operations now.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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Security vendor Barracuda reported that 67% of IT and security decision-makers say security teams are struggling to scale to meet evolving business needs. The findings come from a survey of 2,000 IT and security decision-makers and describe current conditions, not a product or policy change.
Why it matters
AI is reshaping cybersecurity faster than many teams can build the skills, visibility, and governance they need. As AI takes on more routine analysis and response, human roles are shifting toward threat investigation, incident leadership, and automation governance.
Barracuda's figures come from a survey of 2,000 IT and security decision-makers, so they measure reported perception and reported headcount changes rather than audited staffing records. The report also cites Foundry's Security Priorities report, which ranked cloud security (35%), agentic AI security (34%), and AI/ML-enabled technology security (30%) as the top skill needs, though the extraction does not say how those rankings were measured.
The players
Barracuda
Security vendor whose Cybersecurity Skills Gap report surveyed 2,000 IT and security decision-makers.
Pluralsight
Technology skills platform whose Tech Skills Report 2026 estimated UK skills-gap costs.
Foundry
Research firm whose Security Priorities report ranked cloud and AI security as top skill needs.
The details
Routine security work such as log analysis and alert triage is increasingly handled by AI systems, which shifts human roles toward investigating threats and leading incident response. Cloud security architects, AI security specialists, and forensics analysts were reported as the hardest cybersecurity roles to fill. Half of respondents say security staff are expected to support growing digital operations without additional resources.
Timeline
Pluralsight's Tech Skills Report 2026 published its UK skills-gap cost estimates.
Over the past 12 months, a quarter of cybersecurity professionals say skills gaps led to security incidents or vulnerabilities at their organization.
The Tech Race
Barracuda's survey places the skills gap alongside Foundry's ranking of cloud, agentic AI, and AI/ML security as the top skill needs. Pluralsight's UK cost estimates suggest the competition for these roles is now measured in operational and financial terms, not only in hiring difficulty.
Security teams already facing skills shortages may see more incidents or abandoned projects, with 43% of cybersecurity professionals saying skills gaps are a common reason for abandoning projects. Timelines for organizational changes are not specified in the extraction, so the pace of any staffing or tooling response is unknown.
The takeaway
Watch whether the 56% headcount reductions tied to AI persist as organizations automate more analysis and response work. The next Barracuda or Pluralsight skills report will show whether the reported gaps are narrowing or widening.
Further reading
Explore more in Cybersecurity to see how AI is changing security roles and staffing across the industry.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CSO Online.
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