Gartner: Preemptive cybersecurity to dominate 50% of security spend by 2030
By 2030, preemptive cybersecurity solutions will account for 50% of IT security spending, up from less than 5% in 2024, replacing standalone detection and response (DR) solutions as the preferred approach to defend against cyberthreats, according to Gartner.
Preemptive security is the only way to defend the global attack surface grid (Source: Gartner)
The shift to preemptive cybersecurity
Preemptive cybersecurity technologies use advanced AI and ML to anticipate and neutralize threats before they materialize. It includes capabilities such as predictive threat intelligence, advanced deception and automated moving target defense.
These technologies give organizations a way to access sensitive data in secure environments while keeping an eye on things in real time. They can even spot unauthorized access or tampering early on. Using advanced obfuscation is also essential for staying resilient against ransomware, APTs, and AI-driven cyberattacks.
“Preemptive cybersecurity will soon be the new gold standard for every entity operating on, in, or through the various interconnected layers of the global attack surface grid (GASG),” said Carl Manion, Managing Vice President at Gartner. “DR-based cybersecurity will no longer be enough to keep assets safe from AI-enabled attackers. Organizations will need to deploy additional countermeasures that act preemptively and independently of humans to neutralize potential attackers before they strike.”
Gartner predicts that by 2030 there will be over 1 million documented cybersecurity CVEs, up 300% from about 277,000 in 2025.
Autonomous Cyber Immune System (ACIS)
A secure digital world depends on adopting the Autonomous Cyber Immune System (ACIS), the next step in preemptive cybersecurity for the global attack surface grid.
“The relentless expansion and increasing sophistication of the GASG render traditional, reactive cybersecurity measures obsolete. Though early in its development, the proactive and adaptive power of the ACIS, is the future of digital defense,” said Manion. “The development and deployment of intelligent, decentralized, tactical ACIS frameworks are not merely aspirational goals, but an eventual absolute imperative for safeguarding our increasingly interconnected world.”
Tailored cybersecurity solutions on the horizon
There will be a shift from broad, one-size-fits-all DR security platforms toward more targeted preemptive cybersecurity solutions, many of which will be based on agentic AI and domain-specific language models (DSLMs). This shift will create opportunities for vendors to define market segments by addressing the distinct security challenges of:
- Specific verticals, such as healthcare, finance and manufacturing
- Particular application types, such as industrial control systems, cloud-native applications and AI/ ML pipelines
- Specific threat actor methodologies, such as ransomware targeting critical infrastructure and supply chain attacks on SaaS platforms
“This emphasis on specialization will drive increased collaboration and integration within the cybersecurity ecosystem. Because no single vendor can address the entirety of the GASG, partnerships and interoperability between specialized solutions will become even more crucial,” Manion said.
“For instance, a vendor specializing in preemptive cybersecurity for IoT devices in the healthcare sector might need to integrate with a platform focused on securing cloud-based electronic health records,” Manion added. “Such interdependencies will create opportunities for technology alliances, joint go-to-market strategies, and the development of standardized APIs and data formats to facilitate seamless interaction between disparate security solutions.”
Product leaders who fail to invest in preemptive cybersecurity capabilities risk career-impacting cyber incidents and the potential for damaging market share losses within the next two to four years.