2026 SANS SOC survey shows persistent staffing pressure and uneven AI workflow adoption
Trend
Summary
Hide ▲
Show ▼
A 2026 SANS SOC Survey found staffing remains the top operational challenge for SOC teams, and the gap between leaders and practitioners keeps signaling retention and hiring risk. 14% of practitioners named staffing their main issue, while 59% of cyber leaders said management pays close attention to hiring and retention needs. AI/ML use is widespread at 79%, but only 36% have built those tools into a defined workflow, leaving many SOCs with uneven operational control.
Related Happenings
Global organizations face rising NHI and agentic AI identity sprawl
Trend
H score19
First: 09.04.2026 13:00
Last: 09.04.2026 13:00
Sources 1
About this happening:
**Non-human identities (NHIs)** and **credentialed AI agents** are growing across organizations, widening identity risk as governance and credential hygiene lag. The trend matters...
Global organizations face rising NHI and agentic AI identity sprawl
TrendAbout this happening: **Non-human identities (NHIs)** and **credentialed AI agents** are growing across organizations, widening identity risk as governance and credential hygiene lag. The trend matters...
Timeline
-
17.06.2026 11:45 2 articles · 1h ago
SANS publishes 2026 SOC survey findings on staffing and AI adoption
Industry Or Public Sector UpdateSANS Institute's 2026 SANS SOC Survey, based on interviews with 444 IT and security professionals working in monitoring or security operations (SecOps) roles plus 69 CISOs and senior security executives, found that staffing remains the top operational challenge for SOC teams. The survey said 14% of practitioners named staffing their main issue, while 59% of cyber leaders said management pays close attention to SOC hiring and retention needs; it also found that 79% of respondents use AI or machine learning (ML) tools, but only 36% have built them into a defined SOC workflow.
Show sources
- Staffing Is Top SOC Challenge Even as AI Proliferates, Says SANS — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 17.06.2026 11:45
- Staffing Is Top SOC Challenge Even as AI Proliferates, Says SANS — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 17.06.2026 11:45