Why Does AI Help Security Chiefs Get Budget?

Christina Cacioppo says security chiefs are much more likely to get budget for an enterprise risk overhaul today because the request is attached to AI. Over the past couple of years, Vanta has spent more time with government at the federal, state, and local levels inside the U.S. and outside the U.S. There is an appetite for modernization. It is a big stated priority of the current U.S. administration, and the same appetite exists outside the U.S. AI created more FOMO in government officials. They may have always known they did not have modern processes or modern software, but the gap feels more of an imperative now.

The conversation around AI has changed the priority and raised the priority of a lot of modernization, sometimes inside governments and sometimes inside enterprises. The same shift shows up with the CISOs Vanta talks to. Their jobs are changing because of AI. Given AI and the risks from the agents, they want to overhaul the enterprise risk program and they want budget for it. Three years ago, the same request drew a shrug and a maybe-later talk about an AOP. Because the ask is attached to AI, they are much more likely to get that budget today, and there is more of a buying motion.