90% of IT leaders report gaps in readiness for AI-driven cyber threats

Nine in 10 IT leaders acknowledge gaps in their ability to defend against AI-driven threats, according to research cited by Lenovo, highlighting the growing challenge organisations face as AI adoption accelerates.

The findings point to a broader issue around cyber resilience, with security teams increasingly having to protect more devices, data and digital operations while dealing with more sophisticated threats.

Rather than simply lacking security tools, organisations are facing growing complexity in how those tools, systems and teams work together. Security operations are often distributed across multiple platforms, vendors and support teams, making it harder to coordinate responses and maintain business continuity when incidents occur.

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The issue is particularly relevant for organisations in sectors such as banking, healthcare, retail, business process outsourcing, government and the public sector, as they continue to expand their use of digital technologies and AI.

In the Philippines, the challenge also comes against a backdrop of increasing regulatory and policy attention on cyber resilience. The department of information and communications technology's national cybersecurity plan 2023-2028 identifies cyber resilience as a national priority, while the national privacy commission requires personal information controllers and processors to maintain security incident management policies and submit annual security incident reports.

The research comes as organisations reassess whether their existing security infrastructure can keep pace with AI-enabled threats. As AI becomes embedded across workplaces and business processes, security teams must contend not only with conventional cyber risks but also with threats that can evolve more quickly and potentially exploit AI-enabled systems.

Lenovo said the findings point to the need for organisations to consider resilience across their entire technology environment, rather than treating cybersecurity as a collection of individual tools.

"Security leaders don't need more tools. They need greater confidence that their people, devices, and data remain protected, and clear accountability when issues arise," said Rakshit Ghura, vice president and general manager, digital workplace solutions, Lenovo. "When cyber incidents occur, organisations are often left coordinating across multiple vendors, platforms, and support teams."

Against this backdrop, Lenovo is expanding its Security Services portfolio with an end-to-end cyber resilience framework. The company said the offering is intended to address the operational complexity identified in the research, bringing devices, security technologies, managed services and ecosystem partners into a single model.

"As AI adoption accelerates across the Philippines, organisations are facing a new reality where cyber resilience is no longer just about having more security tools, but about ensuring that people, devices, data, and operations remain protected even when threats become more sophisticated," said Michael Ngan, president and general manager, Lenovo Philippines.

The company is also introducing ThinkShield TraceLock, powered by Absolute Security, which provides visibility and control over devices that are lost, stolen or disconnected. The solution uses built-in cellular connectivity to allow IT teams to remotely locate, wake and wipe devices, extending security controls beyond endpoints that remain connected to an operating system or network.

Lenovo said its wider cyber resilience framework covers identity and access management, data protection, extended detection and response, visibility and risk management, and security for AI. It integrates with providers including Absolute, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, SentinelOne and Veeam.

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