The State of Innovation in Cybersecurity: A New Report by Security Innovation Stories in collaboration with Beyond Products

Security Innovation Stories has launched a new report examining the state of innovation in the Dutch cybersecurity sector. The study draws on insights from CISOs, security teams and cybersecurity providers, exploring innovation, procurement and collaboration. It examines what new solutions are being developed in the Dutch cybersecurity market, which of these are actually being adopted by organisations, and why a gap so often remains between innovation and adoption.

Dutch organisations are increasing their cybersecurity spending, with 47% of buyers reporting a significant increase in their budget this year, compared with 30% last year. The growth is also more pronounced this year, with more buyers reporting substantial increases rather than the smaller budget increases that were more common last year.

These findings come from The State of Innovation in Cybersecurity 2026, a study by Security Innovation Stories in collaboration with research platform Beyond Products.

Additional budget mainly goes towards maintaining existing solutions

For seven in ten buyers, the growing security budget is primarily being allocated to maintaining their existing technology stack, or is divided roughly equally between existing and new solutions. Only two in ten buyers are allocating the majority of their additional budget to new solutions.

Deliberately cutting budgets for existing solutions to make room for a new one is uncommon: just 4% of buyers say they do this. In practice, this means that an increase in cybersecurity spending is more likely to result in greater investment in existing vendors than in opportunities for new suppliers.

Trust continues to outweigh innovation

When buyers do choose a new supplier, certainty consistently takes precedence over innovation. Some 55% of cybersecurity buyers prefer an established and familiar vendor, even when a lesser-known provider offers a more innovative solution.

The factors that carry the most weight when selecting a cybersecurity vendor are confidence in continuity and support (51%) and a proven track record (37%). Only 16% of buyers say these factors would not prevent them from choosing a lesser-known, more innovative provider. This preference also influences switching behaviour: for half of buyers, innovation is rarely or never a reason to switch to another vendor.

Where suppliers can make a difference

Innovation alone therefore rarely opens the door to a new customer. Differentiation, however, can make a difference. Buyers are almost evenly divided between those who find it easy to distinguish between suppliers and those who find this difficult, while only one in ten says the differences between providers are truly clear.

“Innovation is seen and valued, but it is rarely the trigger for switching to a new product,” says Bram de Bruijn, owner of Security Innovation Stories and Beyond Products. “Suppliers looking to differentiate themselves cannot rely on the word ‘innovation’ or another catchy buzzword. Concrete evidence, references and a lower barrier to entry carry more weight than having a more innovative product on paper.”

The full study also explores the role of AI in product development and marketing, data sovereignty as an increasingly important buyer requirement, and how buyers and suppliers find and evaluate one another.

The full report is available via Security Innovation Stories!

About the study

The State of Innovation in Cybersecurity 2026 was conducted by Security Innovation Stories among 156 cybersecurity buyers in the Netherlands, including CISOs, IT managers and security professionals, as well as 48 suppliers of security products and services.

About Security Innovation Stories and Beyond Products

Security Innovation Stories is the research and content platform of Beyond Products, a Dutch marketing and research agency specialising in the IT and security sector. Through weekly conversations with CISOs, CIOs and cybersecurity innovators, SIS tracks developments and perspectives across the cybersecurity market, focusing on the relationship between buyers and suppliers.