Indian IT leaders embrace AI agents but demand security upgrades

A new Salesforce report highlights unanimous support for AI agents among Indian IT security leaders, though 85% acknowledge current security practices require significant changes. The 'State of IT: Security' survey, covering 100 Indian respondents among 2,000 global participants, reveals critical gaps in AI readiness.

Key Findings:

• 100% endorsement: All Indian IT security leaders view AI agents as promising for cybersecurity.
• Security concerns: 85% believe existing protocols need modernization, with 49% citing unready data foundations and 52% lacking confidence in AI guardrails.
• Budget shifts: 83% of organizations plan increased security spending to counter emerging threats like data poisoning—where attackers manipulate AI training data.

Implementation Challenges

Deepak Pargaonkar, Salesforce India VP, emphasized: "Organizations must prioritize trusted data, governance frameworks, and compliance to harness AI agents safely."

Adoption Trends

• Current use: 43% of Indian security teams already deploy AI agents.
• Projected growth: Expected to reach 76% adoption within two years for tasks like threat detection and compliance auditing.

Compliance Complexities

While 81% see AI aiding regulatory adherence, 87% note new compliance hurdles. Only 55% feel fully prepared to meet AI deployment standards, with 84% yet to automate compliance systems.

Trust Barriers

48% of leaders question data quality and permission structures for responsible AI use, underscoring the need for robust safeguards.

Source: Financial Express