https://securitybudget.com/blog Vendor-neutral writing on cybersecurity budgeting, pricing, and benchmarks. en-us https://securitybudget.com/blog/it-budget-benchmarks-by-industry https://securitybudget.com/blog/it-budget-benchmarks-by-industry Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT IT budgets range from ~2.5% of revenue in manufacturing to ~7.5% in financial services and tech. Here are the 2026 IT-spend benchmarks by industry — and the share that goes to cybersecurity. Benchmarks https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-do-companies-spend-on-cybersecurity https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-do-companies-spend-on-cybersecurity Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Companies spend around 11% of their IT budget — roughly 0.69% of revenue, or about $2,300 per employee — on cybersecurity. Here's what the 2026 benchmarks say, by industry and size. Benchmarks https://securitybudget.com/blog/cybersecurity-services-pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/cybersecurity-services-pricing Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT What outsourced cybersecurity services cost in 2026 — MSSP and MDR retainers, penetration tests, vCISO, and compliance consulting — with typical price ranges and how they're billed. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/network-security-cost https://securitybudget.com/blog/network-security-cost Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Network security spend is dominated by two recurring lines — next-gen firewall subscriptions and network detection and response. For a mid-market org, budget roughly $50K–$200K a year. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/edr-pricing-comparison-crowdstrike-sentinelone-defender https://securitybudget.com/blog/edr-pricing-comparison-crowdstrike-sentinelone-defender Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A side-by-side EDR pricing comparison — CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne Singularity and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint — with published list prices and what enterprises actually negotiate. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-does-a-cybersecurity-audit-cost https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-does-a-cybersecurity-audit-cost Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cybersecurity audit and assessment costs range from a few thousand dollars to six figures depending on type — SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI, HIPAA, risk and gap assessments, and pen tests. Here's what to budget. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/mdr-pricing-what-managed-detection-costs https://securitybudget.com/blog/mdr-pricing-what-managed-detection-costs Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT MDR is priced per endpoint per month — roughly $3 to $45, around $6 typical for mid-market. Here's how Huntress, Arctic Wolf and CrowdStrike compare and what drives the number. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/mdr-vs-edr-vs-xdr-differences https://securitybudget.com/blog/mdr-vs-edr-vs-xdr-differences Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT EDR, MDR and XDR sound interchangeable but describe three different things — a tool, a service, and a platform. Here's what each means and when to use it. Comparison https://securitybudget.com/blog/reading-a-vendor-quote-list-vs-real-price https://securitybudget.com/blog/reading-a-vendor-quote-list-vs-real-price Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to read a security vendor quote past the list price — spotting negotiable discounts, billing traps, and platform floors before you sign. How-to https://securitybudget.com/blog/what-the-2026-ians-benchmark-shows https://securitybudget.com/blog/what-the-2026-ians-benchmark-shows Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The latest IANS / Artico data shows budgets flat to slightly down, with growth concentrated in cloud and identity. Benchmarks https://securitybudget.com/blog/edr-vs-mdr-vs-xdr-what-you-pay-for https://securitybudget.com/blog/edr-vs-mdr-vs-xdr-what-you-pay-for Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Three acronyms, three very different cost structures — here is what separates the tool, the service, and the platform. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-siem https://securitybudget.com/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-siem Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why a SIEM's real cost lives in data ingest, retention, and the analysts who run it — not in the line-item license price. Pricing https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-should-an-smb-spend-on-security https://securitybudget.com/blog/how-much-should-an-smb-spend-on-security Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical, range-based way for small and mid-sized businesses to size a security budget without copying enterprise spreadsheets. How-to https://securitybudget.com/blog/cyber-insurance-vs-controls https://securitybudget.com/blog/cyber-insurance-vs-controls Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to balance spending between security controls that reduce expected loss and cyber insurance that covers the residual, tail-end risk. Strategy https://securitybudget.com/blog/percent-of-it-budget-vs-percent-of-revenue https://securitybudget.com/blog/percent-of-it-budget-vs-percent-of-revenue Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two common benchmarks for security spend can point in opposite directions — here is when to trust each one. Analysis https://securitybudget.com/blog/build-a-defensible-cybersecurity-budget https://securitybudget.com/blog/build-a-defensible-cybersecurity-budget Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical, vendor-neutral process for turning headcount, tooling, and risk into a security budget you can defend to your CFO. How-to