The survey, by the American security and staffing company Allied Universal, found companies were losing high-end goods and intellectual property both internally to staff and externally, with North America badly affected.
The World Security Report survey, the first time Allied has collated and published the thinking of so many large companies, questioned executives overseeing a combined $660 billion in security budgets in 2022, or 3.3% of their global revenue.
That would add to the growing cost that companies around the world have been grappling with, on everything from wages to energy.
It listed economic unrest stemming from high inflation and deteriorating living standards, along with climate change and social unrest as issues that can lead to security breaches.
Asked about future spending, 42% of respondents said they intended to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-powered surveillance to spot threats more quickly.
Persons:
Henry Nicholls, Steve Jones, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens
Organizations:
REUTERS, Allied Universal, North, Allied, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
City, London, Britain, North America