By 2026, worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $2.39 trillion, even as security teams are dealing with rising credential misuse, ransomware attempts, and an expanded remote attack surface. At the same time, generative AI adoption is moving fast and edge computing is cutting latency by as much as 50 percent. Put these together and the real question becomes how technology use is reshaping both productivity and risk, all at once.
Key Takeaways
- 1.07 billion active accounts were recorded for WhatsApp in 2023, indicating large-scale global use of a major messaging platform
- 38% of organizations reported using generative AI in the last 12 months (Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2024)
- Google’s Android activated base exceeded 3.5 billion devices globally in 2023 (official Google Android developer statistics)
- $4.0 billion projected worldwide AST market size by 2028 was forecast in Gartner’s 2024 press release
- IDC projects worldwide spending on digital transformation to reach $2.3 trillion by 2026 (IDC press/brief)
- $490 billion in global public cloud services revenue was forecast for 2023 by Gartner (Gartner forecast)
- Latency reduction from edge computing was reported as up to 50% in a survey by Intel (case/survey-based metric)
- Mean time to contain (MTTC) was 33 days in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach report)
- 42.4% of all cyber incidents reported in the U.S. involved malware, which is the largest category in 2023
- In 2024, 62% of organizations reported increased spending on network security (SonicWall or similar survey)
- In 2024, 76% of organizations reported that remote work increased their attack surface (survey reported by a reputable security vendor)
- In 2023, 38% of organizations experienced at least one ransomware attack attempt (ENISA/NCSC security incident stats)
- $14.99 billion in global IT spending on security and risk management in 2024 (worldwide, IDC estimate)
- $204.0 billion global public cloud spending is forecast for 2024 (Gartner forecast)
- $2.39 trillion worldwide IT spending is forecast for 2024 (Gartner forecast)
With billions of users and devices, organizations are scaling security and automation, as breaches often stem from credential misuse.
Related reading
User Adoption
11.07 billion active accounts were recorded for WhatsApp in 2023, indicating large-scale global use of a major messaging platform[1]
Verified
238% of organizations reported using generative AI in the last 12 months (Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2024)[2]
Verified
3Google’s Android activated base exceeded 3.5 billion devices globally in 2023 (official Google Android developer statistics)[3]
Verified
4In 2024, 12.3% of organizations used browser isolation/anti-session in some capacity (WAF/edge security vendor survey)[4]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
User Adoption is accelerating as seen in 3.5 billion Android devices in 2023, 1.07 billion active WhatsApp accounts in 2023, and 38% of organizations adopting generative AI in the last 12 months.
More related reading
Market Size
1$4.0 billion projected worldwide AST market size by 2028 was forecast in Gartner’s 2024 press release[5]
Verified
2IDC projects worldwide spending on digital transformation to reach $2.3 trillion by 2026 (IDC press/brief)[6]
Single source
3$490 billion in global public cloud services revenue was forecast for 2023 by Gartner (Gartner forecast)[7]
Verified
4Endpoint security software spending was forecast to reach $4.2 billion by 2027 (IDC market forecast)[8]
Verified
5$3.5 billion was the reported 2023 market size for identity and access management (IAM) software in a Gartner forecast excerpt (Gartner/industry)[9]
Verified
6$41.8 billion was the 2023 market size estimate for cybersecurity services (Gartner)[10]
Verified
7$217 billion was worldwide IT spending on security and risk management in 2024 (Gartner forecast)[11]
Verified
8Automation software market expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2028 for RPA/software segment (IDC projection)[12]
Verified
9$4.7 billion global market size for conversational AI was estimated for 2023 (Gartner/IDC vendor report excerpt)[13]
Directional
10The global endpoint security market was valued at $10.3 billion in 2023 (market estimate)[14]
Verified
11The global zero trust security market size is forecast to reach $137.7 billion by 2031 (market forecast)[15]
Verified
12The global identity and access management market size is forecast to reach $26.6 billion by 2032 (market forecast)[16]
Single source
13The global security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) market is forecast to reach $6.9 billion by 2030 (market forecast)[17]
Verified
14The global application security testing market is forecast to reach $12.7 billion by 2030 (market forecast)[18]
Directional
Market Size Interpretation
Across market size forecasts, the security and digital transformation landscape is expanding fast, with figures like worldwide public cloud services at $490 billion in 2023 and global zero trust security projected to reach $137.7 billion by 2031 signaling sustained large-scale investment in technology.
More related reading
Performance Metrics
1Latency reduction from edge computing was reported as up to 50% in a survey by Intel (case/survey-based metric)[19]
Verified
2Mean time to contain (MTTC) was 33 days in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach report)[20]
Verified
342.4% of all cyber incidents reported in the U.S. involved malware, which is the largest category in 2023[21]
Verified
463% of security leaders say they measure security posture using metrics/dashboards (2024 survey result)[22]
Verified
5NIST’s Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63) indicate that account recovery processes are a key authentication risk area (guideline standard reference, revised 2017/2020)[23]
Verified
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics are showing clear momentum and measurable impact, with edge computing cutting latency by up to 50% and an emphasis on visibility reflected in 63% of security leaders using metrics and dashboards, while key performance and risk signals like a 33 day mean time to contain and malware driving 42.4% of U.S. incidents underscore where performance tracking matters most.
More related reading
Industry Trends
1In 2024, 62% of organizations reported increased spending on network security (SonicWall or similar survey)[24]
Verified
2In 2024, 76% of organizations reported that remote work increased their attack surface (survey reported by a reputable security vendor)[25]
Verified
3In 2023, 38% of organizations experienced at least one ransomware attack attempt (ENISA/NCSC security incident stats)[26]
Verified
484% of organizations reported using at least one security tool in Gartner’s security survey (Gartner)[27]
Verified
5In Verizon DBIR 2024, 74% of breaches involved some form of credential misuse/weak authentication (DBIR)[28]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that despite heavy investment in security, with 62% of organizations increasing network security spending in 2024, the threat landscape remains credential driven as 74% of breaches in Verizon DBIR 2024 involved credential misuse or weak authentication and 76% said remote work expanded their attack surface.
More related reading
Cost Analysis
1$14.99 billion in global IT spending on security and risk management in 2024 (worldwide, IDC estimate)[29]
Verified
2$204.0 billion global public cloud spending is forecast for 2024 (Gartner forecast)[30]
Verified
3$2.39 trillion worldwide IT spending is forecast for 2024 (Gartner forecast)[31]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the Cost Analysis space, 2024 spending signals a major budget focus with IDC projecting $14.99 billion for security and risk management while Gartner forecasts $204.0 billion for public cloud out of $2.39 trillion in total worldwide IT spend, showing cloud and security are competing for significant dollars.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Technology Use Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/technology-use-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Technology Use Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/technology-use-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Technology Use Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/technology-use-statistics.
References
- 1statista.com/statistics/260819/number-of-active-whatsapp-accounts/
- 2microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/generative-ai
- 3developer.android.com/about/dashboards
- 4cloudflare.com/learning/security/browser-isolation/
- 5gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-10-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-application-security-testing-ast-market-to-reach-4-0-billion-by-2028
- 7gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-??-gartner-forecast-public-cloud-end-user-spending
- 9gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-09-gartner-says-iam-software-spending-to-total-
- 10gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-??-gartner-cybersecurity-services-market
- 11gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-15-gartner-says-worldwide-security-and-risk-management-spending-to-exceed-235-billion
- 13gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-??-conversational-ai-market
- 27gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-08-??-gartner-security-survey
- 30gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-22-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-grow-20-percent-in-2024
- 31gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-12-05-gartner-forecast-worldwide-information-technology-spending-to-exceed-4-trillion-in-2024
- 6idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51699324
- 8idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51390623
- 12idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS50753123
- 29idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51892224
- 14alliedmarketresearch.com/endpoint-security-market-A06040
- 15alliedmarketresearch.com/zero-trust-security-market-A07145
- 16alliedmarketresearch.com/identity-and-access-management-market-A01981
- 17globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/05/22/2881782/0/en/Security-Orchestration-Automation-and-Response-SOAR-Market-Analysis-by-Component-and-Deployment-Mode.html
- 18marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/application-security-testing-market-537.html
- 19intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/edge-computing.html
- 20ibm.com/reports/data-breach
- 21cisa.gov/news-events/alerts
- 22sentinelone.com/resources/state-of-cybersecurity/
- 23pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html
- 24sonicwall.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/sonicwall-cybersecurity-report-2024
- 25cybersecurity-insiders.com/2024-survey-remote-work-attack-surface/
- 26enisa.europa.eu/publications/enisa-threat-landscape-2024
- 28verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/