Perforce Survey Reveals Widespread Overconfidence in Data Protection Amid Rising Breaches — Perforce Software, Inc.

Event summary

98% of enterprise leaders express confidence in data protection, yet 34% report breaches or theft.
99% have data masking policies, but 84% allow compliance exceptions.
77% fear non-production environment breaches; 74% worry about audit failures.
80% plan to invest more in AI data protection solutions by 2027.

The big picture

Perforce's findings highlight a systemic disconnect between enterprise confidence and real-world vulnerabilities in data security. As AI adoption accelerates, the growing reliance on platforms like Databricks and Snowflake is elevating data protection to a critical strategic priority. The survey underscores how even large enterprises with robust policies struggle to enforce consistent safeguards at scale.

What we're watching

Execution Risk: Whether enterprises can bridge the gap between policy and practice in data protection.
AI Security Dynamics: How rising investments in AI data protection will impact breach rates in 2026-2027.
Regulatory Scrutiny: The pace at which audit failures could trigger stricter compliance enforcement.