Survey shows cybersecurity rising as top priority in Puerto Rico
Microsoft has released findings from “Cybersecurity 2025: Challenges and Strategies in the AI Era for Businesses in Puerto Rico,” a new survey on how companies are addressing digital threats amid rapid technological change.
The study, conducted with 100 security and IT professionals, portrays a landscape where cyber risk is rising, preparedness remains uneven and artificial intelligence is increasingly central to defense strategies.
According to the report, 52% of IT professionals view cybersecurity threats as a “tangible and present” challenge, driven by the acceleration of digital operations and more sophisticated attacks. Seventy-four percent said threats have increased over the past two to three years, and 77% expect cybersecurity to remain a top organizational priority over the same period.
Sixty-two percent of companies have a formal cybersecurity strategy, and 90% report that security is highly or moderately integrated into business planning.
Board involvement remains limited: only 54% of organizations say their governing boards actively engage in cybersecurity, and current investment levels remain “moderate,” at 34%, indicating a gap between strategic intent and executive sponsorship.
Only 28% of organizations consider themselves “highly prepared” for today’s threat environment, while 45% consider themselves moderately prepared. Strategies focus primarily on privacy and data protection (68%) and incident response (64%).
Malware and phishing continue to be dominant threats, but concerns over cloud vulnerabilities (25%), unauthorized use of artificial intelligence tools (23%) and deepfakes (14%) are rising. The report says these emerging risks, combined with expanding cloud systems and broad access to AI tools, are reshaping defense priorities.
AI is playing a growing role in how companies structure their security programs. Six of 10 organizations have formal AI security policies, and 56% of professionals expect AI to significantly reshape cybersecurity practices in coming years.
The report highlights the use of AI agents in automating investigations, coordinating responses, and enforcing identity and data policies. Microsoft said these tools, combined with Zero Trust frameworks and large-scale telemetry, can help counter increasingly complex attacks.
“AI not only increases the speed and reach of defenses, through specialized agents, it helps close talent gaps, standardize processes and enhance business resilience,” said Marcelo Felman, Microsoft’s cybersecurity director for Latin America.
“The challenge is no longer ‘whether’ to invest in security, but how to scale it with AI and responsible governance at every layer of the organization,” he said.
The survey also shows uneven adoption of AI tools across business functions. Finance departments show the most progress, with 44% in intermediate adoption stages. Human resources, at 35%, lags, pointing to varying levels of readiness among different operational areas.
The report notes that the benefits of AI as a security enabler improve significantly when adoption becomes enterprise-wide rather than siloed.
Microsoft’s recommendations include elevating cybersecurity as a management priority; reinforcing digital hygiene through identity protection and continuous monitoring; and investing in workforce training alongside new tools.
The report also encourages companies to prepare for emerging threats, improve information sharing and design systems that support safe technology use rather than relying on restrictive controls.
