Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks has released new research showing that nearly two thirds (64%) of UK organisations cite technology complexity and a lack of interoperability as the most significant challenge towards building a sophisticated security posture.

This figure surpasses the average of European organisations surveyed (55%), revealing the urgent need to streamline security systems to tackle the evolving threat landscape.

Across European organisations, AI-based threats ranked as the biggest cyber risk in 2025, cited by 66% of all respondents and 62% in the UK. Only data privacy and regulatory compliance ranked higher in the UK (both 68%).

However, the research also highlights the importance of tackling AI with AI and identified widespread confidence in how organisations are using the technology. This includes 91% of UK respondents stating they trust the security of AI applications used in their business, with 82% confident they are utilising the technology to its full potential, and 61% citing enhanced threat detection as the biggest use case for AI for security applications in 2025.

The Palo Alto Networks survey, conducted by Vitreous World, features responses from C-Level executives and senior management security professionals across the UK, France, Germany and Spain. It analyses their attitudes towards the impact of tech fragmentation in areas such as interoperability and consolidation of tools, as well as AI and the challenges that come with implementing sophisticated security postures.

After technology complexity and a lack of interoperability, managing excessive security vendors and tools emerged as the second biggest hurdle to developing a robust security framework, cited by over a third (35%) of all respondents.

Other key stats from the research highlight the ongoing challenges posed by technology fragmentation in cybersecurity, with half of UK respondents agreeing that fragmented solutions are hindering their ability to effectively address threats.

However, the consequences of fragmentation extend beyond security, driving cost inefficiencies such as rising training expenses (48%) and increased procurement costs (44%). Additionally, the personal impact on staff is significant, with 48% of UK respondents noting that fragmentation has escalated workloads for security operators, while 39% attribute rising staff attrition levels to the same problem.

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In response to these challenges, 92% of UK organisations have made simplifying and integrating their tech stacks a priority for 2025.

Despite this, there remains a notable gap between intention and action: while 90% of UK organisations are open to adopting a platform-based approach to security, only 41% have fully or mostly consolidated their cyber solutions onto such platforms.

Scott McKinnon, chief security officer, UK & Ireland at Palo Alto Networks, says: “Technology fragmentation continues to leave organisations vulnerable to security breaches. With the proliferation of solutions, the task at hand is to simplify and integrate tools to ensure they are interoperable and working within a connected ecosystem.

“This has become all the more crucial in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks, with AI creating a powerful toolbox for cybercriminals that’s more readily available.”