It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

And Portnox is revealing new information about what CISOs are thinking about and planning for in 2026. 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a time to promote safer online practices, raise awareness of evolving threats, and spotlight the challenges and innovations shaping our industry. 

That’s why we partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 200 CISOs across the U.S. to learn about how they’re adapting their strategies to meet today’s demands. The results point to meaningful shifts in priorities around passwordless authentication, legacy VPNs and remote access, Network Access Control (NAC), zero trust, and more. 

This post kicks off a blog series unpacking what CISOs are prioritizing, where they’re investing, and how they’re preparing for the next evolution in cybersecurity. Across sectors and company sizes, leaders are balancing modernization with operational reality—shifting technologies, improving user experience, and seeking controls that are easier to run at scale.  

Here’s a sneak peek at the topics we’ll be exploring over the next few weeks: 

• Passwordless adoption: Why it’s gaining ground and what’s driving adoption. 

•  NAC’s resurgence: Network Access Control is making a comeback as foundational to zero trust. 

•  “Thank U, Next” for the VPN: Why CISOs are phasing out legacy VPNs in favor of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions like Portnox ZTNA. 

•  AI & Identity: How synthetic identities, machine accounts, and behavioral risk are reshaping cybersecurity. 

 These insights aren’t theoretical. They reflect real decisions by real CISOs solving real-world challenges in 2026. 

Stay tuned to this blog as we break down the findings over the next few weeks!