David Steifman, Cofounder of Energize Marketing. Having spent much of my career working with cybersecurity companies, marketers and buyers globally, I’ve seen firsthand how differently this industry evaluates trust, credibility and engagement. Cybersecurity buyers rarely engage casually. They question claims, validate sources and carry real accountability for the decisions they make. In today’s environment, where AI-generated content, automated outreach and endless streams of information compete for attention, that dynamic feels even more important. It shapes how buyers consume content, evaluate vendors and ultimately make decisions. It also plays a major role in what drives pipeline growth in cybersecurity marketing. Over the past year, our team took a closer look at how cybersecurity demand generation teams are operating today, not just in theory, but in practice. The findings helped shape Energize Marketing’s 2026 Cybersecurity Demand Generation Report, which examined what separates programs that consistently build pipeline from those that struggle to sustain momentum. Useful Insights At a surface level, many cybersecurity marketing organizations look similar. Most are investing heavily in intent data, full-funnel content strategies and multi-channel engagement programs. In many ways, cybersecurity marketers are ahead of other industries in adopting data-driven approaches and modern demand generation tactics. But when you look more closely, the difference between teams that consistently generate pipeline and those that do not becomes much clearer. It is rarely a technology problem. More often, it comes down to trust, execution and how well organizations turn buyer engagement into meaningful action. Intent Data Cybersecurity marketers now operate in one of the most signal-rich environments in B2B marketing. Our 2026 Cybersecurity Demand Generation research at Energize Marketing found that while 99% of cybersecurity marketers use third-party intent data, only 7% consider it “very effective.” That gap says a lot about where the market is today. The issue is no