Exabeam: Agentic AI Monitoring will Need CFO Cooperation
Exabeam, a cybersecurity firm founded in 2013 and specialising in the behaviour of agentic AI, has released a report highlighting a new insider risk priority for enterprise security teams.
The research was conducted by Sapio Research on behalf of Exabeam, at companies with over 500 employees, across the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.
The survey notes that top concerns for finance and security executives included agentic actions beyond permissions, limited visibility into AI agent behaviour and access to sensitive data.
- 81% of security leaders in the report note their CFO understands the cybersecurity risks they are working to mitigate
- 55% of security leaders report delaying or scaling back a security initiative because they could not frame the risk in financial terms that their CFO would accept.
- Mike Byron joined Exabeam as CFO from Mimecast in 2024
- 93% of respondents say that their finance and security leaders are aligned on cybersecurity risk and tolerance
- Exabeam was founded in 2013
How businesses monitor their agents
According to the survey of 600 professionals, 48% of security leaders identify AI agents functioning with excessive, compromised, or unintended access as the primary threat to their organisation.
This risk was ranked higher than traditional threats, including external attackers, compromised insiders and malicious insiders.
As a tool, autonomous AI introduces risk to employers that do not necessarily signal bad intent.
The research demonstrates that the uptake in agentic adoption is changing internal approaches to insider risk.
To oversee AI agents, security leaders employ several strategies:
- Dedicated AI governance or security tools (60%)
- Expanded SIEM, detection, or monitoring platforms (56%)
- Behavioural baselining and monitoring (56%)
- Manual review methods (29%).
If finance can't see the business impact, the security case isn't finished.”
The relationship between finance and cyber
Finance leaders are working to understand the risk, as the report lists that 81% of security leaders note their CFO is working to mitigate the risks that they understand.
An even larger percentage, 93%, say that their finance and security leaders are aligned on cybersecurity risk and tolerance.
However, strategic agreement fails to consistently secure funding, as 55% of cybersecurity leaders admit to postponing or reducing project scopes due to difficulties presenting exposure in acceptable financial parameters to financial executives.
Mike Byron who has been CFO at Exabeam for nearly two years, says: “The uncomfortable truth is that cyber risk doesn't get funded just because it is serious. It gets funded when the business case is clear.
“This research shows security and finance are largely aligned on the risk, yet initiatives are still being delayed because the risk isn't being translated into financial and operational terms.
“As AI agents take on more authority inside the enterprise, CISOs can't rely on fear or hypothetical breach costs. They need to show where the exposure is, what it could disrupt, and how investment will measurably reduce that risk.
“If finance can't see the business impact, the security case isn't finished.”
Exabeam partners:
Microsoft: Established in 1975, Microsoft has expanded to become a dominant global technology leader, celebrated for its Windows operating system, Office software suite and cloud computing platforms. Operating worldwide in over 190 countries, Microsoft is currently led by CEO Satya Nadella, who took the helm in 2014. It is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US.
Blackberry: Established in 1984 as Research In Motion (RIM), BlackBerry transitioned from a pioneer in the smartphone industry into a specialised enterprise software and cybersecurity provider. Operating globally across critical security sectors, BlackBerry is currently led by CEO John J. Giamatteo, who assumed the role in late 2023. It is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Deloitte: Founded in 1845 and has its global HQ in London, UK. Deloitte stands as the world's premier professional services network, renowned for its expertise across audit, consulting, tax and advisory solutions. The organisation operates in over 150 countries, with Global CEO Joe Ucuzoglu leading Deloitte as US CEO and then global CEO since 2019.
Fortinet: Established in 2000, Fortinet has grown into a global leader in cybersecurity, celebrated for its high-performance enterprise firewalls and integrated security networking solutions. Operating across the globe in dozens of markets, Fortinet is currently led by Co-Founder and CEO Ken Xie. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, US.
Netpoleon: Founded in Singapore in 2000 and currently led by Founder and CEO Francis Goh, Netpoleon is a premier value-added distributor (VAD) delivering cybersecurity and network security solutions across various Asia-Pacific regional markets. It remains headquartered in Singapore.
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Executives
Mike Byron
Chief Financial Officer