Building business value? Put security at the core.

Here's a striking number: 73% of leading mid-market companies are increasing their security investments over the next two years. Why? Because they've discovered something their competitors haven't: robust security doesn't just protect innovation—it accelerates it.

According to new SoftwareOne research, this proactive security posture makes a big difference. Our latest study reveals a select group of mid-market businesses (revenues between £500 million and £5 billion) that excel at using security to drive innovation and growth.

We call these companies Optimised Innovators—and their approach to security is one of the things that sets them apart and gives them an edge.

The security advantage

These companies understand something fundamental: security is a powerful enabler for innovation.

They know that fast-tracking innovation can expose them to greater data security and privacy risks. So, to protect themselves, Optimised Innovators use nearly every cybersecurity solution considerably more than other companies.

These solutions include :

• Zero trust security (56% vs. 31%)
• Automated risk monitoring (55% vs. 35%)
• RegTech (46% vs. 27%)
• Data loss prevention (44% vs. 32%)
• Security orchestration, automation and response (43% vs. 28%)

For these trail-blazing companies, innovation underpinned by security in this way can contribute to enhanced market value, faster customer adoption and improved competitive advantage. 

Security fuelling the innovation flywheel

As I mentioned at the start of this blog, 73% of Optimised Innovators plan to increase their investment in network security and firewalls over the next two budget years—significantly ahead of the 50% of other companies making similar commitments. It’s right at the top of their technology investment priorities. But this isn't just about protection. It's about creating the confidence to move fast, try new things, and innovate with a mindset that creates a powerful cycle.

Better security enables faster innovation. Faster innovation drives business growth. Business growth funds further security investments. The result? A continuous cycle of improvement that keeps Optimised Innovators ahead of their competitors. Securely.

From protection to performance

These robust security investments drive dramatically improved business performance. SoftwareOne collaborates with a number of clients already putting this dynamic to work for their organisations and our report features some of the most instructive examples.

For the Redington Group, a global IT services and technology solution provider, security automation became central to their business growth. The company took a systematic approach, building protective layers across their operations. When they began exploring generative AI, these security foundations gave them a clear advantage. Strong data controls and automated monitoring meant they could focus on business benefits rather than risk management. The company now uses GenAI across multiple areas: boosting staff productivity, improving internal knowledge sharing —and strengthening security systems.

Manufacturing company Ahresty also demonstrates how security investments can create business advantages beyond protection. In their case, what began as a response to on-premises Active Directory issues evolved into a strategic cloud security project. By modernising their authentication infrastructure with Microsoft Entra ID, implementing Conditional Access policies, and adopting Intune for device management, Ahresty built multiple layers of security that delivered clear business benefits. The project reduced administrative burdens, improved user productivity by eliminating access barriers, and enabled secure mobile access to corporate systems—all while optimising operational costs.

These success stories point to a broader trend in mid-market business performance. From analysis of companies undertaken as part of this research and through experience gained during client engagements, we found that those making the most strategic security investments consistently pulled ahead of their peers. The differences in both approach and results are striking, and Optimised Innovators stand out not just for how much they spend, but for where they direct their investments.

Over the next two years, Optimised Innovators will turn to more advanced security and privacy solutions. The fastest growing will be security information and event management (SIEM) to instantly aggregate and analyse security event data from multiple sources. Another will be security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) to take an integrated approach to detect and respond to security incidents. In the future, more companies will employ AI to manage risks.

This multifaceted focus on security isn't just about protection—it's about creating the foundation for sustained innovation.

It provides a roadmap for other organsiations that might aspire to adopt a systematic approach creating multiple protective layers of technology that work together—and deliver measurable business benefits.

SoftwareOne is here to guide you.

2. Make security a strategic priority

3. Build security automation

4. Choose the right tools