Silent Accelerator research highlights 65% of UK business leaders prioritise cybersecurity
Aaron Blutstein 26 February 2026 
Axians UK has released its Silent Accelerator research, detailing a profound shift in enterprise risk priorities. As automation accelerates across enterprise IT estates, organisations are becoming more vulnerable to failures originating from within their own technology stacks.
The research shows many organisations lack the real-time insight needed to manage network changes effectively: while 56% of respondents have access to network performance data, fewer than 40% trust it to guide commercial decisions. This gap creates hidden risks when AI and machine learning tools make configuration changes without full visibility of downstream impacts. Multi-cloud and hybrid architectures amplify the problem, as a single adjustment can cascade across multiple systems and environments.
In the manufacturing sector – where 77% of respondents have adopted AI at a strategic level – the stakes are high. Unplanned downtime can cost upwards of millions per minute. Even service level agreements promising 99.99% uptime still permit 53 minutes of annual outage. When these instances result from internal system conflicts rather than external attacks, reputational and financial damage is often compounded.
Impact on digital transformation
Two-thirds of enterprises launched digital transformation programmes in the last five years, yet only one-third achieved 75% of promised value. This suggests many initiatives were treated as solely IT projects rather than encompassing business transformations – leaving organisations with modernised components that don’t work seamlessly together, and a trend of poor return from digital transformations.
“The most successful organisations we work with recognise that operational resilience isn’t just about defending against external threats,” said Chris Gilmour, CTO of Axians UK. “It’s about ensuring your own technology stack doesn’t become your biggest vulnerability. That means taking a strategic approach, ensuring your network architecture supports the organisation’s goals rather than just reacting to technology trends.”
With 90% of respondents reporting adoption of AI technologies and 85% prioritising sustainable IT operations, the complexity challenge will only intensify. A more strategic approach is needed – one that prioritises alignment between business strategy and IT infrastructure over the rush to adopt every emerging technology.
