Global Network Security Market Reaches $7 Billion in Q1 2026, Reports Dell'Oro Group

The worldwide network security market reached over 7 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 14 percent increase year over year, according to a report by Dell'Oro Group. The firm noted that enterprises are expanding their investment in architectures that coordinate security enforcement across users, applications, clouds, and customer-controlled environments.

Dell'Oro stated that the rise of agentic AI has increased the need for unified policy management across human users, automated systems, and distributed infrastructure. Software and cloud-based security platforms have gained value as organizations aim to reduce policy fragmentation.

Security Service Edge recorded 22 percent growth, Web Application Firewalls grew 20 percent, and Firewalls rose 9 percent. Physical appliances remain vital for throughput and local enforcement, but virtual and hybrid deployment models are expanding their role in modern architectures.

The report also highlighted ongoing modernization in application delivery and growing importance of front-door controls, as enterprises manage API exposure, automated traffic, and AI-related application behavior.