Network Security Market Hits $8B in Q2, Up 18% on AI Security Demand
Redwood City, Calif. – September 13, 2026 -- The worldwide Network Security market reached nearly $8 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 18 percent year-over-year, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. Firewall growth accelerated sharply, climbing from 9 percent in the first quarter to 18 percent in the second, as enterprises pushed ahead with lifecycle refreshes, capacity additions, branch modernization, and virtual enforcement deployments.
Firewall refresh cycle doubles in pace within a single quarter
Mauricio Sanchez, Sr. Director for Enterprise Security and Networking at Dell'Oro Group, said firewall spending reaccelerated because customers had concrete drivers: aging infrastructure, higher throughput requirements, branch redesigns, and expanding private-cloud workloads. He characterized the activity as a targeted modernization cycle rather than an estate-wide replacement wave.