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Palo Alto Networks Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

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Fiscal first quarter revenue grew 14% year over year to $2.1 billion.Next-Generation Security ARR grew 40% year over year to $4.5 billion.Remaining performance obligation grew 20% year over year to $12.6 billion.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, announced today financial results for its fiscal first quarter 2025, ended October 31, 2024.

Total revenue for the fiscal first quarter 2025 grew 14% year over year to $2.1 billion, compared with total revenue of $1.9 billion for the fiscal first quarter 2024. GAAP net income for the fiscal first quarter 2025 was $350.7 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $194.2 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, for the fiscal first quarter 2024.

Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal first quarter 2025 was $544.9 million, or $1.56 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $466.3 million, or $1.38 per diluted share, for the fiscal first quarter 2024. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP information is contained in the tables below.

“Our Q1 results reinforced our conviction in our differentiated platformization strategy,” said Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks. “We see a growing market realization that platformization is the game changer that will solve security and enable better AI outcomes. I expect this will be a multiyear trend for which we are best positioned to deliver to our customers.”

“Our platformization progress continued in Q1, driving strong financial results,” said Dipak Golechha, chief financial officer of Palo Alto Networks. “As a result, we are raising our NGS ARR, revenue and non-GAAP EPS guidance for the year.”

Stock Split
Palo Alto Networks announced that its board of directors has approved a two-for-one forward stock split of the company’s outstanding shares of common stock. The stock split is to be effected through an amendment to the company’s restated certificate of incorporation, which will also effect a proportionate increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock from 1.0 billion to 2.0 billion. Each stockholder of record as of the close of trading on December 12, 2024 (the “record date”), will receive, after the close of trading on December 13, 2024, one additional share for every share held on the record date. Trading is expected to begin on a split-adjusted basis on December 16, 2024.

Financial Outlook
Palo Alto Networks provides guidance based on current market conditions and expectations.

For the fiscal second quarter 2025, we expect:

Next-Generation Security ARR of $4.70 billion to $4.75 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 35% and 36%.Remaining performance obligation of $12.9 billion to $13.0 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 20% and 21%.Total revenue in the range of $2.22 billion to $2.25 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 12% and 14%.Diluted non-GAAP net income per share in the range of $1.54 to $1.56, using 350 million to 352 million shares outstanding.

For the fiscal year 2025, we expect:

Next-Generation Security ARR of $5.52 billion to $5.57 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 31% and 32%.Remaining performance obligation of $15.2 billion to $15.3 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 19% and 20%.Total revenue in the range of $9.12 billion to $9.17 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 14%.Non-GAAP operating margin in the range of 27.5% to 28.0%.Diluted non-GAAP net income per share in the range of $6.26 to $6.39, using 350 million to 354 million shares outstanding.Adjusted free cash flow margin in the range of 37% to 38%.

Guidance for non-GAAP financial measures excludes share-based compensation-related charges, including share-based payroll tax expense, acquisition-related costs, including change in fair value of contingent consideration liability, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, litigation-related charges, non-cash charges related to convertible notes, and income tax and other tax adjustments related to our long-term non-GAAP effective tax rate, along with certain non-recurring expenses and certain non-recurring cash flows. We have not reconciled non-GAAP operating margin guidance to GAAP operating margin, diluted non-GAAP net income per share guidance to GAAP net income per diluted share or adjusted free cash flow margin guidance to GAAP net cash from operating activities because we do not provide guidance on GAAP operating margin, GAAP net income or net cash from operating activities and would not be able to present the various reconciling cash and non-cash items between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures because certain items that impact these measures are uncertain or out of our control, or cannot be reasonably predicted, including share-based compensation expense, without unreasonable effort. The actual amounts of such reconciling items will have a significant impact on the company’s GAAP net income per diluted share and GAAP net cash from operating activities.

Earnings Call Information
Palo Alto Networks will host a video webcast for analysts and investors to discuss the company’s fiscal first quarter 2025 results as well as the outlook for its fiscal second quarter and fiscal year 2025 today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time/1:30 p.m. Pacific time. Open to the public, investors may access the webcast, supplemental financial information and earnings slides from the “Investors” section of the company’s website at investors.paloaltonetworks.com. A replay will be available three hours after the conclusion of the webcast and archived for one year.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions including statements regarding our platformization strategy and financial outlook for the fiscal second quarter 2025 and fiscal year 2025. There are a significant number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made or implied in this press release, including: developments and changes in general market, political, economic, and business conditions; failure of our platformization product offerings; failure to achieve the expected benefits of our strategic partnerships and acquisitions; changes in the fair value of our contingent consideration liability associated with acquisitions; risks associated with managing our growth; risks associated with new product, subscription and support offerings, including our product offerings that leverage AI; shifts in priorities or delays in the development or release of new product or subscription or other offerings, or the failure to timely develop and achieve market acceptance of new products and subscriptions as well as existing products, subscriptions and support offerings; failure of our business strategies; rapidly evolving technological developments in the market for security products, subscriptions and support offerings; defects, errors, or vulnerabilities in our products, subscriptions or support offerings; our customers’ purchasing decisions and the length of sales cycles; our competition; our ability to attract and retain new customers; our ability to acquire and integrate other companies, products, or technologies in a successful manner; our debt repayment obligations; and our share repurchase program, which may not be fully consummated or enhance shareholder value, and any share repurchases which could affect the price of our common stock.

Additional risks and uncertainties on these and other factors that could affect our financial results and the forward-looking statements we make in this press release are included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on September 6, 2024, which is available on our website at investors.paloaltonetworks.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in other documents that we file with or furnish to the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on our beliefs and information available to management as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Key Metrics
Palo Alto Networks has provided in this press release financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). The company uses these non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics internally in analyzing its financial results and believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics are helpful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing operating results and trends, and in comparing the company’s financial results with other companies in its industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures or key metrics.

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP financial measures and should be read only in conjunction with the company’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the company’s historical non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures has been provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release, and investors are encouraged to review these reconciliations.

Non-GAAP operating margin. Palo Alto Networks defines non-GAAP operating margin as non-GAAP operating income divided by total revenue. The company defines non-GAAP operating income as operating income plus share-based compensation-related charges, including share-based payroll tax expense, acquisition-related costs, including change in fair value of contingent consideration liability, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, and litigation-related charges. The company believes that non-GAAP operating margin provides management and investors with greater visibility into the underlying performance of the company’s core business operating results.

Non-GAAP net income and net income per share, diluted. Palo Alto Networks defines non-GAAP net income as net income plus share-based compensation-related charges, including share-based payroll tax expense, acquisition-related costs, including change in fair value of contingent consideration liability, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, litigation-related charges, including legal settlements, and non-cash charges related to convertible notes. The company also excludes from non-GAAP net income tax adjustments related to our long-term non-GAAP effective tax rate in order to provide a complete picture of the company’s recurring core business operating results. The company defines non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, as non-GAAP net income divided by the weighted-average diluted shares outstanding, which includes the potentially dilutive effect of the company’s employee equity incentive plan awards and the company’s convertible senior notes outstanding and related warrants, after giving effect to the anti-dilutive impact of the company’s note hedge agreements, which reduces the potential economic dilution that otherwise would occur upon conversion of the company’s convertible senior notes. Under GAAP, the anti-dilutive impact of the note hedge is not reflected in diluted shares outstanding. The company considers these non-GAAP financial measures to be useful metrics for management and investors for the same reasons that it uses non-GAAP operating margin.

Next-Generation Security ARR. Palo Alto Networks defines Next-Generation Security ARR as the annualized allocated revenue of all active contracts as of the final day of the reporting period for Prisma and Cortex offerings inclusive of the VM-Series and related services, and certain cloud-delivered security services. Beginning the fiscal first quarter 2025, Next-Generation Security ARR includes revenue attributable to QRadar software as a service contracts that we recently acquired from International Business Machines Corporation. The company considers Next-Generation Security ARR to be a useful metric for management and investors to evaluate the performance of the company because Next-Generation Security is where the company has focused its innovation and the company expects its overall revenue to be disproportionately driven by this Next-Generation Security portfolio. Because Next-Generation Security ARR does not have the effect of providing a numerical measure that is different from any comparable GAAP measure, the company does not consider it a non-GAAP measure.

Investors are cautioned that there are a number of limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics as analytical tools. Many of the adjustments to the company’s GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in the company’s financial results for the foreseeable future, such as share-based compensation, which is an important part of Palo Alto Networks employees’ compensation and impacts their performance. Furthermore, these non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP, and the components that Palo Alto Networks excludes in its calculation of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the components that its peer companies exclude when they report their non-GAAP results of operations. Palo Alto Networks compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures. In the future, the company may also exclude non-recurring expenses and other expenses that do not reflect the company’s core business operating results.

About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the global cybersecurity leader, committed to making each day safer than the one before with industry-leading, AI-powered solutions in network security, cloud security and security operations. Powered by Precision AI, our technologies deliver precise threat detection and swift response, minimizing false positives and enhancing security effectiveness. Our platformization approach integrates diverse security solutions into a unified, scalable platform, streamlining management and providing operational efficiencies with comprehensive protection. From defending network perimeters to safeguarding cloud environments and ensuring rapid incident response, Palo Alto Networks empowers businesses to achieve Zero Trust security and confidently embrace digital transformation in an ever-evolving threat landscape. This unwavering commitment to security and innovation makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.

At Palo Alto Networks, we’re committed to bringing together the very best people in service of our mission, so we’re also proud to be the cybersecurity workplace of choice, recognized among Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces (2021-2024), with a score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index (2024, 2023, 2022), and HRC Best Places for LGBTQ+ Equality (2022). For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks, the Palo Alto Networks logo, and Precision AI are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Any unreleased services or features (and any services or features not generally available to customers) referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available (or are not yet generally available to customers) and may not be delivered when expected or at all. Customers who purchase Palo Alto Networks applications should make their purchase decisions based on services and features currently generally available.

 

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In millions, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

October 31,

2024

2023

Revenue:

Product

$             353.8

$             341.1

Subscription and support

1,785.0

1,537.0

Total revenue

2,138.8

1,878.1

Cost of revenue:

Product

75.0

77.4

Subscription and support

479.1

395.4

Total cost of revenue

554.1

472.8

Total gross profit

1,584.7

1,405.3

Operating expenses:

Research and development

480.4

409.5

Sales and marketing

720.1

660.5

General and administrative

97.7

120.1

Total operating expenses

1,298.2

1,190.1

Operating income

286.5

215.2

Interest expense

(1.2)

(2.9)

Other income, net

83.3

70.3

Income before income taxes

368.6

282.6

Provision for income taxes

17.9

88.4

Net income

$             350.7

$             194.2

Net income per share, basic

$               1.07

$               0.63

Net income per share, diluted

$               0.99

$               0.56

Weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share, basic

326.8

310.1

Weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share, diluted

354.5

349.8

 

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

(In millions, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

October 31,

2024

2023

GAAP operating income

$          286.5

$          215.2

Share-based compensation-related charges

315.1

287.8

Acquisition-related costs(1)

15.1

Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets

40.7

24.5

Litigation-related charges(2)

(41.2)

1.8

Non-GAAP operating income

$          616.2

$          529.3

Non-GAAP operating margin

28.8 %

28.2 %

GAAP net income

$          350.7

$          194.2

Share-based compensation-related charges

315.1

287.8

Acquisition-related costs(1)

15.1

Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets

40.7

24.5

Litigation-related charges(2)

(41.2)

1.8

Non-cash charges related to convertible notes(3)

0.5

1.0

Income tax and other tax adjustments(4)

(136.0)

(43.0)

Non-GAAP net income

$          544.9

$          466.3

GAAP net income per share, diluted

$            0.99

$            0.56

Share-based compensation-related charges

0.92

0.86

Acquisition-related costs(1)

0.04

0.00

Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets

0.11

0.07

Litigation-related charges(2)

(0.12)

0.01

Non-cash charges related to convertible notes(3)

0.00

0.00

Income tax and other tax adjustments(4)

(0.38)

(0.12)

Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted

$            1.56

$            1.38

GAAP weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share, diluted

354.5

349.8

Weighted-average anti-dilutive impact of note hedge agreements

(5.9)

(11.6)

Non-GAAP weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share, diluted

348.6

338.2

(1)

Consists of acquisition transaction costs, share-based compensation related to the cash settlement of certain equity awards, change in fair value of contingent consideration liability, and costs to terminate certain employment, operating lease, and other contracts of the acquired companies.

(2)

Consists of the amortization of intellectual property licenses and covenant not to sue. During the three months ended October 31, 2024, it also includes a release of previously accrued legal contingency charge.

(3)

Consists of non-cash interest expense for amortization of debt issuance costs related to the company’s convertible senior notes.

(4)

Consists of income tax adjustments related to our long-term non-GAAP effective tax rate.

 

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In millions)

October 31, 2024

July 31, 2024

(unaudited)

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$          2,282.8

$          1,535.2

Short-term investments

1,108.2

1,043.6

Accounts receivable, net

1,132.9

2,618.6

Short-term financing receivables, net

805.1

725.9

Short-term deferred contract costs

367.6

369.0

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

546.1

557.4

Total current assets

6,242.7

6,849.7

Property and equipment, net

361.0

361.1

Operating lease right-of-use assets

389.0

385.9

Long-term investments

4,119.7

4,173.2

Long-term financing receivables, net

1,092.2

1,182.1

Long-term deferred contract costs

531.9

562.0

Goodwill

4,050.8

3,350.1

Intangible assets, net

809.6

374.9

Deferred tax assets

2,397.5

2,399.0

Other assets

380.2

352.9

Total assets

$        20,374.6

$        19,990.9

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$             211.6

$             116.3

Accrued compensation

354.5

554.7

Accrued and other liabilities

683.1

506.7

Deferred revenue

5,507.7

5,541.1

Convertible senior notes, net

645.8

963.9

Total current liabilities

7,402.7

7,682.7

Long-term deferred revenue

5,585.9

5,939.4

Deferred tax liabilities

250.8

387.7

Long-term operating lease liabilities

379.6

380.5

Other long-term liabilities

843.8

430.9

Total liabilities

14,462.8

14,821.2

Stockholders’ equity:

Preferred stock

Common stock and additional paid-in capital

4,214.9

3,821.1

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(4.0)

(1.6)

Retained earnings

1,700.9

1,350.2

Total stockholders’ equity

5,911.8

5,169.7

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$        20,374.6

$        19,990.9

 

 

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SOURCE Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

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MARIANA MINERALS RESTARTS UTAH COPPER MINE AS THE WORLD’S ONLY AUTONOMOUS-FIRST MINE AND REFINERY

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Software-first minerals company integrates autonomous haulage, drilling, and robotic sensing across mining and refining under a single AI operating platform

SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mariana Minerals, the world’s only software-first, vertically integrated minerals company, today announced the restart of mining operations at Copper One in southeastern Utah. The restart marks a milestone in mining history: Copper One becomes the world’s first mine to deploy autonomous tools across all three operational domains (mining, refining, and capital project execution) unified under a single operating system.

Mariana acquired Lisbon Valley Mining Company in Q4 2025, gaining control of a roughly 10,000-acre permitted land package that has produced high-purity copper cathode since 2009. While refinery operations continued uninterrupted, mining was paused in late 2024. Mining operations resume this month with autonomous systems and autonomous orchestration active from day one.

“Copper One will be the first mine where delivering end-to-end autonomy is the priority, where it’s being rapidly deployed across mining and refining operations and coordinated by our internal software stack. That’s what MarianaOS makes possible. We chose to prove it here because the stakes are real: the U.S. has a structural copper deficit, and the window to close it is narrowing. We’re producing now and ramping output aggressively, with the primary goal of achieving fully-autonomous mining operations,” said Turner Caldwell, Co-Founder & CEO, Mariana Minerals.

MarianaOS: An Autonomy-First Mining Operating System
What makes Copper One unprecedented is not any single piece of autonomous equipment, but the intelligence layer coordinating them. MarianaOS integrates three core subsystems, MineOS, PlantOS, and CapitalProjectOS, into a unified platform spanning project execution through copper production.

On the mining side, Copper One will begin with integrating three best-in-class autonomous equipment platforms. Pronto’s turnkey Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) uses camera-based machine learning and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to enable fully driverless haul truck operation, with OEM-agnostic retrofit capability across mixed fleets. Sandvik’s AutoMine® platform enables autonomous production drilling, allowing operators to simultaneously monitor multiple surface machine operations from a remote-operations control center. And Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped robots autonomously patrol the open pit, heap leach pad, and solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) refinery infrastructure. All of these data feed directly into MineOS, enabling fleet-wide optimization and continuous improvement.

PlantOS extends autonomous operations into refining by integrating real-time sensor data across the entire refining process (solution chemistry, flow rates, temperature, and electrowinning cell performance) into a unified control system. Machine learning models predict process drift, automatically adjust reagent dosing, and flags maintenance needs before they impact output. The result is a continuously optimized refinery that operates with minimal human intervention.

CapitalProjectOS redefines how capital-intensive infrastructure projects are planned and executed. Traditional projects often take a decade or more and frequently suffer from chronic cost overruns. CapitalProjectOS integrates process development, engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning data into a single platform that enables real-time progress tracking, predictive risk modeling, and automated schedule optimization. At Copper One, CapitalProjectOS is managing the expansion roadmap to scale output to 50,000 metric tons per year, coordinating heap leach pad expansions, refinery upgrades, and autonomous equipment deployment in parallel.

Built to Move Fast
While Mariana is actively constructing and developing greenfield projects – with the goal of compressing engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning timelines leveraging CapitalProjectOS – Copper One is uniquely positioned to accelerate deployment of MarianaOS at scale. With an existing open pit mine, heap leach pad, and SX-EW refining infrastructure already in place, Mariana will rapidly ramp production that would take years to replicate elsewhere.

Mariana’s longer-term plan is to scale Copper One output to 50,000 metric tons per year of high-purity copper cathode by 2030, leveraging additional proven deposits on the property and integrating copper scrap recycling.

A Critical Supply Gap
The U.S. currently imports approximately 50% of its refined copper. With domestic demand projected to nearly double by 2035 — driven by AI data centers, defense systems, EVs, and grid modernization — the supply gap is a national security issue. The Trump Administration’s Section 232 investigation cited copper imports as a direct concern, and the Pentagon has identified critical minerals vulnerability as a threat to the defense industrial base.

Domestic operations like Copper One, and the step-change in productivity that autonomous operations deliver, have become strategically essential.

About Mariana Minerals
Mariana engineers, builds, and operates mines and refineries, using proprietary AI and machine learning tools to accelerate project execution and optimize production across critically needed metals. Copper One is Mariana’s second active project, alongside Lithium One, the world’s first GWh-scale lithium extraction facility from oil and gas produced water, currently under construction in East Texas. Mariana has raised $120 million in total capital, including a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and strategic investors.

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SOURCE Mariana Minerals

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State CISOs Report Lower Confidence Across the Public Sector Cyber Ecosystem, 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Survey Finds

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The 2026 National Association of Chief Information Officers – Deloitte biennial cybersecurity study finds state officials face increasingly sophisticated threats, including new artificial intelligence-enabled tactics, and highlights steps CISOs are taking to better protect public data and critical digital services

NEW YORK, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 

Key takeaways

The survey of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from all 50 states and two territories found that just 26% of state CISOs are “extremely” or “very” confident that their state’s information assets are protected from cyber threats, down from 48% in 2022.Implementing effectiveness metrics is now CISOs’ top priority: 49% named it a top cybersecurity initiative in 2026, up from 15% in 2022.Nearly all state CISOs (94%) said they are involved in developing Generative AI security policies and 84% are involved in Generative AI strategy development.Budget pressure is rising with 16% of CISOs reporting their budgets have been cut, up from none in 2024.The percentage of CISOs who described themselves as “not very confident” in the ability of local government and public higher education to secure public data rose significantly, from 35% in 2022 to 63% in 2026.

Why this decline in confidence matters
States share data and systems with counties, cities, and public colleges and universities, so a vulnerability in one network can cascade, exposing personal information, disrupting essential services and driving costly incident response. As attackers adopt AI-enabled tactics, the urgency is growing for faster coordination, clearer policy and stronger baseline defenses across the public sector. This may explain why roughly one-fifth of CISOs indicated that their states were moving toward a “whole-of-state” approach to cybersecurity.

Metrics reporting becomes CISOs’ top priority
Top priorities for CISOs have shifted since the 2024 survey. When asked to identify their states’ top cybersecurity initiatives for 2026, half of CISOs named implementing effectiveness metrics (49%, up from 25% in 2024 and 15% in 2022). Capturing the effectiveness of cyber spending can be difficult, but without metrics, it is challenging to show the benefits of investments. Tracking operational, compliance and risk-based key performance indicators, such as incident response time and phishing click rate, can help demonstrate the return on cyber investment.

AI both accelerates threats and becomes a frontline defense
AI is accelerating the scale and sophistication of attacks targeting public sector systems, making it easier and cheaper for adversaries to generate and automate cyberattacks. CISOs also point to an emerging threat toolkit, including deepfakes that can fool people and evade detection, AI agents that probe for weaknesses and adapt, and AI-driven ransomware-as-a-service operations.

At the same time, CISOs describe AI as a practical way to keep pace, using it to triage security alerts, summarize events, and explore faster report creation, threat identification and training. Several states are already utilizing Generative AI in core security operations, including security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR). The report also underscores how central CISOs have become to state AI efforts.

Key quotes
“We’re seeing more states move toward a ‘whole-of-state’ cybersecurity approach where the state helps extend protection beyond state agencies to local governments, public education and other critical entities that can become an entry point for attackers. At its core, it’s about scaling capabilities through shared services and better collaboration so a weakness in one part of the ecosystem doesn’t become a statewide incident. Many states are looking to scale capabilities through security operations centers and regional support, so counties, cities and schools can benefit from the same cyber-defense muscle as the enterprise.”

Mike Wyatt, Stale local and higher education cyber risk leader, Deloitte

“It’s an encouraging development that state CISOs are being placed at the center of Generative AI security. They are helping shape the strategy, establishing security policies and reviewing proposed use cases. By being involved from the beginning, CISOs are helping governments move faster without sacrificing safeguards because security and governance complement each other. We’re also seeing CISOs explore practical uses of AI to strengthen day-to-day defense, while putting clearer guardrails around responsible uses.”

Meredith Ward, deputy executive director, NASCIO

Additional data
To read the 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte report in its entirety, click here.

About NASCIO
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is the premier network and resource for state CIOs and a leading advocate for technology policy at all levels of government. NASCIO represents state chief information officers and information technology executives from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. For more information about NASCIO visit www.nascio.org.

As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte & Touche LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

 

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SOURCE Deloitte

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Duck Creek Kicks Off Formation ’26 as Strong Fiscal Momentum Signals Accelerating Demand for its Intelligent Core Insurance Platform

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Company highlights double-digit SaaS growth, global expansion, and launch of its new agentic AI platform as industry leaders gather in Orlando

BOSTON, April 27, 2026 /CNW/ — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent core of insurance, today kicks off Formation ’26: Agents of Innovation, its flagship user conference, as the company builds strong momentum in the first half of fiscal 2026, marked by double-digit year-over-year SaaS ARR growth fueled by new logos and expansion across its global customer base.

Duck Creek’s strong start to fiscal 2026 reflects this demand, with double-digit new customer wins and existing customer expansions across its core, specialty, and AI-powered solutions. Adoption of Duck Creek’s intelligent cloud continues to scale globally. Insurers are selecting Duck Creek for its enterprise depth including policy, billing, claims, rating, loss control, reinsurance, distribution management, and payments solutions to operate faster, more accurately, and maintain regulatory compliance.

“We are expanding our leadership in insurance technology with more than 370 customers globally. Including 33 of the top 50 North American insurers,” said Hardeep Gulati, Chief Executive Officer of Duck Creek. “Insurers modernizing their core systems are looking for more from their technology. They need a trusted partner like Duck Creek with proven enterprise scale and speed-to-value to help them drive profitable impact and growth. At Formation, we are excited to announce our new agentic platform that will help further improve the combined ratios for insurers with more than $150B in premium flowing through Duck Creek annually.”

Formation ’26 will bring together more than 800 insurance professionals, ecosystem partners, and industry leaders to explore how technology is transforming the insurance lifecycle. The event underscores growing market demand for intelligent, cloud-native platforms that enable insurers to accelerate cloud migration, product development, and automate core insurance workflows to accelerate decision-making and improve operational agility. A highlight of the event will be Duck Creek unveiling its agentic AI platform and showcasing live demonstrations of agentic applications and agents.

Formation ’26 will feature a distinguished lineup of guest speakers joining Gulati during his keynote, including Stephen Lord, Global CIO of AXIS Capital, and Monti Saroya, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Flagship Fund at Vista Equity Partners. Together, they will share perspectives on large-scale transformation, AI adoption, and the future of agentic insurance.

The conference will also include a customer panel moderated by Chief Operating Officer Chris McCloskey, featuring leaders from Core Specialty, Europ Assistance, and Arbella Insurance, who will discuss their transformation journeys and business outcomes achieved through modern core systems. An analyst panel moderated by SVP of Sales William Magowan will bring together experts from AM Best, Celent, and Datos Insights to provide an external view on market trends and innovation benchmarks.

Customer Momentum

Millers Mutual Insurance advanced its modernization strategy with Duck Creek OnDemand, implementing Policy, Billing, and Reinsurance Clarity to modernize its core systems and support continued growth in the multifamily housing insurance market.Anchor Group Management Inc. partnered with Duck Creek to modernize its insurance payments infrastructure, enabling more streamlined billing processes and improved digital payment experiences for policyholders.Frankenmuth Insurance adopted Duck Creek OnDemand Distribution Management to transform how it manages agencies and producers, increasing visibility, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening collaboration across its distribution network.Indigo Insurance turned to Duck Creek OnDemand to accelerate its modernization strategy and support rapid growth, gaining a scalable cloud-based core platform designed to bring new products to market faster.Encova Insurance went live on an upgraded Duck Creek OnDemand Distribution Management system, unifying agency operations across lines of business, streamlining onboarding, and improving the overall agent experience.New Zealand’s Medical Assurance Society (MAS) selected Duck Creek’s full suite of core solutions delivered via OnDemand to modernize its general insurance business, enhance member experiences, and support a broader digital and data-driven transformation.Country-Wide Insurance selected Duck Creek Clarity to strengthen its data and analytics capabilities, enabling real-time insights and preparing for its upcoming OnDemand go-live with Active Delivery.Fortegra selected Duck Creek Reinsurance and Duck Creek Clarity to modernize financial operations, improve portfolio transparency, and support continued growth across products, geographies, and distribution models.Duck Creek secured more than a dozen additional new customer engagements across commercial specialty and personal lines.

Industry Recognition

Named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SaaS P&C Insurance Core Platforms North America, marking the seventh consecutive year the company has been recognized as a Leader.Named a Leader in the Everest Group 2025 Underwriting Orchestration Products PEAK Matrix Assessment, recognizing Duck Creek’s strength in delivering AI-driven underwriting, integrated core workflows, and measurable value across global P&C carriers.Featured in Everest Group’s 2026 Voice of the Customer Report for Insurance CXOPs, outperforming both core system peers and the market average, with customers citing strengths in seamless implementation, deep core system integration, and enterprise scalability and more.Received the 2025 IDC FinTech Real Results Award for Insurance Transformation for measurable customer outcomes.

About Duck Creek

Duck Creek is the intelligent core that leading insurers choose to build on. Purpose-built for property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, Duck Creek unifies the full insurance lifecycle on a single platform with one data foundation. As an agentic platform, it connects intelligence across underwriting, policy, billing, claims, and payments workflows where decisions are made and compliance is non-negotiable. Duck Creek enables carriers to launch products faster, adapt quickly to change, and grow with precision and confidence. Solutions are available individually or as a full suite via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com and follow Duck Creek on LinkedIn and X.

Media Contacts:  
Marianne Dempsey / Tara Stred  
duckcreek@threeringsinc.com

 

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SOURCE Duck Creek Technologies, Inc.

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