DLL offering ‘holistic’ financing for cybersecurity, AI investments

As cybersecurity investments become increasingly intertwined with AI, global equipment lender DLL is working to simplify financing options while navigating underwriting complexities.  

Global security spending is projected to increase 11.8% year over year in 2026 to $308 billion, according to market intelligence and advisory firm IDC, citing AI as a way to combat the growth in cyber crimes.

While many businesses have viewed AI and cybersecurity as an either-or decision, financing can help close the gap between the two, Matthew Keown, director of new business development for the Americas at DLL, told Equipment Finance News.  

“Lenders like us and vendors can help by structuring solutions holistically rather than financing each one of these technologies in isolation.”

— Matthew Keown, director of new business development, Americas, DLL

“When a business can finance both initiatives through a predictable payment model … then the conversation shifts from, ‘What do we do from an AI infrastructure space versus a security space’ to ‘Now we’re enabling a broader kind of digital transformation strategy,’” Keown said.

A “holistic” financing solution might involve working with multiple vendors to bundle software, services, maintenance support and, in some cases, hardware into a single monthly payment, he said.

Other times, there are more straightforward deals in which lenders finance software license renewals as a loan installment, he said.  

Cybersecurity transactions can range from $15,000 for small businesses to more than $25 million for Fortune 500 companies, Keown said. 

No collateral, no problem 

Cybersecurity investments can be collateralized for deals including software licenses transferrable to another borrower or hardware. But increasingly, these deals involve no collateral, Keown said, noting that resale and other backstops are often out of the equation. 

To overcome this hurdle, equipment lenders must thoroughly evaluate credit quality and how “mission critical” an investment is, he said. 

“Cybersecurity has really kind of evolved from a discretionary IT spend into business-critical investments. Our underwriting approach kind of reflects that reality.” 

— Matthew Keown, director of new business development, Americas, DLL

Put another way, lenders should evaluate AI-focused cybersecurity investments as they would a forklift in a warehouse operation, he said.  

Technology finance in AI era 

The technology sector is the strongest equipment finance segment based on investment activity over the past three months, according to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Investment Momentum Monitor.  

AI-related investments drove a record $14.3 billion in equipment finance originations in July, according to ELFA’s CapEx Finance Index.  

While technology has been a relatively small part of the industry’s history, “now that AI is in the picture,” businesses are “more and more inclined and in tune to see this as an expense rather than a capital purchase,” Keown said.  

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