India, Risk & Fraud Management

Insights from Gartner Risk & Security Summit 2025: What You Need to Know

By Bidya Bhushan Bibhu | March 2025

I recently attended the Gartner Risk and Security Summit 2025, and the experience was eye-opening. Gartner experts and industry leaders gathered to discuss the future of security, risk management, and compliance, highlighting critical changes and trends impacting businesses globally.

If you’re someone who thinks risk management is only for technical teams, think again. The conference clearly showed how effective risk management is now a crucial growth driver for every business.

Here’s what I learned—and what you should know, too—in simple, clear terms:

Why is Security and Risk Management Changing?

Businesses today are facing an evolving landscape of digital threats, regulatory pressures, and new technologies. Gartner highlighted a few surprising statistics:

  • 58% of company boards plan to increase their risk appetite significantly in 2024-2025, seeing strategic risk-taking as essential for growth.
  • A recent Gartner survey revealed that 80% of CIOs expect higher investment in cybersecurity for 2024-2025 to tackle evolving cyber threats.

3 Essential Security and Risk Imperatives for 2025:

Here are three crucial themes that Gartner highlighted as strategic priorities:

1. Adapting to New Digital Operating Models

By 2027, Gartner predicts 75% of employees will create or adopt technologies without IT teams knowing, a sharp rise from 41% in 2022.

What does this mean for you?

It means the traditional way of managing cybersecurity—where security teams control everything—is becoming outdated. Organizations must adapt to decentralized cybersecurity, empowering teams across the business to understand and own security decisions.

Gartner recommends organizations clearly define accountability—making sure each team knows its role in managing cybersecurity risks tied directly to their operations. Security should enable innovation, not hinder it.

AI Takes Center Stage

Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Generative AI and machine learning, is reshaping the landscape of security. Gartner highlights both opportunities and challenges with AI:

  • Benefits: AI helps detect threats faster, automate repetitive tasks, and improve decision-making in cybersecurity.
  • Risks: Privacy concerns, potential bias, and new AI-driven attacks could emerge.

Gartner introduced the AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management (AI TRiSM) framework, focusing on key elements:

  • Data Protection: Ensuring data used by AI is secure and private.
  • Content Anomaly Detection: Quickly identifying unexpected AI behaviors.
  • Transparency: Clearly understanding how AI makes decisions.

In short, AI isn’t just technology—it’s now integral to managing risk, protecting data, and maintaining trust.

Zero Trust Security: Protecting Your Business

One of the hottest topics at the summit was the “Zero Trust” security model, specifically for endpoint security—such as laptops, mobile devices, and desktops.

“Zero Trust” means exactly what it says: trust no one without verification. Gartner highlighted these important principles for Zero Trust endpoint security:

  • Limit access strictly to verified users and devices.
  • Continuously verify user identities and monitor device activities.
  • Regularly audit permissions and remove unnecessary privileges.

Implementing Zero Trust reduces your risk exposure drastically and helps prevent breaches by ensuring continuous authentication and verification at every access point.

Application Security: Key to Resilience

The summit also provided insights into application security, essential as businesses rely increasingly on digital services and platforms. Gartner introduced the Five Tenets of Application Security:

  • Secure Development: Ensure applications are built securely from the beginning.
  • Security Verification: Frequently check applications for vulnerabilities.
  • Secure Supply Chain: Control risks at each software delivery stage.
  • Runtime Security: Continuously protect applications even after deployment.
  • Governance & Strategy: Have clear processes and guidelines to manage security throughout the application’s lifecycle.

Adhering to these tenets ensures applications remain secure, reliable, and resilient, protecting your customers and reputation.

Human-Centric Security: People are the Key

Did you know 74% of all data breaches involve a human mistake? Gartner highlighted human-centric security as an essential strategy. The takeaway here is clear: educating your team about good security habits is just as critical as advanced technology. Gartner’s survey revealed troubling insights:

  • 67% of employees use the same passwords for multiple accounts.
  • 65% open unknown emails on work devices.
  • 61% send sensitive data via unencrypted emails.

Creating a strong Security Behavior and Culture Program (SBCP) can significantly reduce risks. Employees must be aware, trained, and empowered to practice safe cybersecurity behaviors.

Key Recommendations for Your Organization

Here are the Gartner Summit’s recommended action steps every organization can easily follow:

  1. Adopt proactive risk management: Don’t just react to risks; predict and prepare for them.
  2. Empower People: Train everyone, from executives to entry-level employees, on cybersecurity best practices.
  3. Adopt and tailor Zero Trust approaches across your organization, especially for endpoints.
  4. Prioritize Application Security: Implement secure coding practices and continuous security assessments.
  5. Utilize AI Responsibly: Embrace AI-driven security tools, but manage risks like bias, privacy, and security threats.
  6. Invest in Cybersecurity: Secure appropriate budgets and prioritize areas based on risk exposure and strategic goals.

Conclusion: Risk Management as a Business Enabler

The Gartner Risk and Security Summit 2025 clearly underlined that effective risk management today is about enabling secure and resilient business growth. It’s a proactive discipline, involving everyone—from executives to developers, and not just IT or cybersecurity teams.

Businesses that follow these recommendations won’t just stay secure—they’ll grow faster, innovate confidently, and build greater trust with their customers.

In short, risk management isn’t about stopping you from moving forward—it’s about helping you move forward safely and confidently.

Final Thoughts:

As Gartner says, cybersecurity and risk management today aren’t just tech concerns; they’re strategic tools to fuel innovation, resilience, and growth. It’s time for every business, no matter its size or industry, to integrate these insights and secure a better, brighter future.

What’s your approach to managing risk and security for your business in 2025? Share your thoughts below!

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