At the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney, key cyber security trends for 2025 were presented. These are primarily characterised by Gen-AI, digital decentralisation, supply chain dependencies, regulatory changes, a shortage of skilled workers and a changing threat landscape.

Trend 1: Gen-AI is changing data security

While the focus has been on structured data, Gen-AI is bringing the protection of unstructured data such as text, images and videos more into focus. Organisations are rethinking investment strategies, particularly for LLM training, data provision and inference processes.

Trend 2: Managing machine identities

The increased use of AI, cloud services and automation requires better management of machine identities. A Gartner survey found that IAM teams manage only 44% of machine identities, leaving organisations vulnerable to attack.

Trend 3: Focus on tactical AI

SRM leaders are achieving mixed results with AI initiatives and are increasingly focusing on use cases with measurable benefits. This improves the visibility of added value and reduces risks for cybersecurity programmes.

Trend 4: Optimising the security architecture

Companies use an average of 45 cybersecurity tools, which can affect efficiency and security. Gartner recommends consolidating core security controls and aligning them with data portability.

Trend 5: Strengthening the security culture

Security culture programmes are becoming increasingly important. Organisations that integrate Gen-AI into these programmes could see a 40% reduction in employee-related security incidents by 2026. A strategic shift towards a security culture is emerging.

Trend 6: Tackling burnout in cybersecurity

A shortage of skilled workers and high stress levels are endangering the industry. Effective leaders are focusing on stress management and team initiatives to increase resilience.

These trends show that companies need to adapt not only their security strategies but also their organisational culture in order to remain resilient.