As cybersecurity and regulatory compliance become the top two biggest concerns of corporate boards, some are adding cybersecurity experts specifically to scrutinise security and risk issues, says global analysis and research company Gartner

This is just one of the top EIGHT security and risk trends that Gartner it has singled out, many of which are driven by recent events such as security breaches and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Over the past two years, the typical enterprise has been turned inside out," says Peter Firstbrook, VP Analyst at Gartner. "As the new normal of hybrid work takes shape, all organisations will need an always-connected defensive posture and clarity on what business risks remote users elevate to remain secure."

Trend No. 1: Cybersecurity mesh
This is a modern conceptual approach to security architecture that enables the distributed enterprise to deploy and extend security where it's most needed.

Trend No. 2: Cyber-savvy boards
"With an increase in very public security breaches and increasingly common business disruptions due to ransomware, boards are paying more attention to cybersecurity," This is recognised as a huge risk to enterprises, which are forming dedicated committees that focus on cybersecurity matters, often led by a board member with security experience.

Trend No. 3: Vendor consolidation
Gartner found in the '2020 CISO Effectiveness Survey' that 78% of CISOs have 16 or more tools in their cybersecurity vendor portfolio; 12% have 46 or more. "Having too many security vendors results in complex security operations and increased security headcount."

Trend No. 4: Identity-first security
Hybrid work and the migration to cloud applications have solidified the trend of identity as the perimeter. "Identity-first security is not new, but it takes on fresh urgency as attackers begin to target identity and access management capabilities to gain silent persistence."

Trend No. 5: Managing machine identities becoming a critical security capability
As digital transformation progresses, there’s been an explosive growth in non-human entities that make up modern applications. Therefore, managing machine identities has become a vital part of security operations.

Trend No. 6: 'Remote work' is now just 'work'
According to the 2021 Gartner CIO Survey, 64% of employees are now able to work from home and two-fifths actually are working from home. "The movement to hybrid [or remote work] is a durable trend, with more than 75% of knowledge workers expecting future hybrid work environments."

Trend No. 7: Breach and attack simulation
A new market is emerging to help organisations validate their security posture. Breach and attack simulation (BAS) offers continuous testing and validation of security controls, and it tests the organisation's posture against external threats.

Trend No. 8: Privacy-enhancing computation techniques
Privacy-enhancing computation techniques that protect data while it's being used - as opposed to while it's at rest or in motion - enable secure data processing, sharing, cross-border transfers and analytics, even in untrusted environments. This technology is rapidly transforming from academic research to real projects, advises Gartner.

For more on these top trends, go to the Gartner website: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-security-and-risk-trends-for-2021