Gartner Security & Risk 2025 Recap: Three Key Takeaways That Hit Home

Last week, Venn exhibited at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit for the first time – and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The conversations were not only validating – they were fueled by a sense of urgency. Across dozens of interactions, three key themes kept surfacing from IT and security leaders trying to make remote work actually work – especially when contractors and personal devices are involved.

To set the scene, Venn was exhibiting in the Infrastructure, Network and Endpoint Security Village… and the only booth with “BYOD Security” prominently displayed.

Here is what we learned when people approached us…

The Rise of Contractors Has Put BYOD in the Spotlight

The most common reason people stopped by our booth? Contractors. Nearly every organization we spoke with is strategically scaling their contractor workforce – whether offshore, hybrid, or fully remote. In most cases, these contractors are using their own personal devices. Some companies are still shipping laptops, but they’re frustrated with the cost, logistics, and lack of accountability (‘laptops don’t always come back’ was mentioned a lot).

IT and security leaders know contractors using their unmanaged devices can introduce risk, but they’ve felt stuck between shipping devices or forcing contractors on to VDI. Spoiler alert, the contractors and IT management didn’t like either option. The fact that Venn introduced a way to secure data and apps locally and natively on a user’s personal PC or Mac was a revelation. Best of all worlds!

Enterprise Browsers are Cool, But Installed Apps Are Still the Core

Another common thread: browser-based apps may be growing, but installed apps still run the business – and enterprise browsers begin to feel like a partial solution. Whether it’s SAP, CAD design software, legacy systems, or VOIP tools, companies told us they had no good way to protect those business-critical, locally installed apps that are running on unmanaged computers.

You’re seeing more enterprise browser vendors at shows like Gartner SRM, and the message is all around work being in the browser – but reality is that installed apps are still running organizations – and those organizations need a solution to support them. When we showed that Venn could isolate and secure installed applications, you could see the light bulb turn on. For many, it was the first time they realized that local apps and unmanaged devices didn’t have to be a tradeoff.

VDI Isn’t Aging Gracefully

VDI came up again and again – and rarely in a positive light. Conference attendees told us they were struggling with VDI’s high costs, user complaints, and operational complexity. Overseas contractors in particular reported latency issues, with some companies needing to set up parallel infrastructure just to support them.

At one time, VDI made sense in a world where most employees used company-issued, managed devices. But today’s reality looks very different. Organizations are rapidly expanding their use of contractors, consultants, and offshore teams who are working from an array of personal devices. In that context, VDI becomes a frustrating experiment – plagued by performance issues, compatibility challenges, and user resistance. 

What once felt like a secure choice now feels like an inflexible burden that doesn’t scale with today’s workforce.

Final Thoughts

These three themes tell a clear story: the modern workforce is remote, flexible, and increasingly dependent on personal devices and installed apps. But most security tools haven’t caught up. That’s why the conversations we had at Gartner SRM were so energizing – because Venn’s message around securing work without managing the device clearly struck a chord.

We’re excited to keep the conversation going – and we’ll see you next year in DC!