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2026 Outlook: Trends, Regulatory Change, and What’s Ahead for Data Security

EJ Pappas

By EJ PappasField Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of Strategic Accounts at PKWARE

The data security trends shaping 2026 demand attention from every CISO, compliance leader, and IT team. Watch this on-demand webinar for a clear look at the cybersecurity and compliance shifts ahead. The industry moves fast, and change is inevitable. As a result, the security community needs to respond proactively rather than reactively.

Specifically, this session unpacks the regulatory updates, technology shifts, and risk patterns that will define the year. EJ Pappas walks through what each change means in practice and how teams should prepare. Furthermore, the discussion connects the dots between policy, technology, and the controls security leaders already have in place.

Several of the trends covered in this webinar carry direct compliance impact. New HIPAA rules raise the bar for healthcare data protection. CIRCIA changes how critical infrastructure operators report incidents. Meanwhile, the FISMA review reshapes federal expectations, and state privacy laws continue to expand. AI adoption adds another layer of risk on top of all of it. In short, the regulatory and technology surface looks very different heading into 2026 than it did even a year ago, and security leaders need a clear-eyed view of what is actually changing.

What We Covered in the Data Security Trends Webinar

  • HIPAA proposed new rules for data security and privacy
  • Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA)
  • FISMA Comprehensive Review
  • The AI landscape and its impact
  • Why identity access controls are ineffective as your last line of defense
  • State consumer privacy laws: beyond check-the-box compliance

Get Ahead of the 2026 Outlook

These data security trends point to one clear conclusion: protection must travel with the data rather than rely on the perimeter alone. PKWARE’s PK Protect platform gives teams automated discovery, classification, and field-level protection across every environment they manage. As a result, security leaders gain consistent enforcement and audit-ready evidence no matter where the data lives.

The data security trends shaping 2026 demand attention from every CISO, compliance leader, and IT team. Watch this on-demand webinar for a clear look at the cybersecurity and compliance shifts ahead. The industry moves fast, and change is inevitable. As a result, the security community needs to respond proactively rather than reactively.

Specifically, this session unpacks the regulatory updates, technology shifts, and risk patterns that will define the year. EJ Pappas walks through what each change means in practice and how teams should prepare. Furthermore, the discussion connects the dots between policy, technology, and the controls security leaders already have in place.

Several of the trends covered in this webinar carry direct compliance impact. New HIPAA rules raise the bar for healthcare data protection. CIRCIA changes how critical infrastructure operators report incidents. Meanwhile, the FISMA review reshapes federal expectations, and state privacy laws continue to expand. AI adoption adds another layer of risk on top of all of it. In short, the regulatory and technology surface looks very different heading into 2026 than it did even a year ago, and security leaders need a clear-eyed view of what is actually changing.

What We Covered in the Data Security Trends Webinar

  • HIPAA proposed new rules for data security and privacy
  • Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA)
  • FISMA Comprehensive Review
  • The AI landscape and its impact
  • Why identity access controls are ineffective as your last line of defense
  • State consumer privacy laws: beyond check-the-box compliance

Get Ahead of the 2026 Outlook

These data security trends point to one clear conclusion: protection must travel with the data rather than rely on the perimeter alone. PKWARE’s PK Protect platform gives teams automated discovery, classification, and field-level protection across every environment they manage. As a result, security leaders gain consistent enforcement and audit-ready evidence no matter where the data lives.

Presented By:

EJ Pappas

EJ Pappas

Field Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of Strategic Accounts at PKWARE

As the Field Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of Strategic Accounts at PKWARE, I bring over 25 years of experience in exceeding revenue targets, building customer relationships, and leading teams. I am responsible for bridging the gap between technology and business strategy while engaging directly with customers and partners. I focus on developing a collaborative approach to dealing with customers’ Use Cases and problems. I serve as a trusted advisor to the PKWARE policy-driven data protection offerings product and technology and work to make customers successful. Additionally, I executively manage PKWARE's top eight customers worldwide, based on annual contract value (ACV).

My mission is to help enterprises reduce their risk from breaches and optimize their IT operations by prioritizing and managing sensitive data anywhere it is used, shared, and stored. I partner with key stakeholders and decision-makers to understand their challenges and needs and deliver customized solutions that address their pain points and goals.