As we step into 2025, one thing is clear: technology is moving faster than ever. Industries are being reshaped. An organization’s ability to adapt will determine whether they’re able to compete and survive. 

From breakthroughs in AI, data hurdles, evolving cloud strategies, rising cybersecurity threats, and the growing role of FinOps, businesses are facing a future of exciting opportunities and new challenges.  

To help you stay ahead, we’ve tapped top industry experts to share the trends and insights that will define the year ahead. Here’s what to watch—and how to prepare for what’s next. 

Top tech trends and predictions, 2025 

Keep your finger on the pulse of AI, cybersecurity, cloud, FinOps, modernization, and other major technology trends. 

AI predictions, 2025 

AI is moving fast. Here’s what to expect in the year ahead: 

AI applications will move from use cases to actual production 

Up until this year, AI use case development far outnumbered actual production and deployment. In 2025, that will shift. We will begin to see AI being actually deployed in ways that build processes, drive efficiencies, and make real business impacts. 

Most AI projects will continue to be data projects in 2025 

AI can’t be effective without data, and many organizations still need to get their data sources organized in order for AI to extract the data. This year, AI projects will be data organizations projects, enabling businesses to fully leverage AI. Once businesses go through this process, the rate of AI adoption will rapidly accelerate. Those who don’t begin the AI adoption and data organization process by the end 0f 2025 will lose their competitive advantage. 

Human-AI collaboration 

We’ll see more emphasis on human-AI collaboration rather than AI replacing human roles. AI will increasingly assist in complex decision-making, enhancing human capabilities rather than rendering them obsolete. 

 Generative AI and specialized AI models 

Generative AI (GenAI) is set to mature significantly, moving beyond content generation to more nuanced capabilities like aiding complex problem-solving and domain-specific tasks. AI will become more integrated with specialized industry use cases, such as AI-enhanced drug discovery in healthcare or AI-driven predictive maintenance in manufacturing. 

Autonomous systems and robotics 

Robotics will become more adaptive, allowing for more dynamic and autonomous decision-making in warehouses, healthcare, and customer service. Autonomous systems, including drones and vehicles, will make further progress as AI models enhance real-time decision-making capabilities. 

Edge AI and IoT integration 

Edge AI will grow, enabling real-time analytics closer to the source of data generation, reducing latency, and making IoT systems more autonomous and responsive. This will facilitate more complex use cases such as autonomous industrial robots and localized predictive maintenance in manufacturing.  

AI adaptation and fine-tuning 

AI models will evolve to be more adaptable, meaning businesses will no longer need massive data lakes to effectively train AI. The emphasis will shift toward more refined, context-aware models that can be fine-tuned with fewer but more relevant datasets. 

AI-driven user experiences 

AI is also expected to become more intuitive in interacting with humans, with more conversational interfaces. The gap between humans and machines in communication will continue to narrow, making AI interaction even more natural and effective. 

AI in development 

We will see more developers and engineers use AI for code writing, review, and quality assurance processes. Tools like HighBuild are expected to accelerate custom application development. 

Cybersecurity predictions for 2025 

Our experts forecast the following trends will shape cyber security in the coming year:  

Supply chain attacks will grow (again)  

Supply chain attacks will be front and center in 2025.  Expect several headline-grabbing incidents that bring down popular main street and online systems. For example, the backdooring of XZ in 2024, which is a widely used open-source compression tool in popular Linux distributions, is a taste of similar supply chain attack activity coming in 2025. The attackers employed social engineering techniques to gain persistent access to the software development environment, remaining undetected for years. 

Cryptocurrency scams rise 

Cryptocurrencies are coming back in the limelight and with that we are going to see more crypto scams, phishing attempts, fraud, etc. 

Biometric security measures increase 

Biometric authentication will become more prevalent —  security measures that use biological characteristics such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or retina scanning to grant access to systems. This will also introduce new privacy concerns and potential vulnerabilities that attackers may exploit. 

More IoT Attacks 

Many Internet of Things (IoT) devices rely on old firmware with vulnerabilities that can be easily compromised. Also, default passwords, vulnerable mobile apps, and/or remote servers in the cloud are often run by companies that lack required cyber defenses, making IoT devices an easy target. The number of IoT devices is estimated to be over 75 billion in 2025, so the vast attack surface and absence of counter measures make this market exposed to bad actors.    

Regulatory landscape 

Governments worldwide will introduce stricter data protection and privacy laws in the coming year but shifts in leadership —  such as the new presidential administration in the U.S. —  may also lead to deregulation and a more lenient approach. There are already talks of the SEC removing the ‘time to report’ disclosure requirement.  

Emerging technologies bring new vulnerabilities 

New technologies will introduce both opportunities and challenges. The rollout of 5G networks increase of IoT devices coming onto networks, and Operational Technology (OT). Quantum computing has been lurking in the background for a while, but companies are starting to divert resources and budget towards the technology in 2025. Each new technology adopted brings new cybersecurity risks businesses must be aware of and proactively mitigate.  

 Deepfakes grow 

Identity management will still be a top issue and grow in focus in 2025 as deepfakes become more sophisticated. For example, fake driver’s licenses, access controls into networks and reducing multiple accounts will become core concerns. 

Seeking outside cybersecurity support 

Partnering, and full-scale outsourcing, of cybersecurity functions will be a growing trend with numerous companies deciding that they can no longer provide adequate cybersecurity in-house.  

Cloud and FinOps 2025 predictions 

2025 will be a year of change and evolution in the cloud and financial operations (FinOps) spaces: 

The rise of technical FinOps  

Organizations are moving beyond basic cost optimization to focus on advanced infrastructure efficiency. This involves leveraging technical FinOps strategies to maximize cloud investments by optimizing architecture and operational workflows; and to streamline compute and storage resources to reduce waste and improve performance. 

More companies will consider on-prem solutions over cloud 

Due to costs, ROI, and certain workload needs, some companies will rethink their cloud strategies. In certain cases, they will opt for on-prem experiences over the cloud.  

Multi-cloud strategies 

Organizations will increasingly consider multi-cloud setups for redundancy, data availability, cost optimization and integration with partners. While attractive, multi-cloud setups still present integration challenges. 

Industry-specific prioritizations  

FinOps priorities will differ by sector driven by unique industry needs (such as healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services). These tailored approaches will allow organizations to address sector-specific cloud challenges while achieving measurable cost savings.  

AI and predictive analytics in FinOps  

AI and machine learning are transforming how companies approach cost optimization and forecasting in 2025. These technologies enable custom reporting and forecasting that anticipates resource demands and control costs proactively. 

Other major technology trends in 2025 

Keep a close eye on these technology trends that will shape the future: 

Modernization or bust 

Those who don’t modernize their key applications by the end of 2025 are going to be completely left behind. Organizations need to retire legacy applications to gain efficiency and stay ahead of competitors. 

Public sector no longer lagging in technology adoption 

Historically, the public sector has been 2-3 years behind others when it comes to adopting emerging technology. Now, we’re seeing a big shift. Public sector entities are now looking to deploy GenAI, keeping pace will the commercial sector’s adoption and modernization due to increased demand to maximize budgets. 

Quantum computing advances 

While practical applications are still developing, progress in quantum computing hardware and algorithms will start showing real benefits in domains like cryptography, optimization, and logistics. 

Digital twins & metaverse integration 

Digital twins are set to become mainstream, simulating complex systems and enabling businesses to iterate rapidly in digital before implementing in the physical. 

In combination with extended reality (XR) technologies, this will foster more immersive experiences in training, design, and simulation. 

Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) 

With data privacy remaining a concern, technologies like federated learning and zero-knowledge proofs will become more widely adopted, allowing organizations to innovate while maintaining data privacy.  

Talent wars…and talent gaps  

In 2025, I think we will see a surge in demand for senior executive talent in IT and cybersecurity. Historically, election years slow the pace of hiring, then the rebound is strong. At the same time, there’s a widening skill gap when it comes to emerging technologies, particularly in fields like AI/ML, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. Retraining and upskilling the workforce will be critical. 

Preparing for tech trends and transformation in 2025 

In 2025, rapid advancements in technology, shifting trends, and emerging security threats will continue to reshape IT and business landscapes. Presidio will be monitoring these changes closely. Stay tuned for what’s next. 

Need help navigating the evolving landscape? Want expert support in 2025? Presidio’s team is standing by. Let’s talk. 

Contributing Authors: 

• Chris Cagnazzi, Chief Innovation Officer: AI, cloud, and other major technology predictions 

• Rob Kim, Chief Technology Officer: AI, other major technology trends 

• Dan Lohrmann, Chief Information Security Officer: Cybersecurity, AI predictions  

• Dan O’Brien, Chief Solutions Officer: Cloud & FinOps predictions 

• Manav Bhasin, Vice President, CIO: Cloud & FinOps, AI predictions, other major technology trends 

• Andres de Corral, Vice President, Digital Services & Solutions: Cloud & FinOps predictions 

• Michael Brown, Field CISO: Cybersecurity, AI predictions