Another year has come and gone, leaving us with a fresh set of memories. As we embark on 2025, there's just something about this new year that feels promising, doesn't it? Maybe it's the appealing numerology, with 2025 fitting so neatly into the century. Or perhaps it's simply our own quirky fascinations with certain numbers. Whatever the reason, there's an undeniable sense of optimism in the air.
With each new year comes the opportunity – and the challenge – of anticipating what lies ahead. We must mentally and physically prepare ourselves, not only for the unknown, but also for any potential threats we may encounter.
Let’s face it, cyber crime is on the up, it always is. It’s now easier to buy a ransomware campaign in a box than it is to renew your driver’s licence or passport at Home Affairs (it certainly must be more pleasant).
Looking at the year ahead, here are my 2025 predictions/trends that you need to consider and possibly act on:
1. AI adoption dramatically increases
Wow, we can't get away from all the hype around AI these days, can we? The truth is AI adoption is skyrocketing – and it's not just about robots taking over the world. Artificial intelligence is working its way into practically every aspect of our lives, for better or worse.
This bleeding-edge technology is advancing at an insane pace. With major leaps in text, video, image and audio capabilities, and with more sophisticated AI presenting enhanced reasoning skills, there is definite reason for concern, especially as cyber criminals start weaponising AI to ramp up the volume and velocity of their attacks. I mean, with automated phishing, deepfake scams and AI-powered malware campaigns, using AI to fight cyber crime is no longer optional – it's a necessity.
So, buckle up, because AI adoption is about to get a whole lot more dramatic. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.
2. Time to trust no one
Turns out William Shakespeare was way off the mark when he said: "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." But then again, the Bard didn't have an iPhone, let alone a server in AWS. The plain truth is these days you can't trust anything when it comes to your network and environment. Zero trust has already made major waves in the tech world, and it's only going to become more widespread.
Those who ditch the traditional VPN and embrace a zero-trust model will reap the benefits of a more secure system. But the "we've been doing it this way for 20 years and it works" crowd? They are sadly going to learn that if you don't keep up with the pace of technology, you'll end up feeling the burden of "shoulda, woulda, coulda".
3. Edge computing takes the stage
The principle is simple: if you can't get the data to the data centre, bring the data centre to the data. After all, the internet of things (IOT) seems to be taking off, and so is the need for real-time data analysis. That's why edge computing will be taking the world by storm!
By processing data right at the source, edge computing helps cut down on latency and optimise bandwidth. This makes apps snappy and efficient. In fact, the IOT gurus at IDC predict the global edge computing market will skyrocket by a whopping 30% year on year.
Industries like healthcare, auto and manufacturing – which rely heavily on instant data crunching – are leading the charge. And get this – as businesses across the board race to deliver real-time insights and experiences, edge computing is expected to see even more growth by 2025. From smart cities to self-driving cars, edge computing will power a whole new world of use cases. Exciting times ahead!
4. Multicloud is the new cloud adoption
Fit for purpose, this is something that I’m personally passionate about. There is no one shoe fits all approach when it comes to technology, and for this reason more and more organisations are taking a calculated approach when moving to the cloud. The benefits of multicloud are sizeable. In fact, according to a Fortinet report, 78% of enterprises use hybrid or multicloud. While this is all good and well, it does leave an area of intrigue to threat actors who are all too interested in leveraging the cloud vulnerabilities. While there are multiple tools and approaches to secure your cloud environments, I have all too often seen a digital race to cloud adoption where a structured and calculated approach to the architecture and security may have been lacking.
This rise of cloud environments opens new avenues for cyber crime groups to carve out their own specialised niches. All the benefits of cloud technology apply to cyber criminals too, and with multicloud becoming proliferate, watch out for targeted cloud attacks.
5. Identity and access management (IAM) a growing concern
Do you have all your passwords handy? Or are you like me, with passwords so good not even I remember them?
Jokes aside, identity has rapidly become a very complex consideration in organisations' cyber security strategies. Many companies already understand the role of identity and access management (IAM) in protecting their enterprise security. However, there are frequently major obstacles to successful IAM implementations. Friction in security policies often restrict users, directly affecting their productivity. The result? IT managers soften the rules, and in that, open doors to persistent threats.
There are a few ways in which you can better your IAM, such as doing an audit. This will help identify any issues like confusing access rules, outdated technology or disjointed user experiences. Rule-based access makes sure each person can only access the resources they need to do their job and, finally, using tokens and multifactor authentication (MFA) apps is a must.
Enterprises that prioritise IAM as part of their culture will mitigate threat actors who are all too willing to take advantage of weak passwords, vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
Of course, there will be many other predictions, some that will come to fruition and others that will blindside us (though hopefully not).
To recap, there’s an age-old saying that says: “You don’t know what you don’t know,” and the truth is, we don’t. What we can do, however, is proactively take a step in the right direction, that of rapid change and transformation. 2025, I firmly believe, is going to be a pivotal year for reinvention. Be ready, be charged and be secure!
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