Michael Flannery is president of Windstream company.
Let me start with a warning. As much as I like to read the “expert” predictions – that they apply to stock markets, sporting events, Oscars or another arena – I do not particularly enjoy the predictions myself, especially in a public forum. However, with regard to some of the technology trends that I see emerging in the company’s landscape during the coming year, there are notables that I think I am important to discuss.
From my point of view as president of an internet company and communication technologies, here are seven developments that we will talk about throughout 2025:
1. Energy and AI are the new torque of power behind the modern gold rush.
Remember when the Internet exploded in the early 2000s in the middle of a frenzy to strategically put the territory and monetize a presence on the web? This time, these are hyperscalers that lead to precipitation not only of the capacity of the data center and the computing power, but also the real power to support the exponential growth of AI technology.
The power needs of the data centers should triple by the end of the decade, by almost 4% of the total demand for American power today at 12% by 2030, According to McKinsey. We will see that the future of AI and the electrical network will become more and more linked in 2025.
2. AI plays a more important role in commercial decision -making.
We have already seen what AI can do for companies by automating manual tasks, infusing internal processes and intended for customers with intelligent features, and bringing us together and helping us understand the massive amounts of information from a wide range of sources. In 2025, we will see more companies push AI to flex its muscles in new areas, in particular as a replacement for human expertise.
Cybersecurity is one of these areas. Expect to see more cybersecurity platforms emerge with integrated AI capabilities that can do the work of assessment The risk of cybersecurity of an organization and recommended best practices for the design and configuration of security. These platforms can provide advice that a company would otherwise be trying to obtain an expensive consultant.
3. Technology levels the rules of the game for SMEs.
The increasingly egalitarian nature of access to the Cloud means that the Company Quality IT infrastructure and the capacities formerly reserved for the largest companies are now accessible and affordable for SMEs, mainly via “service” offers. This creates a playground more level for small organizations in order to follow the pace and even to exceed much more important competitors in terms of quality and value of the products, services and experiences they offer.
4. AI and the cloud emerge as a key defense against cyber attacks.
Cyberattacks are more expensive and more frequent than ever, but new promising approaches to prevent them are ready to emerge in 2025. This includes Cloud -based safety platforms with integrated AI to speed up the process of Cyber Threat DiscoveryIdentification and publication, so that a threat can be quickly cataloged, shared between networks and the broader commercial landscape, and quickly integrated into prevention tools to ensure that the next device that meets this threat can identify and protect against it. All this is part of a large quarter of work by companies to Cloud -based security or native of the cloud.
5. Cybercriminals are increasingly expanding their concentration to SMEs.
It is over time when cybercriminals have largely ignored SMEs to hunt much more important business targets. If an organization has an internet connection, it is likely that cybercriminals will test it for vulnerabilities. This in turn puts pressure on SMEs to consolidate their defenses with more sophisticated safety layers. A silver lining here listens to my third prediction, because the company -based cybersecurity solutions are more available and affordable for SMEs.
6. Companies adopt a hybrid environment to execute applications and processes.
In 2025, many companies will probably realize that the idea of a 100% cloud -based environment is not as attractive as reality. As expensive as operating in a 100%cloud environment, pendulum oscillations and more companies opt for a hybrid path, performing cloud -based environments and data centers in parallel to support applications and workloads.
This could mean, for example, the deployment of a cloud-based security offer to sit above on-site and cloud applications, the result of which could mean better performance at a lower cost without compromising security. Companies will have to determine how to find exactly the right balance on site / cloud (i.e. the systems to be put in their own environment and which shelters in the cloud).
7. The continuous ascent of IoT requires a more intelligent infrastructure.
The rapid proliferation of devices and data transmission points on the Internet of Things (IoT) sets up the companies they must set up an IT infrastructure to support connectivity, productivity and security around these parameters. IoT points – and the data they can produce – become a must to support automation and information generation analyzes and predictive capacities of AI and automatic learning.
Conclusion
As quickly as the Internet of Things, AI and other digital technologies are advancing, there are many more exciting developments to talk about prognostic time for 2026. But first, let’s see how things take place in 2025.
Forbes Technology Council is a community only at the invitation for CIOs, CTOs and world -class technology executives. Am I qualified?