Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2025. Read them in this 17th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Reza Morakabati,
Chief Information Officer at Commvault
In
2025, the cyber resilience landscape will continue to evolve as AI-fueled
threats continue to advance.
At
Commvault we foresee an evolution in how IT and security roles intersect,
increased collaboration between CISOs, CIOs, and CAIOs, and a renewed focus on
partnerships between cybersecurity and data resilience firms.
The six predictions
below from myself and other Commvault executives provide insight into how we
see the industry evolving in the new year.
Reza Morakabati, Chief Information Officer – IT and Security
Convergence
-
Specialized AI Models: In 2025, we will see a trend toward AI
agent-based models that specialize in a particular skill. Similar to the
trusted experts that individuals rely on, like financial advisors, real estate
agents, and family healthcare providers, these agents would be trained in
specific areas that address the challenge trying to be solved. As it relates to
threat protection, instead of relying on one agent and one LLM to manage the
many facets of detection and protection, IT and security teams will bring
together a range of different specialized agents to create their own circle of
experts on security matters. -
Role Convergence: The blurring lines between IT and security will
likely continue, with roles potentially merging to streamline cybersecurity
efforts. However, the need for specialized skills in each area may lead
companies to develop hybrid roles that bridge both fields.
Javier Dominguez,
Chief Information Security Officer – The Role of the CISO
-
Adopting an Autonomous
Defense Posture: In 2025, CISOs will need to adopt a more
autonomous defense posture to protect against increasingly sophisticated
AI-powered cyberattacks. These attacks will range from manipulating real-time
social media data to launching personalized, hard-to-detect phishing attempts
that can easily fool employees and ultimately penetrate company defenses. To
combat these threats, organizations must level up employee training and start
leveraging AI to counter AI-driven tactics. CISOs can lead the charge by
fostering a strong security culture, continuously educating employees, and by
implementing rapid anomaly and threat detection capabilities to mature their
cyber resilience strategies. This type of proactive approach will help organizations
transform potential disruptions into minor hiccups rather than prolonged
crises. -
Security
Team Collaboration: Next year will
usher in an era of mandatory collaboration among the CISO, CIO and emerging
CAIO to ensure organizations are balancing AI innovation, security, and
compliance. This emerging team will need to develop frameworks that align rapid
AI advancements with cybersecurity and privacy standards, to ensure their
companies can safely and responsibly adopt AI innovation, to serve their
customers and remain competitive.
Alan Atkinson,
Chief Partner Officer – Strategic Partnerships and Ecosystem Development
-
Channel
Collaboration: Partnerships
between cybersecurity and data resilience firms could create a robust ecosystem
that promotes seamless interoperability and accelerated response capabilities.
In 2025, companies that prioritize open collaboration with ecosystem partners
will stand out by offering customers holistic solutions to complex security
challenges. -
Strategic
Alliances: Strategic alliances
in 2025 will focus on creating cross-platform security solutions that cater to
the diverse needs of hybrid and multi-cloud users. With shared data standards
and integrated security frameworks, these partnerships can help enterprises address
gaps in their cybersecurity architecture, improving overall resilience.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reza Morakabati
has been Chief Information Officer at Commvault since 2019 where he guides
corporate IT strategy and deployment of Commvault’s portfolio of solutions to
drive operational excellence for their customers. He was previously VP,
Business Technology & Operations at Puppet. In this role, he built a
cohesive team that emphasized learning and skill set development to retain
talent, resulting in one of the lowest attrition rates within the company.
Prior to joining Puppet, Reza spent several years working in business
operations leadership positions at Pivotal and EMC.
