Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2025. Read them in this 17th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Sterling
Wilson, Field CTO, Object First
As we look
toward 2025, several key trends are poised to redefine the way organizations
approach security, data management and storage, and customer interaction. Among
the most critical shifts are the continued rise of Zero Trust security
principles, a returned demand for data localization, and an evolving
understanding of customer behaviors and expectations. Each of these factors
plays a pivotal role in shaping the digital ecosystem, as businesses adapt to
new regulatory frameworks, emerging threats, and more informed, demanding customers.
So, what do
these trends mean for the year ahead and what power will they hold over the
future of technology? Let’s explore some of my 2025 predictions, below.
Zero
trust security frameworks for storage will gain popularity in 2025
For
years, cybercriminals have been using the same credentials to move laterally
around the network to infiltrate data storage and backup environments. However,
the expected influx of data brought by AI and LlMs in 2025 also brings a
heightened security risk, and this will push DevSecOps teams to realize that
zero trust principles are the key to securing data effectively. It might take
deploying technologies like AI on the front lines of security to bring true
zero trust to data management environments, but once implemented, developers
will question how we ever existed without it.
A
return to data localization in 2025
2025
will bring a greater focus on data localization. Although cloud storage isn’t
going anywhere, stricter regulations and increased storage demand brought on by
AI will give rise to awareness of and interest in the idea of storing data
closer to where it was originally collected. We’ll also see data being stored
closer to the edge, especially for emerging technologies such as self-driving
cars, smart homes, and AI models that need real-time, real-world data to
operate quickly and avoid outages.
Enterprise
customers will push back on traditional pricing models
In
2025, customers will tire of quietly accepting price increases for the same
product. They’ll demand flexibility and will be unwilling to pay more with no
discernable increase in efficiency or experience. The tech industry has reached
a point where there are so many new and different solutions available that
vendors will either need to aggregate products or prove value for price hikes.
This trend is part of a broader undercurrent of flexibility that will rule the
tech industry in 2025.
Organizations
must embrace a security-first mindset with Zero Trust principles at their core,
ensuring that both internal and external threats are mitigated through
continuous validation and monitoring. At the same time, the growing emphasis on
data localization will require businesses to navigate complex regulatory
landscapes and rethink how they store, process, and manage sensitive data. Finally,
the changing expectations of customers will drive companies to innovate and
adapt their offerings in increasingly dynamic ways.
As we close
out 2024 and prepare for the new year, I urge organizations to think about how
they are incorporating Zero Trust security models into their business
strategies, what the evolving data localization regulations means for their
organization, and how they can adapt to shifting customer behaviors. The
companies that can harness these trends effectively will not only stay ahead of
the curve but will also lead the way in building trust and resilience in an
increasingly digital-first world.
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Sterling is
a technology professional with a unique perspective gained from experience as a
datacenter engineer in both public and private sectors. Spending years in
technical and leadership roles with data management and storage companies, he
understands that data is our most strategic asset. He is committed to advancing
the technological landscape and thought leadership around data safety and is
always a willing contributor to enable and invigorate the channel, user, and
industry communities on data resilience.
