Tech in 2025: Security, Data Readiness, Maximising AI
As enterprises step into an AI-first future, 2025 will be a defining year for navigating unprecedented opportunities and challenges. From safeguarding valuable data to ensuring readiness for AI-driven transformations and optimising ROI, organisations will need to focus on three critical pillars: security, data readiness, and cost management.
Let’s explore these predictions and how they will shape the year ahead, with insights from my colleagues at Nasuni.
1. Making Security the Backbone of AI-Driven Enterprises
The value of data has never been higher, and as businesses increasingly rely on AI, they also face growing risks from sophisticated threat actors. My colleague Russ Kennedy, Chief Evangelist at Nasuni, highlights the critical role of security in an AI-driven world:
“In 2025, data will be more valuable than ever as enterprises leverage AI to power their operations. However, as data’s value grows, so does its appeal to increasingly sophisticated threat actors. This new reality will continue driving organisations to rethink their security frameworks, making data protection and rapid recovery the backbone of any AI strategy. Attackers are evolving, using AI to create more insidious methods, like embedding corrupted models and targeting AI frameworks directly, which makes rapid data recovery as vital as data protection itself.
“Businesses will need to deploy rigorous measures not only to prevent attacks but to ensure that if the worst happens, they can quickly restore their AI-driven processes. 2025 will bring a new era of security maturity, one where the ability to protect and quickly recover data assets underpins every other business process in an AI-first world.”
Russ’s perspective underlines a hard truth: even the most advanced AI strategies will falter without robust security measures. Safeguarding data is no longer just about protection—it’s about ensuring business continuity in the face of inevitable attacks. This is something that will become increasingly important as agentic AI takes hold.
2. Prioritising Data Readiness for AI Success
While robust security forms the foundation, success in 2025 will also depend on how well organisations prepare their data strategies to meet AI’s demands.
As I see it, as we look toward 2025, data will no longer just support AI—it will shape and limit the scope of what AI can achieve. A robust data management strategy will be essential, especially as AI continues advancing into unstructured data. For years, companies have successfully leveraged structured data for insights, but unstructured data—such as documents, images, and embedded files—has remained largely untapped. The continued advancements in AI’s ability to process the different types of unstructured data that reside within an enterprise are exciting, but they also require organisations to know what data they have and how and where it’s being used.
2025 will mark the era of ‘data readiness’ for AI. Companies that strategically curate and manage their data assets will see the most AI-driven value, while those lacking a clear data strategy may struggle to move beyond the basics. A data-ready strategy is the first step for any enterprise looking to maximise AI’s full potential in the coming years.
Knowing your data—and knowing how to manage it—will no longer be optional. Organisations that invest in understanding and managing their data assets will unlock AI’s transformative potential.
3. Driving AI ROI with Efficiency and Cost Management
With security and data readiness in place, enterprises must also address the financial realities of AI adoption to maximise its potential.
As my colleague Nick Burling, Senior Vice President of Product at Nasuni, points out:
“2025 will usher in a more measured approach to AI investment, as organisations will be increasingly focused on quantifiable ROI. While AI can deliver immense value, its high operational costs and resource demands mean that companies need to be more selective with their AI projects. Many enterprises will find that running data-heavy applications, especially at scale, requires not just investment but careful cost management. Edge data management will be a critical component, helping businesses to optimise data flow and control expenses associated with AI.
“For organisations keen on balancing innovation with budgetary constraints, cost efficiency will drive AI adoption. Enterprises will focus on using AI strategically, ensuring that every AI initiative is justified by clear, measurable returns. In 2025, we’ll see businesses embrace AI not only for its transformative potential but for how effectively it can deliver sustained, tangible value in an environment where budgets continue to be tightly scrutinised.”
Nick’s insights reflect a shift toward pragmatism in AI adoption. Businesses that take a balanced approach to innovation and cost management will be best positioned to realise AI’s full potential.
The Year Ahead
2025 will demand a strategic focus on security, data readiness, and ROI optimisation. These pillars will define success for enterprises navigating the complexities of an AI-first world.
By prioritising robust security frameworks, investing in data readiness, and balancing innovation with fiscal responsibility, organisations can confidently harness AI’s transformative potential. At Nasuni, we believe the businesses that thrive in the coming year will be those that understand one simple truth: when it comes to AI, preparation is everything.
