by The Computing Australia Group | 2025:
The Year Ahead
2025 promises to be a year of transformative advancements in business IT. Companies across industries are poised to leverage emerging technologies not only to streamline operations but also to create innovative solutions that redefine customer experiences. Here, we explore the key IT trends set to shape the business world in 2025.
1. AI and Automation at Scale
What’s new in 2025?
AI has moved from pilots to production. Beyond chatbots, organisations are rolling out AI across planning, forecasting, underwriting, inventory control, code assistance, marketing personalisation, and frontline support. The winners are blending predictive (what will happen) with prescriptive (what to do next) analytics, and pairing them with automation for closed-loop execution.
High-value uses
- Demand & capacity forecasting: reduce stockouts/overproduction; trigger automated replenishment.
- Customer 360 + next-best-action: higher LTV via personalised offers and timing.
- AI Ops (AIOps): detect incidents earlier; auto-remediate low-risk issues.
- Copilots for knowledge workers: speed up drafting, analysis, and coding reviews.
Quick wins (30–60 days)
- Identify 3 repeatable, expensive processes (e.g., invoice matching, case triage, quote approvals).
- Implement human-in-the-loop review for first releases; measure cycle time and quality deltas.
- Build a prompt library & governance playbook (naming, PII handling, approval flow).
KPIs
Cycle time reduction, SLA adherence, cost per transaction, CSAT/first-contact resolution, model drift rate, % automated without human touch.
Pitfalls
Shadow AI (unapproved tools), weak data quality, unclear model ownership, no feedback loop for corrections.
2. The Rise of Quantum (and Quantum-Safe) Computing
Reality check: Most enterprises won’t run quantum workloads in 2025 – but leaders in finance, pharma, logistics, and materials science are experimenting with quantum-inspired optimisation and simulators. The broader business impact this year is quantum-safety: preparing cryptography and key management for a future where today’s encryption could be broken.
Where it helps now
- Portfolio optimisation, routing, complex scheduling via quantum-inspired algorithms.
- R&D acceleration for molecule/material simulation (on classical resources + emulators).
Quantum-safe steps (start now)
- 1. Crypto inventory: identify where RSA/ECC lives (TLS, VPNs, code signing, backups, devices).
- 2. Adopt hybrid or post-quantum cryptography (PQC) as vendors make it GA.
- 3. Update policies for key rotation, certificate lifecycles, and firmware signing.
KPIs
% of critical systems inventoried; % of traffic protected with PQC/hybrid; time to rotate keys.
3. Sustainability-Driven Tech (Green IT)
Sustainability has moved from CSR to C-suite scorecard. In 2025, CIOs are on the hook for energy, emissions, and e-waste reductions – without compromising performance.
Levers that work
- Cloud efficiency: right-size instances; use serverless and autoscaling; choose greener regions.
- Efficient software: cut idle compute, batch jobs, chatty services; prefer efficient models.
- Device lifecycle: repairability, certified recycling, and circular procurement.
- Observability: dashboards for kWh, carbon intensity, and $ per workload.
Quick wins
- Turn on savings plans/reserved instances for steady workloads.
- Audit non-prod sprawl; auto-suspend after hours.
- Move batch analytics to cheaper/lower-carbon windows.
KPIs
kWh per transaction, carbon per user/session, % cloud workloads tagged & costed, e-waste diverted.
4. Cybersecurity in a Zero-Trust, AI-Assisted World
Attackers are faster, but so are defenders. In 2025, zero-trust (never trust, always verify) is table stakes, and AI-assisted detection helps SOCs cut dwell time.
Must-haves
- Identity first: phishing-resistant MFA, conditional access, just-in-time privileges.
- Modern email security: layered anti-phish + DMARC/SPF/DKIM enforced.
- EDR/XDR + AIOps: correlated telemetry, automated isolate/quarantine.
- Zero-trust network access (ZTNA): replace broad VPN access with app-level tunnels.
- Secure SDLC: SAST/DAST, secrets scanning, signed builds, SBOMs.
Human layer
- Measure report-rate of simulated phish, not just click rate.
- Role-based training: finance vs. engineering vs. field staff.
Incident response basics
- Tested runbooks, segmented backups (immutable/offline), and tabletop exercises : twice yearly.
KPIs
Mean time to detect/respond (MTTD/MTTR), patch SLA compliance, % assets covered by EDR/MFA, backup restore test pass rate.
5. Metaverse & Extended Reality (XR) Gets Practical
Forget the hype. The value in 2025 is training, collaboration, and field support—not virtual malls.
Practical use cases
- Immersive training: safe simulations for high-risk tasks; measurable retention.
- Remote assist: technicians use AR to overlay instructions; reduce truck rolls.
- Sales enablement: 3D product demos for complex equipment; shorter sales cycles.
- Virtual workspaces: digital twins of facilities for planning and walkthroughs.
Readiness checklist
- Content pipeline (3D/360 capture), device management, and safety/ergonomics policy.
- Data governance for XR recordings; accessibility accommodations. KPIs
KPIs
Training time to competence, error rates post-training, first-time fix rate, travel reduction.
6. 5G (and Private 5G) Powers Edge & IoT
When to consider private 5G
- Large sites with mobile assets (AGVs, robotics, handhelds).
- High interference environments where Wi-Fi struggles.
- Deterministic latency needs for safety-critical systems.
Edge patterns
- On-prem inference for vision/quality control
- Local data processing for compliance or bandwidth savings, with async cloud sync.
KPIs
Packet loss/latency targets met, % of workloads processed at edge, downtime reduction vs. Wi-Fi-only.
7. The Future of Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 7)
What’s new:Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) introduces multi-link operation (MLO), wider channels (up to 320 MHz, and higher throughput – great for high-density offices, event spaces, labs, and media teams.
Business impact
- Smoother collaboration: less jitter in hybrid meetings.
- More devices, fewer headaches: better concurrency for IoT and BYOD.
- Lower latency apps: AR/XR and real-time analytics behave better.
Upgrade approach
- Survey spectrum; plan for 6 GHz support.
- Stage upgrades starting with conference areas, studios, labs, then general office.
- Don’t forget backhaul and PoE capacity on switches.
8. Low-Code / No-Code democratizes delivery
Citizen developers are now a force multiplier. The trick is enabling them safely.
Governed enablement
- enter of Excellence (CoE): templates, naming standards, data connectors, review gates.
- Environment strategy: dev/test/prod with approvals; DLP policies on connectors.
- Catalog of approved components: forms, workflows, dashboards to speed reuse.
Where to start
- Forms/workflow for HR/finance, internal dashboards, request portals, simple mobile apps.
KPIs
Apps shipped per quarter, % apps built on approved components, cycle time, rework due to governance violations.
9. Data Privacy & Governance by Design
Regulations tighten; customer expectations rise. Compliance is necessary – but trust is the differentiator.
Core practices
- Data mapping & lineage: know where personal and sensitive data flows.
- Consent & preference management: unified, auditable, user-friendly.
- Minimisation & retention: keep less, for less time, with explicit purpose.
- Privacy engineering: pseudonymisation, synthetic data for testing, differential privacy where appropriate.
Automation tips
- Build policy-as-code for retention and access; auto-apply in data platforms.
- Centralise subject access request workflows with SLA tracking.
KPIs
Time to fulfill data requests, % datasets classified, audit pass rate, number of incidents, opt-in rates.
10. Composable Business Architecture
Why it matters
- Faster change with less risk.
- Vendor flexibility; swap pieces without full replatforming.
- Easier to experiment and scale successful pilots.
How to get there
- Domain-driven design to define boundaries.
- Event-driven patterns to decouple services.
- Platform engineering to standardise CI/CD, observability, and golden paths.
KPIs
Lead time for change, deployment frequency, change fail rate, time to onboard a new product/partner.
11. Human-Centric IT Design
Principles
- Design with, not for: co-design sessions with end users; observe real work.
- Accessibility first: keyboard nav, contrast, captions, screen reader semantics.
- Micro-learning + nudges: in-app guidance, short videos, and “what’s changed” notes.
- Measure adoption: instrument features and iterate.
KPIs
Task success rate, time-to-competence after rollout, feature adoption %, helpdesk tickets per user.
Final Thoughts
2025 will be a year of immense opportunity and innovation for businesses leveraging IT. By staying ahead of these trends, organisations can not only drive growth but also create meaningful value for their stakeholders. Whether it’s harnessing the power of AI, embracing sustainability, or navigating the complexities of the metaverse, the future of business IT is both exciting and transformative.
FAQ
What should mid-market firms prioritise first?
Identity/MFA, backup & DR tests, two to three AI-automation use cases with clear ROI, cost/green optimisation in cloud, and a data inventory + consent refresh.
Do I need Wi-Fi 7 now?
Upgrade early in high-density or media-heavy areas. For standard offices, adopt during normal hardware refresh to capture gains without waste.
Is private 5G overkill for most businesses?
Yes – unless you run large campuses, industrial sites, or require deterministic latency where Wi-Fi struggles.
How do I avoid AI “pilot purgatory”?
Define business KPIs upfront, ship narrowly scoped use cases, put a product owner in charge, and connect models to automation (with human oversight).
Quantum feels far away - why care?
Because crypto migrations are slow. Inventory now and plan PQC upgrades so you’re not caught flat-footed later.
