6 key trends for IT and consulting in 2025
Market innovation has been the aim of the game for businesses since the beginning, and competition across all sectors has only intensified with the evolution of IT hardware and software. To ensure that new and long-standing digital technologies including cloud, edge and AI provide value long-term, consulting services have proved vital to closing knowledge gaps and ensuring seamless transformation journeys.
Over the next year, there will be an ever-present focus on innovating with speed, efficiency and personalisation in mind. Maintaining network visibility and security in the face of evolving cyber attacks, as well as boosting customer-facing insights and service capabilities will continue to be key priorities, while new technologies and use cases are set to emerge.
As 2025 gets underway we explore six areas of IT and consulting that are set to play key roles in digital transformation across businesses in the next 12 months.
1. Large language model continuation
Ever since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI large language models have helped to realise new ways to bolster creativity across company departments, using the data at staff’s disposal. From sales and marketing to industry-specific operations, processes have been accelerated and made more customisable, to meet particular organisational needs.
On the flipside however, firms utilising generative AI will need to keep on top of the data fed into these algorithms to maintain insight accuracy. Only data that is particularly tailored to a business use case should be used, meaning that the information involved needs constant upkeep to ensure it is ‘clean’, up to date and in line with the most recent data regulations.
Additionally, with corporations including Microsoft, Google and Amazon holding substantial stakes in the LLM space, firms will be wary of possible vendor lock-in, and may look for more variety of capabilities without congesting existing infrastructure. This is where vendor-neutral and open source model stores like Now LLM from ServiceNow can help – offering more control over integration and allowing for a combination of strengths.
2. AI convergence with 5G and IoT
A convergence of human and machine intelligence promises to strengthen emerging 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. Combining cloud and edge network infrastructures, richer data assets will be made more accessible, allowing for further discovery of new use cases. Smart tech will see more streamlined AI integrations across industries including manufacturing, transport, logistics and the green sector.
AI has already started to play a role in 5G network management, helping to optimise costs and performance in sectors including telecoms. But as business devices become more connected, 5G is set to provide further support towards wide area connectivity, while accelerating machine learning for more proactive decision-making. This, in turn, will lend itself well to responding faster to customer queries across service platforms.
Meanwhile, AIoT will come to the fore as a way to optimise insights outside of the cloud. Data collection from sensors, cameras and other IoT devices is set to be accelerated by artificial intelligence, with accuracy increasing as machine vision algorithms continue to be optimised. Alongside this, businesses utilising such capabilities will need to focus more on specific use cases, with privacy of data leveraged in mind.
3. Evolving phishing attacks
As with any technical tool, AI is a double-edged sword that can be utilised by threat actors looking to capitalise on vulnerabilities and utilise sensitive company data. Phishing attacks – among other kinds of social engineering – are set to undergo further personalisation to appear more authentic, incorporating capabilities including audio and visual deepfake technology. Such attacks are also set to become increasingly political, targeting corporation leaders with prominent influence in markets and society.
Cyber security teams will need to keep a look out for phishing attempts that mimic styles of writing and presentation. Malicious aid of generative AI, with emails, chat messages and even video calls will all be vehicles for fraud. Thorough, network-wide behaviour detection combined with a zero-trust approach to access is necessary for keeping threats at bay.
4. Quantum commercialisation
Quantum computing will make a big step from under-wraps R&D, towards commercialisation for business use in 2025. Set to unleash unprecedented solutions in industries including finance, healthcare and manufacturing, the leveraging of sub-atomic data science beyond traditional binary capabilities is bound to speed up the leaping of barriers impacting businesses.
Cloud infrastructure will be the vehicle for leveraging quantum-based data insights, while vendors in the market will look to combine middleware, processors and communication to create the first supercomputers in the space. Superposition and entanglement properties are set to become digitalised, allowing for new and more comprehensive solutions to challenges to be created.
However, as with any innovation in IT, there is the risk of utilisation by threat actors to consider. Experts have cited the possibility of quantum technology cracking the RSA public-key encryption algorithm, which emphasises the need for developers and cyber security teams to stay vigilant and on top of possible vulnerabilities.
5. Encryption innovation
Elsewhere in cybersecurity, the evolution of encryption protocols will continue over the next year, to help prevent possible impacts of those aforementioned phishing attacks. Techniques including post-quantum cryptography and privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) will continue to pick up steam to combat current and future cyber attacks underpinned by increasingly intelligent AI and quantum technologies.
Cyber security processes must always show intent to stay ahead of possible changes to digital technologies, given the double-edged sword of benefit and risk that any IT tool brings. Businesses will need to take heed of guidance from bodies including MITRE and NIST, which are set to continue exploring and releasing new encryption standards.
6. Rising technical debt
With all of this growing company infrastructure and speed of uptake will come rising technical debt that all firms will need to keep under control. While investing in new market offerings to meet company objectives is all well and good, there is always a danger of projects being halted to integrate code and software that becomes increasingly difficult to fit in and maintain.
The accelerated turnover of digital tools to keep up with evolving customer and employee demands across the organisation can quickly render infrastructure components redundant. To minimise pending technical debt going forward, businesses should look to refactor code where possible; keep coding standards consistent from the beginning; and maintain documentation of changes in infrastructure to ease problem-solving.
The importance of consulting
To get the very best out of new and existing IT capabilities, collaborating with a consulting partner can go a long way in maximising value and optimising resources. Making the wrong step can halt innovation and advancement towards key goals, but guidance around carefully planning deployments and where they are needed is sure to prove dividends long-term.
About the Author
Glen McCarty serves as the Consulting Director at Velocity Smart Consulting, bringing to the table a career spanning two decades as a seasoned IT transformation specialist. His impressive track record encompasses collaboration with globally recognised brands, such as the BBC, FCA, Veolia Environmental, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Marken, AutoTrader, and Arm.
After a successful tenure as a Transition Director for a leading IT firm, Glen made a strategic shift to client-side consultancy. Since 2013, he has played an integral role within Velocity Smart Consulting, focusing on the mission of delivering exceptional IT service management experiences for their valued clients.
Featured image: Adobe Stock
